Website and investor materials presenting SOPAX as a scalable biotech solution for sewer health, combining consumer-friendly branding with deep scientific function.
Biotech Product Design & Strategic Branding
Client: All By 4D
Role: Lead Product Designer (UX, Industrial & Visualization)
Duration: August 2019 to October 2024
Tools Used: Rhinoceros, Grasshopper, Revit, Unreal Engine, Figma, Adobe Creative Suite
Team Composition: Collaboration with co-founders, product developers, and marketing team
Project Overview
All By 4D was a biotech startup exploring sustainable sewage solutions through a novel microbial cleaning system. I led the full-stack design across UX, industrial design, visualization, and branding—from an initial concept for a self-cleaning, low-water toilet to a deployable cleaning capsule called SOPAX. My work included 3D modeling in Rhino and Grasshopper, 3D printing, animated storytelling in Unreal Engine, and creating the full digital and visual identity system to support investor pitches and user engagement.
Social campaign visuals communicating SOPAX’s environmental benefits and ease of use to both municipal and direct-to-consumer audiences.
Problem Statement
Goal: Develop a compelling product and brand vision for a biotech startup solving the problem of fatbergs in public sewer systems.
Constraints:Complex technology had to be distilled into a simple, engaging user experience for both consumers and municipalities. The project also had to pivot midstream from a custom hardware product (reinvented toilet) to a retrofit microbial capsule (SOPAX) based on investor feedback.
Users: Environmentally conscious consumers, municipal waste infrastructure teams, and early-stage biotech investors.
Challenges: Communicating a scientific innovation clearly across digital and physical touchpoints. Translating early speculative concepts into manufacturable prototypes. Rapidly shifting design focus while maintaining brand and product cohesion.
Early industrial design direction: Rhino-modeled, self-cleaning toilet system with integrated capsule deployment. Unreal Engine animation used for storytelling and investor engagement.
Process
Research & Insights: Conducted competitive and market research to understand user values around hygiene, sustainability, and infrastructure. Early conversations with investors and municipal engineers guided the pivot from hardware (toilet) to capsule (SOPAX).
Ideation: Prototyped multiple concepts using Rhino and Grasshopper—starting with a self-cleaning toilet featuring a squat support, auto-close mechanism, and capsule integration system. Created capsule designs that could function independently within existing toilet bowls and tanks, adapting form and placement to optimize for visibility and user adoption.
Modeling & Prototyping: Used Rhino and Grasshopper to create parametric assemblies for the SOPAX container, ensuring tight tolerances for fit and function. Sent files for 3D printing and tested assemblies for manufacturability. Developed Unreal Engine animations to visualize product use, including toilet mechanics and capsule insertion workflows.
Testing & Iteration: Built animated gifs and 3D mockups to simulate different user scenarios: custom toilet integration, standard tank insertion, and final decision to mount SOPAX inside the toilet bowl. User testing and investor feedback informed the final path toward visible, consumer-installable placement.
Brand & Digital Systems: Developed the SOPAX brand identity, color system, tone, and messaging. Designed the website, investor decks, and marketing assets to clearly communicate the product’s ecological mission, functionality, and installation simplicity.
Explorations of capsule integration: from fully custom hardware to consumer-friendly retrofit options. Final product attached visibly to the toilet bowl for ease of installation and brand visibility.
Solution
Design Execution: Delivered a full-spectrum design system supporting SOPAX—from industrial CAD to consumer-facing UX. Created modular assets for product walkthroughs, technical detail sheets, and pitch materials. Reinforced the product’s visibility and ease of use through animated storytelling and visual clarity.
Visual Design: Blended biotech precision with consumer approachability—pairing organic forms and natural palettes with modern, minimal interfaces. Motion graphics, product gifs, and 3D renderings anchored the brand in clarity and confidence.
Features & Functionality:
Capsule designed for intuitive self-installation inside existing toilet bowls
Custom Rhino-modeled container system with a precision-fit two-part housing
Unreal Engine animation showcasing product function and toilet mechanics
Pitch deck and website tailored for both consumer and B2B investor audiences
Rhino + Grasshopper-modeled SOPAX housing system, 3D printed to test fit and function. Precision-tuned screw-top design supports self-installation and manufacturability.
Results & Impact
Outcome: Though the company eventually dissolved, the SOPAX design system served as a proof of concept that sparked early investor engagement and clarified product direction. The project demonstrated how speculative product innovation can evolve into realistic, installable prototypes through technical precision, visual storytelling, and cross-functional design leadership.
Business Impact: Enabled funding discussions by delivering investor-facing decks, brand materials, and animated simulations of product use. Showcased a clear path from abstract biotech concept to manufacturable consumer product.
Learnings:
How to pivot early-stage product direction based on investor priorities
The value of unifying physical product design with digital brand storytelling
The power of 3D modeling and animation to build belief in early-stage hardware
