Curiosity before constraints: A designers reflection
Written by Charlotte Henshall, one of Chilli's Designers for FMCG brands.
Lessons from a toddler
As designers, we’re often told to stay curious. It’s a phrase I’ve heard throughout my career, but recently my greatest lesson in curiosity hasn’t come from work at all. It’s come from my son.
Since becoming a mother, I’ve spent countless hours watching him discover the world around him. Every object is worth investigating. Every boundary is something to test. What fascinates me most is that he doesn’t yet know where the limits are.
He doesn’t see his spoon as just a spoon. It’s something to wave, chew, bang on the table, or drop repeatedly just to see what happens. He explores without assumptions, expectations, or judgement. His curiosity is completely instinctive.
Watching him has made me realise how many invisible boundaries I’ve built into my own thinking.
The weight of experience
As designers, we naturally accumulate experience, processes, and best practices. These are valuable, but they can also shape how we approach problems. We begin to think within familiar patterns and sometimes dismiss ideas before they’ve had a chance to develop.
When I play with my son, something shifts. We create stories from everyday objects and invent worlds that don’t need to make sense. For a moment, realistic limitations disappear and curiosity takes over. Those moments have reminded me how important it is to spend time exploring possibilities before focusing on constraints.
Innovation through fresh eyes
Children don’t innovate because they’re experts. They innovate because they haven’t yet learned all the reasons why something can’t be done. This has become even more relevant as AI continues to transform the design industry.
We now have tools that can generate concepts, content, and imagery in seconds. They are incredibly powerful, and I use them myself. But watching my son learn has made me reflect on what happens when we outsource not just execution, but exploration.
His understanding of the world comes from touching, testing, questioning, and experiencing. There are no shortcuts. Curiosity is the process.
The risk with AI isn’t that it replaces creativity. It’s that we become less comfortable with uncertainty and less willing to explore ideas that don’t have an immediate answer. Yet those moments of exploration are often where the most original thinking emerges. AI can help us move faster, but curiosity is what helps us move somewhere new.
As my son grows, he’ll naturally develop boundaries of his own. That’s part of learning. But I hope he never loses the instinct to question, explore, and imagine. In many ways, while I’m helping him understand the world, he’s helping me rediscover something too.
He’s reminding me that creativity isn’t always about learning something new. Sometimes it’s about returning
to a mindset we once had naturally - one that embraces possibility before limitation and curiosity before constraints.
As designers, perhaps that’s a mindset worth holding
on to.
So, if you are looking for packaging design specialists to help you with your brand, then reach out.
The team at Chilli, FMCG packaging design leaders, are here to help you!
Contact our team to discuss your design and packaging requirements.