This case study documents the complete development process of Sneak Energy's brand mascot, from initial concept refinement through digital sculpting to production-ready prototype, including the collectible toy variations created from the core design.

Initial concept development focused on establishing character proportions, design language, and visual style through iterative sketching. This critical discovery phase identifies design opportunities and constraints early, ensuring efficient progression to digital development with clear creative direction.

establishes core character volumes and silhouette hierarchy using clean, simplified geometry. This foundational sculpting phase intentionally excludes surface details, clothing elements, and accessories to maintain client focus on essential proportions and anatomical structure before advancing to detailed development.

When presenting the digital sculpt to the client, I like to showcase the product in a more realistic setting with lighting and shadows, in addition to highlighting all the details and features of the characters in the digital sculpt. I have observed that rendering the product with realistic lighting and background emphasizes small flaws. One of the primary tools I use to help my clients visualize their products is Sketchfab. It has proven to be essential in understanding their notes and simplifying the entire process. Sketchfab allows me to present the product with realistic lighting in real 3D instead of just static screenshots. This allows the client to view the product on any device, be it a desktop, mobile, or smartphone, making the whole experience much smoother and easier.

Following client approval of core proportions and volumes, detailed refinement begins with surface sculpting, fine feature development, and accessory creation. All clothing elements and design patterns maintain strict brand consistency with Sneak Energy's existing merchandise line, ensuring cohesive brand expression across physical and digital products.

Following client approval of all sculptural details and refinements, technical preparation begins to optimize the digital model for 3D printing production. This critical phase ensures successful translation from digital sculpt to physical prototype, addressing printing constraints and material requirements for optimal output quality.

Client delivery includes the complete production-ready prototype featuring professional 3D printing, precision post-processing, and hand-finished painting using industry-grade materials and techniques. Comprehensive project documentation includes high-resolution photography and process recording for manufacturing reference and marketing applications.

The Sneak Energy bunny prototype successfully transitioned to full production, achieving exceptional market performance with complete sellout in the UK market within 11 minutes of launch. The project demonstrates the commercial viability of professional prototype development, resulting in over 2,000 units sold and generating significant brand engagement and revenue for Sneak Energy.

Following the commercial success of the initial Sneak Energy mascot prototype, our partnership expanded to include multiple character variations and product line extensions. This ongoing collaboration demonstrates our ability to maintain brand consistency while developing scalable character families that support diverse marketing initiatives and retail strategies. The following showcase highlights additional figures developed through our established design pipeline, each maintaining the quality standards and brand alignment that contributed to the original product's market success.

Development of an 8-bit character variant expanded Sneak Energy's market reach into retro gaming demographics, requiring careful balance between nostalgic pixel aesthetics and established brand recognition elements.

Sneak Energy's snowboard product launch required specialized character development to support their winter sports marketing campaign. The Sneak Blizzard character variant incorporated seasonal elements and winter sports aesthetics while maintaining core brand identity. Emphasis on photorealistic rendering and authentic winter sports styling supported the campaign's promotional objectives and enhanced product credibility for their snowboard retail initiative.

The Sneak Cereal campaign required character development that communicated morning energy and breakfast appeal while maintaining Sneak Energy's established brand personality. This lifestyle-focused character iteration demonstrated relaxed confidence and morning readiness, supporting their breakfast product marketing strategy. The design balanced approachable morning aesthetics with brand consistency, creating an effective marketing asset for their expanded product portfolio.

The final design challenge came down to strategic color selection between pink and blue robe options, ensuring the character perfectly matched the campaign's morning energy aesthetic

The Clear Sneak project required innovative design solutions to create a transparent character variant that maintained visual impact and brand recognition. Initial transparent prototypes lacked sufficient visual presence, prompting collaborative problem-solving with the client. The breakthrough solution incorporated colorful powder elements within the transparent figure, creating visual interest while directly referencing Sneak Energy's core product - powdered energy drink mix. This strategic design alignment enhanced both aesthetic appeal and brand messaging, demonstrating our ability to solve creative challenges while strengthening product connections.

Sneak Colour Bomb development showcased advanced brand integration by incorporating design elements from both Sneak Energy's retail apparel line and product packaging colors. This multi-product alignment created unified brand messaging across diverse product categories, enhancing brand consistency and supporting comprehensive marketing strategies through strategic character design.

The Sneak Energy partnership resulted in multiple successful product launches, including complete market sellout in 11 minutes and over 2,000 units sold. This ongoing collaboration demonstrates our ability to deliver scalable character development that drives real business results. Ready to create your own success story? Contact us to discuss your character development project.