Big old update
Woah, sorry for the delay. Sh*t got real busy there for a second and I lost track of time. I hope you’re well. Happy cozy and spooky season to all that observe it.
Since we last hung out, a lot of things have happened over here. I’ve got some killer prototypes, packaging mockups, better animations, and I learned how to make less crappy videos. Let’s dive in!
Prototypes
Up until recently, I’ve been 3D printing and iterating on my donut hole-der at home using my Bambu Labs FDM printers. They’re excellent for quick and low-ish fidelity prints to dial in things like my mechanism, the overall form factor, and play with colorways. However, they’re lacking that pizazz you need for a sexy video. That’s where Urethane Cast prototypes come in!
Here’s a quick overview of the various 3D printing and prototyping methods I used and how they compare:
The urethane cast samples and the hand painted SLA were made by the team over at Fresco Design - I highly recommend them! The final cast samples look and feel like they were mass manufactured and have a delightful snap when the lid opens and closes. It’s truly nuts.
Packaging Mockups
Revitalized by the high quality prototypes, I realized I should try my hand at making some packaging too. I’ve helped clients and designers create these types of mockups in the past, but this time I had to come up with all of the artwork and style myself. It was fun and a bit overwhelming :)
The first mockup was super rough and cut out of cardboard to better understand the overall sizing, positioning of the device, and where I may want to add text.
From there, I created a 3D model of the cardboard to dial in the gaps and features to hold the dispenser in place. I printed out a paper template to tape onto some cardboard and cut around to get a more refined mockup. Happy, I moved onto the artwork.
I used a web based photoshop clone called photopea to create the artwork, tweaking the design with feedback from friends and family. I am not a designer. This will become even more obvious momentarily. However, I’m pretty damn happy with the final design!
Even cooler, my neighbor Shaun had all the tools needed to help create a real mockup of the packaging for me too! (Keep reading to see the end result)
Better Animations and Website
The initial renders for the website were made by yours truly, and were pretty crude. I can’t animate things in my rendering program, so I was forced to make a bunch of renders of the donut hole-der as it slowly rotated and then composted them into a gif. It worked fine but lacked the quality I was looking for.
Luckily, my friend Jackson Seidenberg - creator of the Dear Dunkin’ song - does this professionally. Check these out!
Goddamn he’s good! Naturally, I immediately updated the home page with these amazing new animations.
Social Media Attempts
Now that I had better animations, a custom song, a kick-ass prototype, and realistic packaging mockups, all I had to do was learn how to make decent quality social media posts. This might have been the hardest part of the whole process - it took forever to dial this in.
I used an app called cap-cut (which I think is owned directly by the Chinese Government) to help storyboard my post and add captions. I’m really happy with the end result!
Please please please like and share these to spread the word. Thanks, I love you.
What’s Next?
I continue to purchase, measure, and consume copious donut holes. My local Dunkin’ stopped selling butternut munchkins and that really sucks, but I’ll get over it.
I also continue to test my donut hole-der and make tweaks. I ran into an issue with accidental discharges which were just embarrassing. After going down a rabbit (donut) hole with tweaking various dimensions on the dispenser, I finally diagnosed the issue as a floppy dropstopper. Adding a bit more material to the inside helped stiffen things up enough.
I also continue to bother anyone on LinkedIn who works in marketing for Dunkin’ or Tim Horton’s. If you’re one of those people, I do apologize but also let’s talk.
I want this to exist, and hope I can do it with a partnership. If not, I’m seriously considering making a few thousand and seeing how it goes. Stay tuned for a future update where either I’m on my boat or asking for you to back a silly thing on KickStarter :)
I’ll leave you with this fun wall mount I also designed.
As always, thanks for joining me on this wild ride. I appreciate you.
💗Sam