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Our Story


3DuxDesign is a true family business, built on creativity, resourcefulness, and a whole lot of cardboard.
Growing up in the Klein household meant learning how to think creatively, solve problems, and improvise with whatever materials were nearby. Every year, holiday gift-giving came with one important rule:

“The best gifts are made with our hearts, our hands, and any materials already in the house. They are not bought at a store.”

So while millions of people headed to stores in search of the best Black Friday deals, the Klein kids headed straight for the recycling bin. Cardboard boxes, bottle caps, fabric scraps, paper towel tubes, and odds and ends from around the house quickly became the raw materials for something new. Down in the basement, those everyday materials were transformed into townhouses, parking garages, pinball machines, Kitty Kingdoms, and Hamster Havens. Yes, even the family pets were part of the creative process.

What started as a family tradition became something much bigger: a belief that kids do not need fancy materials to build incredible things. They need imagination, encouragement, and the freedom to design, test, revise, and create.
little girl in a box fort
2 kids in a cardboard box
little boy with with hat on white speach bubble

At the heart of 3DuxDesign is a simple belief: one of the best gifts we can give children is an active imagination and the freedom to create.

That is why our modeling kits are intentionally open-ended. Instead of relying on preset rules or step-by-step instructions, children are invited to explore, improvise, experiment, make mistakes, rethink their ideas, and try again. In the process, they  build the creative confidence, resilience, and problem-solving skills that will support them far beyond any single project.

What began as a family tradition of building with cardboard, recycled materials, and imagination has grown into a hands-on academic learning system. With the 3DuxDesign cardboard modeling system, students experiment with form, function, structure, creativity, and deductive thinking as they bring their ideas to life. Our curriculum and project guides extend from early childhood through high school and are grounded in design thinking, engineering concepts, and project-based learning.

Just as important, 3DuxDesign projects encourage students to think beyond the model itself. Through themes of community, communication, empathy, sustainability, and real-world problem solving, we challenge young designers to consider how thoughtful design can help create a better future.

Every kit sold is also a gift to us. It gives us the privilege of being part of a child’s creative development and a teacher’s effort to make learning more meaningful. Our student showcase is more than a place to celebrate student work and the educators who bring these projects to life. It also gives us a window into our own impact — a chance to see how cardboard, connectors, and imagination are helping students build confidence, share ideas, and see themselves as designers of a better world.

 3duxdesign founders high school teen entrepreneurs Ayana and Ethan Klein


Meet the creators

little girl in yellow dress
teenage girl making an architecture model

Ayana Klein

Co-founder, 3DuxDesign

Junior, Olin School of business, Washington University, St Louis


Ayana Klein, Founder and Director of Product & Program Design, was born an artist, builder, and creative problem solver. An avid lover of music, dance, 3D modeling, and architectural design, Ayana was inspired by a summer architecture program at Columbia University, where she began to see how design could make STEM learning more engaging, creative, and connected to the real world. Soon after, she developed the concept for 3DuxDesign.


“During my summer program, I learned how much more engaging STEM learning can be when softened by bringing in art, design, imaginative play, and challenges that are applicable in the real world.”


Ayana graduated from Washington University in St. Louis, where she studied entrepreneurship and minored in architecture, building the business and design foundation needed to continue growing 3DuxDesign. After graduation, she worked with two separate education-focused nonprofits, where she continued to develop her leadership skills and deepen her understanding of educational access, program design, and community-based learning.


Ayana has since returned to 3DuxDesign to lead product and program design, professional development, customer accounts, and educator support. Her work focuses on creating hands-on learning experiences that blend STEM, art, architecture, design thinking, storytelling, and real-world problem solving.


From early community projects to the Global Futures Design Lab, Ayana continues to build the 3DuxDesign learning platform with a goal of supporting creative STEM learning in communities around the world. She is especially passionate about helping students imagine, design, build, and showcase their ideas for stronger communities and a more sustainable future.

little boy with backpack and hat
teen boy sitting at table with cameras in front of him

Ethan Klein

Student, Guitarist

Co-founder, 3DuxDesign


Ethan Klein, Design Engineer and Production Manager, is a  now a graduate from  Northeastern University School of Engineering and currently works at Acorn Product Development, an engineering design firm. He continues to create, prototype, and problem-solve for 3DuxDesign while also speaking with student groups about engineering, design, creativity, and real-world innovation.


Ethan is skilled in CAD, complex 3D modeling, 3D printing, CNC routing, prototyping, and hands-on fabrication. His work with 3DuxDesign reflects his belief that engineering is most powerful when it is connected to real problems, real people, and real purpose.


“For me, learning anything, be it creative writing, complex 3D modeling, or entrepreneurship, is so much more interesting and rewarding when there’s real context and purpose.”


Beyond product design and engineering, Ethan has long been engaged in mentoring younger students, whether teaching STEM fundamentals with 3DuxDesign materials or sharing his love of music with youth at the community center near the original 3DuxDesign workshop.


His other passions include music and woodworking, skills he continues to develop through building furniture, guitars, skateboards, and other creative projects.

marci klein headshot

Marci Klein, M.D. / 

Pediatrician, NYU,  Medical School Clinical and fellowship in Academic Pediatrics

Product Development Consultant 3DuxDesign


Marci Klein, M.D. brings more than 20 years of experience as an NYU School of Medicine-trained clinical and academic pediatrician to her work with 3DuxDesign. With a deep understanding of child development, safety, health, and how children learn through play, Marci helps guide product and curriculum design to ensure 3DuxDesign materials are engaging, educational, inclusive, and developmentally appropriate.


Her background in pediatrics gives her a unique lens on hands-on learning, especially the importance of creativity, problem solving, confidence, collaboration, and access for all learners. Her work includes a strong focus on the accessibility of both the products and learning resources, helping ensure that children with a wide range of strengths, needs, and learning styles can participate actively and meaningfully in 3DuxDesign projects.


At 3DuxDesign, Marci helps bridge child development, education, and purposeful play to create resources that support both student growth and educator success.


She also proudly serves as Chief Assistant to the Principals — a title formerly known in the Klein household as “Schlepper.”

Support Staff


David Klein

Human Resources Consultant. Helps to make sure the company has a strong foundation, is a positive working environment, and resolves all Tweetle Beetle Battles between the principals and (maternal) support staff. 


High top and Voodoo

Quality Control Officers. Their duty is to make sure the cardboard models are structurally are stable, fun to play in, and make great scratching posts. Goosebumps, the family gecko, is a silent partner.  

Meet the 3DuxDesign creators and get a private factory tour!

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