Challenge
- Balancing fun and function in product design
- Designing a hyper-realistic cone with a convincing swirl texture
- Making the product functional by engineering reliable screw threads
- Delivering great customer service in digital sales
- Driving brand recognition, customer satisfaction, and delight in physical sales
- Optimizing the 3D model for manufacturing and 3D printing
- Building a cohesive brand and leveraging successful content strategies
Solution
I designed the ice cream cone to be multi-faceted. At first glance, it is a hyper-realistic ice cream cone intended to evoke nostalgia.
However, it incorporates two additional layers of interactivity. The top twists off to reveal a hidden compartment sized for a standard tea light candle, allowing the ice cream portion to glow when lit.
The result is a product that is deliciously realistic (a phrase I use in my product listings), fun, and fully functional.
This story begins with the 3D Model The model is designed to meet the core principles of the brand: function AND fun.
- Twist-off cone for interactivity and function
- Easily mix and match flavor variations
- Complex internal build optimized for cleanliness
- Designed with zero overhangs for clean 3D printing
Testing banner options to best represent the brand
- Featured the most popular ice cream cone core product as the centerpiece
- Applied textured backgrounds for an authentic feel
- Final design showcases an empty cone to highlight product interactivity
Aligning storefront branding across platforms
- Prominent logo placement for instant brand recognition
- Balanced variety across flavors while maintaining clean visual repetition
- Designed for seamless scaling across platforms with varying aspect ratios
YouTube Shorts & Social Video Content Ice cream related videos are some of the highest-performing content on the channel, driving major audience engagement.
Responsive YouTube Banner Design Designed to scale effortlessly across desktop, mobile, and tablet viewports while preserving visual clarity.
Logo design iterations and concept options
- Developing vector versions of the original stylized product shot photo
- Testing typography, layout combinations, and spatial balance
- Experimenting with new brand accent colors
- Validating appearance across light and dark modes
Custom designed threads for precision fit Engineered for high reliability through rigorous prototyping, ensuring complete control over thread angles and tolerances.
Product Photography & Media
- Featured hero shots captured in a lightbox using a DSLR
- Assembly and usage demonstration videos
- Clear display of the twist-off mechanism and included tea light
- Detailed dimensions, sizing options, and flavor variations
Printing Instructions & Technical Documentation
- Visual instructions designed to be universally accessible across languages
- Simple, step-by-step assembly and printing guidance
- Clear expectations for print quality and support removal
Shipping & Packaging: Customer Satisfaction Goal: Elevating the unboxing experience through professional packaging and delightful surprises.
- Custom-designed thank-you notes
- Bonus gift keychain included in every package
- Branded packing tape for external presentation
- Clean, sturdy white shipping boxes
5-Star Customer Review Provided proactive troubleshooting and guidance through Etsy chat to help a customer resolve printing challenges.
Results
The brand is strong and growing rapidly, achieving significant traction across e-commerce and social video platforms as of October 2026.
- Key Result 1: 5-star rating across 11 reviews with 73 total sales.
- Key Result 2: 1.8M viewers and 30K likes on TikTok (as of October 25, 2026).
- Key Result 3: 758K views on YouTube (as of October 25, 2026).
Learnings & Next Steps
- Expanding unified branding across all digital and physical touchpoints
- Continued refinement and reinforcement of core product design principles
