Moby Whale

When we first got our 3d printer one of the first things I wanted to design was our Moby logo. People always remark at how fun it is, and how friendly the whale is floating there in the middle. Translating an illustration/logo into a 3D model can be a bit tough, but I thought that I could do a decent job while maintaining the all important whimsy of the logo.

In the illustration I spent a lot of time playing with the proportions and exaggeration of the defining features so that it would read really well as a "whale" at many sizes. Additionally, the illustration isn't based on Moby Dick, but rather on a small passage from The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy where a whale is contemplating its short existence while falling to its demise. Thus, the flying/floating feel of the illustration had to be translated in the 3D version.

I started the process off by creating a really basic whale shape, and refining the proportions so that they're somewhat in-line with the illustration. Since the illustration is at a 1/3 front angle this was mainly a process of choosing how long and squat the whale should be. I tried a lot of versions but found that something that was a bit more realistic offered more flexibility.

Next, I used the simple skeletal manipulations to get the whale into the right floating pose. Then I refined the shape to match the logos slightly exaggerated hump, fin size, and flipper placement. I kept the flippers fairly stylized with a thicker body attachment so that they would print very easily and help support the outer edges of the body. Lastly, I added some very subtle musculature right behind the flippers to give the entire tail a bit more life and movement.

Overall, I think it's a great translation of the logo into real life. The friendliness definitely translated, and choosing to keep it somewhat more realistic helps it feel more like a sculpture than a toy; perfect for greeting clients to the Moby office.