Freeform is an infinite set of 3D printed bracelets that were created for the launch event of the cable channel Freeform (formerly ABC Family). Commissioned by the creative agency Deeplocal — and in collaboration with artist Marius Watz — we were tasked with transforming a Freeform fan’s twitter data into a completely unique, ready-to-wear design. Every fan who participated got an animated gif of their one-of-a-kind bracelet tweeted back at them, and 5,000 participants won their actual 3D printed bracelet.

Bracelet Designs

Deeplocal asked us to create five aesthetic styles based on the work of five featured artists, including Madeline Gannon of ATONATON and collaborator Marius Watz. Each design plays on a formal theme from each artists’ work: growth (Gannon), distortion (Watz), undulation (Aquino), framing (Glass), and layering (Ruffmercy).

Design Challenges

Tens of thousands of unique bracelets were algorithmically generated during Freeform’s launch event. However, the real design challenge came from the 5,000 bracelets that were 3D printed from SLS nylon.

In order to be fabricated, each of the designs had to be optimized for cost, production, and shipping. Pricing for 3D printing is primarily based on volume of material used: removing material from different elements of the design will bring your costs down. However, removing too much material can make the design too fragile, and it may brake during production or shipping. We worked back-and-forth with the 3D printing bureau to balance the material limits of SLS printing with overall costs per bracelet.

Testing Tolerances: this early test print shows that strut elements of the bracelet design were too thin, causing the print to brake during production.

Lastly, Freeform’s primary audience spans men and women age 14 – 34, so the bracelet designs needed to work on many body types. To accommodate this wide range, we created a small, medium, and large version of each design and let fans choose their preferred size.

Bracelets In the Wild

The Freeform Launch Event had an estimated 1.7 Billion social impressions, with 65K social media follows for Freeform. Tens of thousands of bespoke bracelets were generated — thousands of which were 3D printed and sent to fans.

You can find more Freeform bracelets in the wild on twitter.

Project Credits

Freeform was commissioned by Deeplocal in December 2015 for the Freeform (formerly ABC Family) Launch Event on January 12th, 2016.

Bracelet designs are a collaboration between Madeline Gannon of ATONATON & Marius Watz.

Live Stream: #FreefromLaunch

Deeplocal Project Page