Designer and educator John Mauriello (of the amazing “Design Theory” YouTube channel) has created an outrageous set of 3D-printed sunglasses, exploring a rare “what if” scenario where money, material, and skills manufacturing are unlimited. Using high-end printers, Mauriello’s sunglasses display the themes of earth, wind, fire, and water.
Fire sunglasses feature a combination of red flames encased within clear flames, creating an almost melting aesthetic. Earth Sunglasses have a stable, grounded rectangular form factor with cracks on their surface, while Water Sunglasses have a bubble-like aesthetic with artistic AI-generated textures. Wind sunglasses have a streamlined shape with ribbing along the front, with amazing wispy shapes on the inside.
Mauriello used an unconventional design direction that he couldn’t explore with a client paying for his industrial design skills. He drew directly in VR using Gravity Sketch before taking the templates to Houdini to simulate effects like fire, wind, water, and earth.
While these glasses are not designed for the mass market and are not for sale, they form a central part of Mauriello’s educational and exploratory approach to design.
If you want to learn more about the glasses or about design in general, we recommend checking out Maurello’s YouTube channel, Design Theory, at this link.
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