There’s a recurring joke in my family that all I want is a plastic zebra. As little kids, when my brother asked for a Gameboy for his birthday, I wanted nothing more than the $2 injection molded toy zebra from our local toy store. My interest in simple toys has followed me down the line. When I first got access to CAD software in college, I modeled and 3D printed a giraffe. I made a few more animals, then a few more. I wanted to strike a balance between organic and geometric: smooth edges and repeated motifs on common primaries. I kept exploring this idea of minimal animals on and off over the next several years, yielding a menagerie fit for a beautiful hanging mobile.

At this point, I’ve used CAD for more complicated mechanisms and multi-part assemblies, but I keep coming back to these as favorite 3D designs. Something about them retains an organic humanity and gentle touch that reminds me just how much can be evoked using standard solids modeling tools.