Components Only Puzzle

illustration design

An illustrated wooden puzzle created as a corporate Christmas gift, turning heavy machinery and global logistics into something a whole family could enjoy together.

Problem

DAIS needed a Christmas gift for a client that could hold the attention of both the recipient and their family over the holidays, while still communicating the scale and range of Components Only's global operations. A generic puzzle would not do that job. It needed enough detail and personality to reward repeated look-throughs, without alienating the kids who would also be piecing it together.

Solution

I developed a clean, friendly art style that kept the machinery and brands recognisable while making them approachable for a family audience. From there I built multiple scenes around the circular layout, each one full of simple, warm characters and bright colour, showing Components Only's services playing out across different parts of the world. I tied the scenes together with small glimpses into the daily lives of the people operating the equipment, layering in backgrounds and hidden details for people to keep discovering.

Why it works

Giving the equipment and characters warmth rather than technical precision is what makes the puzzle work for a mixed audience. It reads as recognisable and impressive to the adult recipient, while the characters and hidden details give kids their own reason to engage. That balance is also what let DAIS turn it into a genuine keepsake, with die cut equipment shaped pieces and a clue hunt built around it.

Role

Illustration & Design

Credits

Client : Components Only Creative Direction : DAIS Illustration: Cameron Pyke

Kids illustration of circular globe with large construction and mining vehicles and colourful characters.

Photo of the final wooden die cut illustrated puzzle.

Cropped close-ups from larger puzzle illustration featuring beach and city scenes as well as logistic scenarios like port cranes, forklifts and trucks.

Illustrations of vehicles used throughout the puzzle. From forklifts to mining equipment and large aircraft.

Illustrations of 2D characters used throughout the puzzle. Happy scenarios of conversations, at work or returning to family.