ripple
The Ripple Case has been my passion project/company in the making for the last few years. The concept is pretty simple: a rugged, waterproof phone case with an action camera mount. I waterski a lot and wanted to shoot some videos, but a new GoPro was too expensive, so I built the first Ripple Case.
Above are the first sketch and first prototype Ripple Case. It wasn't strictly speaking "waterproof", but it got the job done. I covered my iPhone 12 in plastic wrap, taped up all the ports, and got some pretty amazing photos.
After the validation of the first case, I decided I needed some slick looking branding and renders. The first prototype was simply not pretty enough.
These were the first render and logo I designed. I had no experience in Blender or Illustrator and it shows. All things considered, I still think they look decent.
My renders started improving, as did my design tastes, but everything still lacked the polish I needed to put them into the world. I went back to prototyping, this time with the help of a 3D printer.
Full honesty, these initial 3D printed prototypes did not work well. However, they did give me the opportunity to significantly improve my modeling skills.
Above is my latest model of a Ripple Case. It's less of a prototype than a concept for what a final case could look like. It's also a testament to how far my modeling skills have come since I started this project. Go to the Ripple website to see what this model looks like in action.
Once I had a good looking model. I decided on a rebrand. Ripple has always been inspired by the surf, skate, and snowboard culture I grew up loving. I wanted to lean into that as hard as I could, while still remaining clean and sharp.
With a flashy new website and brand identity, all that was left was actually using the case to build a social following and attract customers. I made two new prototypes: one 3D printed, one… not. I've spent the last six months recording wherever I can, and I've gotten some pretty great results (see the Instagram or TikTok).
This is the current state of Ripple. If you want to see more, follow our Instagram or TikTok! Our website also has a mailing list if you want to hear updates as we move towards a crowdfunding campaign and eventually production (that's the goal at least). Thanks for reading!
I say "our", in reality all of the work for Ripple has been done by me. Plenty of friends have contributed advice and ideas, but all models, designs, prototypes, etc. were made by yours truly. Thanks again, don't forget to check out the rest of my work on this site!