FISHTERY TINS

an oceanic exercise in branding by mel rivera

fishtery tin commercial animatic, april 2026

sometimes i truly think one of the sole reasons i create is for fish. im endlessly captivated by them, and it seems like most of my projects this year have been in one way or another, connected to fish.

ideation process

fishtery tins exists as a testament to my deep love for these creatures, and to showcase the skills i’ve learned in pursuit of my BFA at the university of connecticut. i will be creating two physical iterations of a larger line of blindbox fish toys, including its boxes and informational trading cards for each fish. all branding, designs, and fabrication will be done by me. below you will find my current 2d and 3d visual development process

2d tin ideation
logo mockup 1
fish 2d style tests
commercial storyboard
commercial styleframe 1 + 3d tin model
commercial styleframe 2 + 3d tin model
logo mockup 2
final logo design
splash illustrations/style testing

SUMMER SCHEDULE

  • finish commercial, website page

  • 2d style tests for trading card, box, tin. moodboards, sketches, illustrations.

  • fully draft designs for trading card 1+2, box design, tin design in 2D digital software (not sized to scale)

  • 2D style tests for 3D + physical fish

  • material research, calculate cost and budget, consider physical proportions

  • test materials mainly at the uconn puppetry complex, where the majority of fabrication will take place. this includes testing durability/texture/appearance of various clay, 3d prints, casting, laser cutting, paint, etc.

  • prototype box, tin, and fish 1

  • prototype fish 2

hey! feel like keeping an extra close eye on me? click here for a spreadsheet of my real-time progress this summer