Interactive events - Toyota Family Day 2025

Client: GPJ (for Toyota Australia)

Event: Toyota Family Day 2025

Project Value: $13,000

The Brief

For Toyota’s annual internal Family Day, GPJ needed an engaging, interactive installation that would capture the imagination of children while aligning with Toyota’s values of sustainability and innovation. The activation also required custom decorative pieces for the main stage that complemented the event’s visual style.

The Challenge

Toyota wanted to encourage creativity and play for visiting families, particularly younger guests, through a tactile and memorable experience. The challenge was to design large-scale, visually impressive structures that could withstand active use by children, fit within sustainability requirements, and reflect Toyota’s brand identity.

Our Solution

Cardboard Mill designed and built a series of interactive and decorative cardboard installations that brought Toyota’s theme to life:

• 1:2 Scale Toyota Landcruiser – A life-sized (for kids) cardboard Landcruiser that children could draw on and decorate throughout the event. The car’s simplified form and bold sketch detailing gave it depth and visual appeal while staying structurally sound.
• Interactive Drawing Wall – A 3 m × 1.2 m wall where families could add their own drawings, making the installation a collaborative piece of art.
• Stage Totems – Two mirrored “totem” structures created from printed cardboard to match the event’s graphic style. These framed the stage, reinforcing the cohesive design language used across Toyota’s branding.

Together, these pieces provided both hands-on interaction and visual continuity, helping the event feel playful, creative, and considered, while maintaining a low-waste, recyclable design.

The Process

Once the concepts and CAD designs were finalised with GPJ, the project moved quickly into production. The team prepared all artwork and components for print and cutting, then constructed the Landcruiser, totems, and interactive wall within a one-week build period.

The Landcruiser was carefully simplified to retain recognisable features while ensuring easy assembly and durability. To enhance its visual character, sketch-style marker detailing was added along key edges and curves.

The stage totems were produced using printed skins applied over curved and flat cardboard faces, achieving a sleek, polished look that tied seamlessly into the broader event styling. The interactive wall reused existing Cardboard Mill wall systems at a reduced height of 1.2 m and was finished with Toyota’s supplied artwork for consistency.

Collaboration

This project was a collaborative effort between multiple creative partners:

• Styling and artwork: Nailz from Custom Cardboard Creations contributed to the Landcruiser’s styling and finish.
• Client partnership: GPJ coordinated event design and production on behalf of Toyota Australia, ensuring seamless integration across all visual elements.

Outcome:

The final installations delivered exactly what Toyota envisioned, a sustainable, interactive space where families could connect through creativity. The project demonstrated how cardboard can combine playfulness, practicality, and brand storytelling in one cohesive experience.