Dear Amigos,
Toyto is a Berlin-based wooden toy brand with a mission that sounds almost like a manifesto: no play, no gain. Founded with the conviction that play is not a childish indulgence but an expressive form of existence, Toyto set out to create objects that honour human artistry and follow a clear vision: to make the un-created. Their toys are handcrafted by carpenters in Eastern Europe, far from the noise of automated production lines, and each one is made from wood and, as they put it, “from heart-full skills.” The challenge they brought to the table was significant: how do you build a visual identity for a brand that is simultaneously artisanal and contemporary, playful and serious, rooted in craft yet forward-looking enough to speak to a design-conscious, global audience?
When a Brand Learns to Play
The visual identity Odd Works developed for Toyto is built around the logic of the object itself. The toys (wooden blocks, cubes, stacking towers, and vehicles) are defined by simple geometric shapes, modular thinking, and the warmth of natural materials. These became the raw ingredients of the brand language.
At the centre of the system is the TOYTO wordmark, where the letterforms are themselves toy-like, each character built from shapes that echo the rounded forms, stackable volumes, and architectural logic of wooden objects. The colour palette reflects the material warmth of wood and the brightness of play: a combination of earthy tones and vivid accents that keeps the brand approachable without tipping into the overly childish. Every touchpoint carries this same cohesive visual grammar, making Toyto instantly recognisable as a brand that takes both craft and communication seriously.
The Letters That Stack Up
The custom TOYTO wordmark is supported by Labil Grotesk by KOMETA Typefaces. Designed by Christian Jánský and released in 2018, Labil Grotesk is described by its creators as a “joyful sans-serif with a human touch.” This typeface takes the formal discipline of classic Swiss grotesques and introduces a controlled sense of imbalance, as if each letter is gently succumbing to the laws of gravity. Letters lean, tilt, and seem to carry their own weight, which, for a toy brand built around the joy of stacking and balancing physical objects, is more than an aesthetic choice. It is a conceptual one. In the context of Toyto, Labil Grotesk extends the brand’s central idea into every line of body copy, every label and every headline.
About Odd Works Studio
Odd Works is a design studio that operates at the intersection of design, art services, and creative direction, with a self-professed commitment to keeping things fun. The studio approaches each project with a rigorous conceptual foundation, but never at the expense of warmth or wit. Their body of work spans brand identities, visual systems, and art direction for clients across different industries, and their method is consistent: find the logic that lives inside the subject, and let that logic generate the visual language. If you’d like to explore more of their work and philosophy, their portfolio is well worth a visit at oddworks.studio.
Signed,
A type of Ari.
