Meet Designer Anton Ruban and his Stunning WOODEN.CITY Mechanical Models

Anton Ruban is a Ukranian designer and entrepreneur who co-founded ‘WOODEN.CITY’— a business that specialises in producing high quality self-assembly wooden models. He also serves as its Technical Director and helps oversee the business’ initial expansion beyond European markets.
Anton, on an aesthetic and emotional level, why do you think humans are so attracted to wood as a material for design?
Anton: Wood is an environmentally friendly product. Mechanical models made of natural wood in our time are a rarity. That’s why I decided to use wood to create models.
What checks and oversight do you put in place to ensure that the wood you source is originating from environmentally sustainable sources?
Anton: The wood that we use has a quality certificate and does not contain harmful substances. When the tree arrives, we conduct a visual inspection and check the thickness of the material. The thickness of the material is very important for our 3D puzzles. Changing the thickness of the material by [even] 0.3 mm will lead to the inoperability of the mechanical models. We are serious about the quality of wood.

It’s clear that wood has a sustainable appeal for you and WOODEN.CITY. However, it feels like you connected with it as a design material on an even deeper level. What about your earlier days? Did you often find yourself tinkering or experimenting with wooden models and instruments in the past?
Anton: I never worked with wood. In the past, I worked at a plant for the production of railroad passenger cars as an engineer-constructor. I got experience working in 3D projection. When I was a student I dreamed of creating my own business. I had many ideas but very little experience. Therefore, I went to work as an engineer-constructor and accumulated five years of experience that allowed me to create my first model and the future company, WOODEN.CITY.
Where was this production plant? I understand how your experience as an engineer-constructor helped you approach the technical side of building the first model, but how did it help you creatively?
Anton: The plant is located in Ukraine in the city of Kremenchug. Such a plant for the production of wagons is the only one in Ukraine. I would not say that I’m a creative person. It’s hard to say exactly what helped me to design. My first model, Ferris Wheel, was created in a year and was reworked about eight times until it was ideal. My perseverance, patience, and support from relatives probably helped.

Did you get increasingly frustrated with each rework and was it clear that you were moving along the right track? What was the work-home balance like juggling your full time job, family, and efforts to construct the model?
Anton: Each time the model improved. The activity absorbed me completely. I worked day and night. As for my parents, they did not know until the very end that I started creating a model. That was known only by my girlfriend who supported me in every possible way. When I showed my relatives the project, they at first did not believe that it was my creation. There were very long questions. How? From where? At that moment, I realized that I chose the right path.


If that initial model looked anything like the current line-up, it must have been impressive. After you showed your family, walk me through the process from prototype to founding WOODEN.CITY. How did you validate the product and get the finances for further development?
Anton: It all began in Ukraine. I bought a small laser cutter, picked up the right material, made the instructions and wooden packaging. Then I launched my online store and started wholesale. There were many orders that I had to work day and night [to fulfill]. A couple of months later, my future partner noticed me on Facebook and suggested joining forces and opening production in Poland. I saw great prospects in this since he is good in business and sales and I’m [good] at creating models. After half a year, we started selling four models and were preparing to launch our project on Kickstarter. By the launch, we created three new models. Our project was successful. We collected 150% of the required [goal]. Now we are working on the creation of [more] models. During this time we have gathered an excellent team of talented and creative people. We decided to use the money we received from Kickstarter to buy laser cutter machines. The company WOODEN.CITY was born.

How did you anticipate that there would be significant demand for your product prior to launching your campaign?
Anton: Nobody knew how sales would go. We just knew that there was a demand for this type of product. It was a risk that justified itself.
Couldn’t that have doomed your business if it turned out no one was in the mood for an updated version of wooden models? Was there a contingency plan in the event your campaign failed?
Anton: I did not have a backup plan. In any business there is risk. As they say, “he who does not risk, does not drink champagne.” We were sure that people liked our models. I did not create them to [collect] dust on shelves. Each model has its own [quirk] — a box or a secret piggy bank for instance.
You mentioned combining forces with your business partner and now you have a team. What were some challenges you faced when it came to choosing the right people to come on board?
Anton: Half of my team are talented young people with whom I worked in Ukraine. There were no difficulties with the choices as I trust these people. With each model we discovered something new and interesting in ourselves. Each of us has many ideas that need to be [made] into reality.

You currently have models ranging from vehicles to a kinetic picture. Why did you choose some of these particular items?
Anton: The choice of models depends on various factors. They can be historical, classical, or non-standard. Classics and history apply more to the Ferris Wheel, mill, and horses. The London Bus and Jeep are world famous cars. The kinetic and mechanical picture is a non-standard and experimental [model], which opened a new category of puzzles. We try to come up with something new, interesting, and unusual. We want to surprise our customers with creativity.
What are some challenges you’ve had to face as a business and a designer that you felt were unique to your specific region of operation?
Anton: Well, firstly, I [moved] countries. For me, everything here is different. At first it was hard. Now, when my family is with me, I feel at home in Poland. As for business, at the start, there are always a lot of obstacles and difficulties. There were problems in creating instructions and packaging. I wanted to create an unusual packaging [like] nothing else.


How long did it take you to work out all the kinks of your packaging and why was it so important to get the look right when you already thought you had a great product?
Anton: Packaging is one of the most important values in production. Beautiful and proper packaging is a [part] of good sales. We are still working on packaging — every time we [keep] improving it.
What about pricing? Where does WOODEN.CITY stand compared to its competitors? Are you wary of additions like nicer packaging potentially pushing your product into the “premium” category?
Anton: The price policy of our product is the same as that of our competitors. We do not get into the premium segment. On the contrary, we try to make the models available for all consumers. For each country, depending on the financial possibilities, the prices are different. For example, in Poland, it is 40% cheaper than in Germany.

Are you primarily targeting customers who specifically have a hobby of building models or are you hoping to tap into the growing market of toys and recreational items for adults?
Anton: Our products are an excellent souvenir and an unusual gift for both children and adults. Our main consumers are people aged 25–50 years. Under this category, we try to create models.
Is WOODEN.CITY a stepping stone for you to eventually get into other areas of design and products? Do you have ideas for other “build it yourself” items?
Anton: At the moment I have no plans for other areas of design. At WOODEN.CITY I have huge development plans. There are many more ideas that I want to implement in the area of “build it yourself” [products]. Time will tell.
What’s the big vision for your company when everything is said and done? How do you hope WOODEN.CITY changes the market or even the customer’s lifestyle?
Anton: We have huge plans for the development of our company. At the moment, we are actively promoting our models. In the future, we want to sell models on all continents. That is our main goal. And for this achievement we will continue to create new and unique mechanical models. We will present a lot of fun and exciting technical solutions that our customers will learn and master.
Six things to know about Anton

One thing he’d love to see as a WOODEN.CITY model: a clock
His favourite city in Europe for rising entrepreneurs: Wroclaw, Poland
The material he likes working with the least: plastic
What he listens to while designing: varies — pop music, rock, and even classics.
On whether he’s found his products in surprising locations: not yet
His favourite building based on architecture: the Burj Khalifa
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Interview has been condensed and edited for clarity
