Designer Janne Kyttanen’s 3D Printed “Butterfly Effect” Collection Now Available on Cubify

Butterflies are a universal symbol of springtime, and Finnish 3D printing designer and artist, Janne Kyttanen, has released a collection of 3D butterflies that perfectly commemorates this much cherished time of year.

Since 1999, Janne Kyttanen, a native of Finland, has produced 3D printed artwork that has been sought after by renowned international museums. He received the Finnish Design Forum’s “Young Designer of the Year” award in 2007 after graduating from the Netherlands’ Gerrit Rietveld Academy seven years earlier, when he also founded the first international 3D printable design company: Freedom of Creation. In 2011, 3D Systems acquired his company, which gave Kyttanen access to 3D Systems’ cutting edge technology. He also served as 3D Systems’ Creative Director. One of his most recent projects also involves 3D Systems: it’s a dazzling and colorful line of 3D printed butterflies – called “The Butterfly Effect” — available on Cubify.Com.

Kyttanen’s “The Butterfly Effect” is one collection among many from the Cubify design shop – “FreshFiber” — that features a “pioneering collection of 3D printed products including fashion forward phone and tablet cases, intricate lighting and furniture, statement jewelry and envy-inducing shoes.” This particular home décor collection is inspired by Kyttanen’s childhood nights in Finland. As an adult, 3D printing gives Kyttanen the same “mind-racing” sensations of “exhilaration and wonder” that butterfly hunting gave him in his youth. On the Fresh Fiber shop’s webpage for The Butterfly Effect, Kyttanen explains that he “lost track of day and night searching for the perfect Papilionoidea deep within forest walls.” This collection relives youthful childhood memories, offering a dazzling array of different colors, shapes, sizes, and even price tags.

Nine different butterflies (or moths) constitute the collection, and they are all available on 3D Systems Cubify. The pieces are all 3D printed in Colorstone, and have handy keyholes on their backsides for easy hanging, too. The following is just a sample of four pieces that cover the color, size, and price spectrum of the entire collection.

1. Scolitantides Orion Butterfly

The smallest butterfly (3 x 2 x .8 inches) in the collection, the Scolitantides Orion ($10.99), is described as a “cosmos of multifarious blues and undulating facets” with “shimmering scales” that are “translated into a mesmerizing digital form.” Although small, this bold design seems to be an essential part of the collection because arranged with larger pieces, it helps establish the “butterflies in flight together” effect that Kyttanen is trying to achieve.

2. Helle Butterfly

The Helle Butterfly ($26.99) measures at 4 x 2.8 x 1.6 inches, so it is a bit larger than the smallest in the collection. It works with a different color pallet which is described as “technicolor…like a rare orchid in bloom.” The kaleidoscopic patterns are described as having a“hypnotic and almost hallucinatory” effect. It is a stunning addition that holds its own against the collection’s other larger and more prominent pieces.

3. Apollo Butterfly

Measuring at 12 x 7.8 x 2.2 inches, the Apollo Butterfly is almost 3 times the size of the HelleButterfly, and that also explains its much more expensive price tag of $244.99. The Apollo has developed red and black eyespots “to shock and distract predators” – but these practical eyespots are also a source of fascination due to their intriguing aesthetic qualities.

4. The Acherontia Atropos Moth

The collection’s largest piece is not a butterfly, but a moth. Known as the “hawk moth” and “prized for the skull-shaped form on its thorax” this moth is renowned for its haunting beauty, which is perhaps one reason Kyttanen decided to make it the collection’s most prominent and expensive piece, measuring 15 x 7.8 x 2.5 inches, with a $349.99 price tag.

Janne Kyttanen’s entire Butterfly Effect collection will appeal to 3D printing and design, nature, and butterfly enthusiasts – or anyone looking for an upbeat and whimsical design touch for almost any room in the house this springtime.  Let’s hear your thoughts on these intriguing 3D printed designs in the 3D Printed Butterfly forum thread on 3DPB.com.