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It's all about fun

Retron Print 17
Retron Print
@AndrzejG
designiphoneideas
October 31, 2025
4 min
18
Image for It's all about fun

On the occasion of the launch of my latest iPhone case, I wanted to share a few details about the development process for my Terminal G3.

After creating Terminal One and Terminal Two, I was looking for inspirations for my third installment in the word of retro iphone cases. I created several prototypes, inspired by various retro devices. Those were interesting, good-looking ideas, but deeply in my soul I felt it wasn't that what I'm looking for.

My first two models were based on serious business machines. They brought to mind IBM or Hewlett Packard office computers. While I really like this style, I felt that the theme had been exhausted.

The inspiration came completely by accident, although it had always been close at hand. While visiting McDonald's with my family, I discovered that they were running a retro-style promotion. Every order came with a copy of BRAVO magazine. It was the magazine I grew up with, which was part of the life of every teenager in my neighborhood. That's when I realized that the style I was looking for was Y2K!

Early prototypes

The search for a form for a new project often ends in failure. I try to base my projects on iconic designs from the past. I make sure it offers a unique feature that I can use as a basis for development.
Unfortunately, it often turns out that the final shape is bulky or difficult to translate into 3D printing language.

Inspiration

Y2K was a wonderful period in the history of design. Serious beige and soulless machines were replaced by expressive, round gadgets. 
It was the era of multimedia and communication, a time when every child knew what an “SMS” was. Everyone had a DVD player and a flip phone at home.

Research

At that point, I began my research.
The turn of the 2000s saw the convergence of two trends: Silver Tech and Blobject design.

Almost all designs were oval. Efforts were made to break away from the serious image of technology. Technology was supposed to intrigue, inspire, and encourage play.

iMac G3

Since my cases are designed for iPhones, I decided to look back at Apple's history and based my design on the company's craziest project.
The combination of transparent, colorful plastic and a rounded shape intrigued the whole world.

Shape

I always start the design process by defining the overall shape of the model based on the actual device. This allows me to predict where the buttons, ports, and cameras will be located.
The next step is to define the optimal orientation of the components on the 3D printer plate. This step defines how the model will be divided into parts.

Functionality

The next step is to solve basic functional problems. You need to find answers to the following questions:
- How will the snaps work?
- How to attach the buttons?
- How to attach decorative elements?
- What should the tolerances be?

Compatibility

Adjusting sizes and functions for every modern iPhone is the most tedious part of the entire project. Apple loves to make life difficult for accessory designers.
Although they all look the same, every single iPhone in the history of the universe has different dimensions and button and camera placements.

Presentation

Even the best model has no chance without a good presentation. The basis is high-quality photos. A large number of high-quality photos. I usually take over 100 photos in different settings and from different angles. In the selection process, I choose about 10 of the best ones to promote the model.
In addition to photos, I also try to render a few interesting shots in 3DsMax.

 

I hope this short article has given you some insight into my work process. In reality, everything is based on an interesting idea. The rest is about solving puzzles and constantly improving the details.

Happy Printing!

workflowiphoneretrodesignideasdesigncasestudy

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