Valentine Story #3: Say it with 3D printed hearts

Valentine Story #3: Say it with 3D printed hearts

365 hearts for every day of the year, designer Marc van Megen sure has some love inside him.

We just loved the whole idea of the pendant and the ring from the first moment we saw it. The designer created it  in gold plated brass for that special someone in your life. Just perfect for Valentine!
Van Megem: ” They symbolize the love you feel for someone, built up by the many little things you love the person for. The 365 hearts can also represent the 365 days in a year. Love and time merge in harmony in this meaningful design. You can wear eternal love, it has bonded mankind in beautiful ways.”

365 hearts ring

Tell us a bit about yourself? (Where did you grow up?)
Marc: «I was born in a little village, Blerick, situated in Limburg (The Netherlands), a district known for its friendliness and Burgundian lifestyle. I graduated at the Design Academy of Eindhoven.»

What do you do in your everyday life?
Marc: «I am an industrial designer and self-employed. My company is “Van Megen Product Design” and focuses on innovating consumer goods (FMCG), toys, food, and packaging design. Products are developed from idea, to 3D modeling, presented with photorealistic illustrations and 3D printed models. In parallel, I am an artist with a passion for bronze statues. The hallmark of my most recent series of bronze status is blending flowers with magnificent women figures radiating pure beauty, power, and sensuality in a romantic way. This series is available on Etsy.»

When did you start being interested in design?
Marc: «Creativity is an essential part of me, the essence of being. As a result, my working activities and hobby flow seamlessly into each other. I discovered early in life that I had two right hands and inherently I wanted to design my own creations, be original, searching for the challenging edge where the impossible was indeed possible. One of these examples is the recent design of the 365 hearts series.»

365 hearts ring

How would you describe your style? Where do you get your inspiration from/ who inspires you?
Marc: «I am active in different settings: industrial and art. Consequently, my style is adapted to the topic/utility of the design. Specifically for product design, I try to achieve their valorization by making them more efficient, easier to use, more attractive. With respect to art, and in specific sculpturing of bronze status, I believe that my art should please people for endless time. My style is a blend of figurative and surrealism, with inspiration coming mainly from nature. Typically, I wonder in the forest or nearby the seashore and come across an inspiring piece of wood; I see dancing people and get inspired by a specific movement or feeling and then try to embrace it in the sculpture itself.»

Can you describe your style in just a few words?
Marc: «They say that a picture says a thousand words. The same I try to do with my designs. The 365-hearts pendant is inspired by love itself, seeking a way to combine 3D printing with a powerful design that at the end is more than just a jewel; it is a story-teller, a design that is not restricted by the reality of each individual.»

When did you start printing your collection in 3D? How did you get to know it?
Marc: «In 2010 I discovered 3D printing surfing the internet and was thrilled immediately by its possibilities. In my leisure time I started making a cutlery set that could only be manufactured with this technique. Although this production method is either not food approved yet or too costly, I persisted and have designed a prototype.»

Did it change your view on designing?
Marc: «3D printing broadened my design goals. When I imagine a shape that will be injection molded, I have to adapt it a lot to make it producible. 3D printing is not (well, hardly) restricted and hereby gives me the opportunity to follow a more pure creative process of designing.»

365 hearts pendant

If you had the freedom of designing anything you want, what would it be?
Marc: «Difficult to answer, there is so much: a cutlery set or a DIY underwater camcorder housing. The latter routes from my fascination of the underwater world and its silent beauty.»

What materials do you like the most and why?
Marc: «I prefer metal because it has a high quality appearance with a long lasting product life. With the first release of the gold plated 365 Hearts Designs, your gold plated brass impressed me. Even all tiny hearts inside the jewel, where no mechanical tools can reach, shine beautifully. The jewel can only be realized with 3D printing and the gold plating highlights this unique feature of the 365 hearts designs. Polyamide is also one of my favorites because it can be applied to a large product range at relative low costs.»

Where can we find more of your work?
Marc: «Van Megen Product Design: www.vanmegenproductdesign.com.»

How do you see your future? Do you want to try other things?
Marc: «At the moment I am extending the 365 Hearts Design series with a charm, a smaller version of the hanger and additional jewel-related products. Taking into account that 3D printing is evolving fast, I expect that prices will drop, additional materials will be developed extending the design possibilities and applicability. I look forward to it and even more so I hope that I can present my initial work with 3D printing, i.e. the cutlery set to the world.»

Watch in this video  how all the little hearts dance together to evolve into a large masterpiece.