This weeks Designer Spotlight focuses on Daniel Roy. Not knowing how to 3D model, he relies on traditional pen and paper and works with a partner to translate his ideas into 3D printable works. Continuing this vein his shop is full of customizable designs, which puts the creativity into the hands of his customers.

Tell us a little bit about yourself: Who are you? Where are you located?

I studied design at CMU, the College of Fine Arts. For a few years, I worked in UK as a designer for a company in the automotive industry. Now I’m a contractor, and I devote my work mainly to industrial design. I have been spending most of the year on a projects in Singapore, and a friend of mine, whom I met at an exhibit in London, and I have established a project focused on customizable design, CustomizeDesigns.com, in which I have contributed to most of the already ready designs. We have also expanded our activities to include digitization and 3D modeling of works of art.


What’s the story behind your designs? What inspires you? 

I love nature and organic design, and I get most of my inspiration from nature. For our project, I have thought of how to create designs, where every item would have its purpose and clients could get themselves directly involved. The world is full of nice things, but everyone can identify better with something that comes directly from you than with something that they know is the same as what thousands of other people have. Therefore, I have designed the Organic Mystery line, which is a series of useful decorative items as well as jewelry and gadgets. The client can structurally modify the absolute majority of designs while preserving the main design line. We have also developed our own 3D viewer for perfect displaying of 3D models because each customer also deserves greater interaction with their item.

What brought you to 3D printing with Shapeways?
My friend Peter is responsible for where we carry out production and why. However, Shapeways presence in the U.S. market is certainly important for us, as is the quality of production and the range of materials that can be worked with.
How did you learn how to design in 3D?
Each object is basically 3D, and the ability to visualize things both in our minds and on paper is among the basic skills of a designer. I don’t work much with any modeling software, but instead in “old school way” I draw most things on paper or on a tablet, where I have a nice app. The conversion to printable models is done by my colleagues, either from Solid Works or from Maya. I admire people who can work with this software but I don’t have the patience for it.
How do you promote your work?

A couple of weeks ago, we launched the new website CustomizeDesigns.com, and we are now preparing for an autumn campaign for its promotion. We work mainly with online media sites focused on design and lifestyle.

Who are your favorite designers or artists?
I love modern art, whether paintings or sculptures. My favorite contemporary artists are Norah Ranshaw, Aimie Reeves and Frederic Chevarin. My favorite deceased artists include Henry Moore, Auguste Rodin or Joan Miró
If you weren’t limited by current technologies, what would you want to make using 3D printing?
I see a huge future in printing of organic materials. Specifically, I envision the use of materials comprised of cells, which are capable of reacting to their surrounding environment. Imagine, for example, a vase, which glows at night or changes colors depending on the season and still captures pollution from the air.

I agree that would be amazing! Create your own custom designs in Daniel’s Shop, or head over to his website to see more of his work. Like what you see? Discover more talented Shapeways Designers on our blog, or submit one of your own by emailing natalia@shapeways.com