HubSpot AR

Since early 2018, I was enamored with augmented reality, but struggled to find an easy way to bring it to life. Learning Unity seemed like a bridge too far, and creating a full app in ARToolkit just felt like a hassle. Even if you managed to create it, it would be limited to iOS devices and users would still have to download a bunch of data to have it work.

Then, seemingly out of nowhere, AR.js presented itself, building on the incredible A-Frame platform, and suddenly everything was in reach: cross-platform, web-based AR. No downloads, no multiple apps. I ran to glitch to bang together a prototype, and then brought it to Liz Shaw to really bring some razzle dazzle and get it up and running on HubSpot’s platform. After we proved out that what we wanted would work, I asked Megan Conley to do some animation that anchors the AR experience.

The final result was a shirt, designed and centered on the brutal utility of a custom AR.js marker. We did three different AR experiences that were timed out over the course of our week-long marketing summit at HubSpot. You can check out the page on your phone (www.hubspot.com/ar) and point your camera at the marker below to get a glimpse of what we were up to. (It can be a little tricky if you have a lot of glare on your screen.)

Creative Direction/Design: Matthew Watkins

Code: Liz Shaw

Animation: Megan Conley

Additional Design: Tyler Littwin