Luke Fabricatore

Transparency, playfulness, and a unique balance between simplicity and complexity. This project aims to encapsulate those core values of the Nothing tech brand through motion graphics. I took on the challenge of bringing a new voice to their identity, creating a narrative that resonates with Nothing’s aesthetic yet introduces an innovative element: the integration of typography with 3D objects. This is something the brand hasn\'t explored through their visuals. The journey began with modeling the entirety of the Nothing Phone (2) in Blender, crafting detailed textures in Substance Painter, achieving tone with custom scoring in Logic Pro, and meticulous color grading in DaVinci Resolve. Drawing heavily on statements from Nothing and inspired by the brand\'s existing aesthetic, the script I developed embodies the essence of Nothing while offering a novel direction.

Boolean blends the virtual and physical, offering a new approach to social interaction. The system is a digital social compass, facilitating healthier ways to meet people in a socially distant world. This project spans multiple disciplines including 3D modeling, vfx, branding, and sound design, with each element crafted from the ground up. Central to Boolean is its form factor: a compact, keychain-shaped beacon that attaches to clothing or bags, symbolizing ease and the seamless merging of digital and physical spaces. Unlike the intrusive nature of smartphone applications, Boolean\'s beacon—visualized as a lightweight, non-intrusive bubble—allows interactions to unfold in the background, emphasizing the fragile yet impactful nature of connections. The project\'s narrative is brought to life through five videos, each detailing a unique feature of Boolean. These narratives have been meticulously crafted, from producing tangible 3d printed prototypes to employing techniques like projection mapping and motion tracking for visual effects. Accompanying these visuals, a custom soundtrack composed in Logic Pro enhances the storytelling, creating an immersive experience that encapsulates the essence of Boolean.

One of the most influential designers of the digital age is Susan Kare. For a design research project, I chose to study her decades of work and document them in a new format. The outcome is a website that works like a timeline. It starts with her 1983 assignment with Macintosh 1 and concludes with a 2015 Pinterest rebrand. The timeline displays an abundant collection of assets, icons, typefaces, and more on a pixel grid, all unearthed from books and internet archives. The biggest struggle for the project was figuring out a good system to navigate the jungle of pixels onscreen. After many iterations and testing, I settled on creating a digital helper named Pals that moves around the timeline and provides some much-needed context. In figuring out how to explore the space myself, this project gave me a new understanding of the pixel. Having to recreate most of the 202 pixel-perfect assets, I learned how tedious and impressive the craft is to design for systems with visual limitations. Kare navigated this space with precision and detail; the goal of my website was to demonstrate that.

For a historic Blender Conference in April 2024—the first ever in the US—I was inspired to evolve Blender\'s visual identity, which traditionally has been inconsistent and limited. Acting as the redesign\'s groundwork is BCon\'s 2023 brand, featuring custom typography and funky, craft-like characters. These graphics, though vibrant, were static and limited in scope. My goal was to create a dynamic, universal system. I developed custom geometric typography and alternate letters for an organic feel; the type also uniquely integrates Blender UI icons directly into the text. Additionally, this brand reimagines Blender\'s characters, expanding the roster to represent individual keynote speakers, enriching the conference\'s visual narrative.