Custom YouTube Play Button Design for Mark Rober

Mark Rober’s Achievement

• Mark Rober hits 50 million subscribers.
• Noteworthy for creating a custom play button instead of waiting for YouTube to provide one.

Concept and Inspiration

• Personal Elements: Squirrels, TED Talks, music, Roblox game, etc.
• Logo Consideration: Struggles with making a full 3D structure from the logo.

Initial Design Attempts

• 3-Sided Design: Considered, but opted for a 4-sided structure instead.
• 12 Variations Tested
  • Trials involve different thickness and base variations.
  • Preference towards original logo with varied thickness.

Science Integration

• Mark Rober’s Background: Emphasis on creating a scientifically impressive design.
• Tensegrity Concept: Combination of compressive and tensile components for stability.
  • Three main pieces: top, bottom, and the “M”.
  • Achieved stability with 7 connective pieces.

Researching Gimmicks

• Science Decor Items: Tesla coils, ferrofluid, infinity mirrors.
• Infinity Mirrors: Decided to integrate an infinity mirror for uniqueness.

Software and Tools

• Blender: Utilized Blender for design modeling and simulation.
• Skillshare: Mentioned as a key resource for learning and improving skills.

Materials and Real-World Constraints

• Society Awards: Tends to use metal/resin materials for YouTube awards.
• Material Choices: Tested aluminum, gold, and other materials.
  • Vertex adjustments for better shapes and realism.
  • Considerations for reducing weights (e.g., carving, lighter materials).
• Levitation Concept: Magnetic fields for an elevated display.
  • Constraints on weight tolerance of the levitation module.

Final Design Elements

• Infinity Mirror Base: Added for the visual appeal and complexity.
• Combination of Features: Integrated levitation, tensegrity, infinity mirror.
• Practical Experimentation: Realistic elements like magnets, copper paint to achieve design.

Conclusion

• Design Outcome: Presented the final design of Mark Rober’s play button.
• Personal Satisfaction: Expressed happiness and satisfaction with the finalized design.