NFL Logo designed in Modo

NFL Logo recreated in Modo by
Jason Csizmadi

In the marketing and advertising world, innovative 3D designers and the tools they wield are changing the way brands, both big and small, get their products in front of the eyes of consumers. The shift away from traditional illustration and photography has been a gradual one, but as more companies become clued-in to the power of 3D illustration, modeling, and visualization, they’re finding it gives a huge boost to the impact of their product marketing efforts.

This growing momentum isn’t just building amongst companies looking for inventive ways to polish their products to better stand out in a competitive market. Designers are also finding the value in boosting their speed and flexibility through smart use of 3D modeling tools that allow them to streamline their process without sacrificing creativity. Jumping from the pen to the screen isn’t an easy transition for everyone, but many designers who’ve taken the plunge are reaping the benefits in their workflow — whether they’re prototyping the original product designs or the visual materials to support how they’re marketed.

From product shots and commercial animations to packaging labels and the actual product designs themselves, using 3D modeling, painting, and animation software lets artists give their clients a more complete picture of their in-progress designs. On the whole, they’re finding it also increases their production speed while cutting costs. Good designers typically see the design in their heads, but can often struggle to effectively communicate those ideas to their clients, managers, developers, engineers. By representing their designs in 3D — both in still images and as animations — they are able to communicate those designs to others, and that’s truly transforming the industry.

The power is in the package

When pitching ideas to clients, presenting concepts as 3D visuals rather than flat 2D artwork gives many artists a sharp competitive edge, and it’s a benefit that brand consultants and design studios are increasingly picking up on. After seeing the impact that 3D assets had on clients, San Francisco-based design firm The Thompson Design Group hired longtime 3D illustrator Gene Dupont to spearhead the creation of its internal 3D department.

“Many of our clients weren’t aware of the advantages of computer generated 3D images over traditional illustration and product shot photography, and the demand has grown considerably,” says Dupont, who has an extensive background in designing 3D product and package illustration. He primarily uses MODO, The Foundry’s popular 3D modeling and animation package, paired with other tools like Photoshop, Illustrator, and Final Cut Studio to build out impressive designs to entice clients.

Creating a 3D department in the studio proved to be a cost-effective measure that benefits both the firm and its clients, he says, as it gives them a dynamic new resource for presenting and selling product designs and illustrations. One of the main ways he uses 3D modeling is to create custom illustration elements for design layouts, whether it’s chocolate bars and popsicles, or soda cans and bottle

packaging. Incorporating a client’s specific branded artwork with realistic 3D models yields powerful designs that can be used for a variety of marketing purposes, including print-ready illustrations, posters, market research, focus groups, and advertising in print or on the Internet.

“For our clients, the 3D illustrations I produce have cut costs by reducing or completely replacing the need for physical comps and final art photography,” he says. “Now clients don’t have to try and visualize what the design would look like, because they can look at a virtual 3D photograph of a finished product – whatever the shape or surface material may be. It also sends a message that our firm has this up-to-date capability and can provide 3D imagery throughout the design process.”

Print marketing and static product illustrations are only a few of the many ways designers are enhancing their offerings through use of 3D modeling tools. Other studios have found they’re able to take things to the next level in a big way by letting clients actually see their products in action.

Coming to life on screen

DMAX Imaging, a top imaging firm based-out of San Francisco, built its reputation on creating still imagery for print, but adopting MODO and expanding into 3D animation for its product marketing and design services has proved to be a game changer.

“Very quickly, you can generate something that looks like the real world product, and with that instant preview I can’t even tell you how big that is,” says McKay Hawkes, Director of CGI at DMAX. “I think we’re reaching a tipping point where we don’t have to push this anymore. When we have clients see it and they look at our work, they’re just naturally interested. It’s where the industry is going.”

DMAX made the transition into 3D around the launch of the new iPad, which introduced 300 dpi print resolution capabilities to the tablet market. At the time, the studio was doing a ton of still image renders for Beats — the slick headphone and audio accessory line produced by Dr. Dre — when it decided to import some of the CAD designs into MODO to just to show them what it could look like.

“We did a little R&D on our end and took their CAD asset, animated it, and did all this crazy cool stuff with it — spun it around, opened it up, and again, stuff you couldn’t do without CAD or models and 3D,” he says. “We showed it to the client, and they ended up liking it so much they bought it.”

Many people still have a stereotype in their mind of what CG looks like, says Hawkes, adding that there’s an assumption that computer-generated 3D designs aren’t photorealistic and they don’t match the real world products. You don’t have to look far to see that nothing could be further from the truth. Hawkes says the impressive capabilities of today’s 3D software, like MODO, is rapidly dispelling that myth and putting people’s false assumptions to rest.

Keeping creativity in the mix

One of the bigger myths among many designers who cling to more traditional design methods is that computer modeling kills the creative spirit that comes from sketching up designs by hand, but if anything, those who are willing to take the plunge are discovering the exact opposite is true.

Learning how to iterate in 3D lets designers keep more of the creative control within their grasp, since they can transition from early concept sketching to 3D modeling without having to pass their work off to a third-party. They are no longer at risk of losing up to a third of their creative vision due to someone else’s interpretation of their designs. Working in 3D now leaves plenty of room for happy accidents too, as current CG modeling workflows are much more fluid, offering a sketch-like level of artistry. Tinkering around with “mistakes” can yield excellent results that improve on a project and inform its final design.

Renowned auto industry and consumer product designer Harald Belker found that, despite his early reluctance to transition from hand-drawing his design sketches over to 3D, making the shift has completely changed his workflow for the better. Beyond giving him more flexibility and greater speed for rapid iteration on a technical level, it’s become a natural extension for expressing his own artistic nature through design.

Now an avid MODO user, Belker finds that “creative modeling” in 3D with the right toolset can be just the thing he needs to get the most out of his workflow without compromising on an artistic level, whether he’s designing sci-fi rides for film or slick sunglasses for Kaneon Polarized. “It is absolutely essential to my process,” he says. “I only work in MODO now. I sketch in 3D, I complete my models, and I render them in MODO for amazing presentations.”

As the product design, marketing, and advertising industry continues to push deeper into 3D territory, more artists will continue to embrace innovative tools that make the design process a smoother one. The great thing about a software like MODO is that everything is right there in one package, and it’s not just a modeling application. It’s a total content creation package that’s affordable. Along the way, designers and artists will discover that creativity and technology can indeed mesh in amazing ways, opening the door to a whole realm of exciting possibilities that await.

About our Guest Contributor, Yazan Malkosh, Head of Design at The Foundry

Yazan Malkosh, Head of Design at The Foundry

Yazan Malkosh, Head of Design at The Foundry

Currently Head of Design at The Foundry specializing in custom design process solutions for the design markets using The Foundry’s product lines, Yazan Malkosh is 3D artist with a passion for shading and lighting. With a BS in Microbiology and a BS in Architectural Design Engineering, Malkosh draws on this diverse mix of disciplines that has shaped his 14-year career. He is the creator of SLIK (Studio Lighting & Illumination Kit), PAD (Product & Automotive Design) & SES Series (Studio Environments Set 1&2) Preset kits for The Foundry®’s modo®.