Case Study

Day 33 – Fire Hydrant with Brand Identity

Modeled a realistic fire hydrant, then transformed it with my brand visuals. Glowing stickers featuring my mascot, cart, and shop icons were applied using the shrinkwrap modifier. Placed in a subtle street setting with shadows and bushes to anchor the object while keeping the focus on the brand story. One of three designs in my Branded Objects Series, alongside the Rubik’s Cube and Cassette Player, focused on using custom brand stickers as part of the object identity.

Client: Personal Project

Client Background: A continuation of a self-driven series that explores how 3D object modeling can be used to reinforce a visual identity.

Objective: To model and texture a realistic fire hydrant while incorporating personal brand illustrations and iconography in a way that blends design, story, and object identity.

Challenges: Performance limitations due to hardware constraints made merging complex topologies difficult. Needed to maintain detail while avoiding system lag or crashes.

Solutions: Used the Shrinkwrap modifier to wrap brand stickers onto the hydrant’s surface. Combined with the Data Transfer modifier to fake a fused appearance and improve shading around edge transitions. Darkened the hydrant’s base texture to mask topology seams and ensure a visually cohesive final result.

Results: Created a shiny black fire hydrant with worn metal edges, bolts, and realistic aging details. Covered the surface with a variety of brand stickers that feel integrated and contextually placed. Continued the visual language of the Branded Objects Series, aligning with previous projects like the Rubik’s Cube and Cassette Player.