Tech startup Yoto teamed up with Pentagram to develop an interactive audio toy that plays stories, music, radio and podcasts for children without the need for a screen.
Yoto CEO Ben Drury and CCO Tom Ballhatchet worked with Pentagram partners Jon Marshall and Luke and Jody Hudson-Powell to develop a product that "prioritised kids being in control".
The Yoto Player's simple design has a slot where physical cards are inserted and two buttons that can be pushed and twisted for playback and audio control.

Yoto called in Pentagram to revamp and build on the foundations of their first Yoto Player, which was launched in 2015.
The studio was responsible for the industrial design of the audio player, as well as the visual identity, packaging, and website and app design. "Pentagram was able to work with this 'baggage' and set up a process that was really quite collaborative and that always anchored children and parents in the heart of the design," said Ballhatchet.
"What impressed me most was the way Pentagram managed to navigate the creative tensions within the broader team," he added. "We brought our opinions with us!"
"It was a collaborative creative process where we were able to respond in a way that positively moved things to a better place."

Instead of a screen, the device features a 16-by-16-pixel colour display on its front surface that projects some feedback and interactive content without distracting from the audio.
The co...