After the Artemis II launch, we’ve got space on the mind. Next in our 20th anniversary lineup is the giant leap for mankind that was NASA: Spacecraft AR.
The year was 2018, and the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory was working on an educational app called Spacecraft AR that would allow users to explore NASA spacecrafts and learn about their missions using Augmented Reality. They hoped to debut the new app to the public ahead of an upcoming Game Developers Conference, and wanted our help in bringing it to life.
The timeline was tight at nine weeks, so UX, design, and development all ran concurrently to keep things moving. We built the app on a beta version of Google’s ARCore, accounting for upgrades once the full version was released, and used Unity 3D with C# for development. The result was an experience that not only made NASA’s sophisticated technology more accessible, but also brought the wonders of space travel down to Earth to inspire future generations.
More of our work at the link in our bio.
He’s been the answer to your "how do I get there?" panic for years. But even a cultural icon like Pegman needs a wardrobe lift to keep up with Gen Z.
To bring the Google Maps mascot into a more modern cultural arena, we gave him a major makeover for a series of high-profile brand activations.
See how we customized his looks for cultural moments big and small at the link in our bio.
Continuing our celebration of 20 years of Hook, we’re throwing it back to the 2016 Olympics with Google Maps.
That year, the Olympics were being held in Rio de Janeiro, and Google saw an opportunity to reintroduce Maps to Brazil. At the time, the perception there was that Maps was a static desktop app, but the surge in tourism offered a chance to show it was actually a real-time, mobile navigation tool.
We decided to focus our strategy on three key features: real-time transit, offline maps, and local discovery. To drive on-the-go usage and awareness, we designed 54 custom, culturally relevant icons to pair with the Google Maps logo. Both online and offline placements spread the word of all that Google Maps could do, even going so far as to greet arriving guests at the Santos Dumont airport. Once those travelers set foot in the city, they’d see hyper-targeted ads tailored to both their location and the time of day.
The nationwide campaign was a success in driving on-the-go usage and awareness. Google Maps saw an increase in usage for general directions, transit directions, and offline maps, which was the push they needed to shift the brand’s perception.
More on our latest work with Google Maps at the link in our bio.
Meet Doppl: your new virtual dressing room.
We partnered with Google to create the launch video announcing Doppl, their latest addition to the Google Labs suite that makes experimenting with your look as easy as uploading your selfie.
See how you can experiment with Doppl, and other Google Labs creative tools, at the link in our bio.
20 years of Hook. 20 years of innovating for the world’s biggest brands.
To celebrate our two-decade milestone, we’re digging into the archives to revisit the projects that shaped us. First up: Rooftop Racer for Coke Zero.
In 2008, we were a small 3-person team tackling an ambitious brief alongside CPB: create a NASCAR game for Coke Zero that looked like a PlayStation title but ran in a web browser. Given the era's browser limitations, this first major project required a relentless cycle of curiosity and experimentation to find the perfect interactive solution.
We stretched the limits of Adobe Flash, building a custom racing experience where players could act as NASCAR drivers tasked with keeping their Coke Zero bottles on the roof while navigating the racetrack.
The Rooftop Racer game put our agency on the map, and 20 years later, we’re still obsessed with pushing the limits of what’s possible. Excited to see what happens in the next 20.
More on the team driving our work at the link in our bio.
The digital payment experience doesn't have to be purely transactional. For Google Pay, we set out to transform everyday purchases into unexpected moments of joy.
The goal was to boost engagement for the Tap to Pay feature. Our solution was to create a series of over 80 animated doodles celebrating seasonal and cultural moments from around the world.
Click the link in our bio to see how we used animation to turn a simple tap into a spark of fun, in our latest case study.
How exactly does Google Search work?
We partnered with Google to answer that question, and many like it, with a series of animated shorts that simplified some of Google’s most advanced features in under two minutes each.
Click the link in our bio to see how we delivered tens of millions of views while helping Google maintain trust and transparency.
We partnered with Google to create the launch video for the new Gemini iOS app, highlighting how the advanced AI tools are perfect for navigating some of life’s biggest everyday challenges.
Since more than half of our Gen Z target audience uses generative AI for making life decisions, we chose to highlight the app’s new features through a relatable user story: the challenges of moving to a new place.
With the summer travel season coming to a close, we’re revisiting one of our favorite brand campaigns with Priceline.
Their deal-finding tech has always been their biggest asset, but explaining the magic behind their algorithm to everyday travelers was a challenge.
We partnered with the Priceline team to create a series of short-form videos explaining the science behind their travel deals, making their tech easier for everyone to understand and trust.
Click the link in our bio for the full case study.
When Google Maps approached us to define their 20th anniversary brand identity, we knew this milestone called for something special.
Our approach focused on reigniting excitement for the brand and crafting a sleek, modern design that connected to the joy of exploration.
We created a comprehensive branding kit, equipping the team with tools to tell a cohesive brand story throughout the year. The toolkit also extended to brand refreshes for other products, like Google Earth and Local Guides, that were also celebrating milestones.
Come behind the scenes to see how we celebrated a legacy of innovation and a community of billions. More at the link in our bio.
All eyes are on the NBA so we’re throwing it back to All-Star Weekend.
For Google’s House of Gemini event, we blended the Gemini brand with a love for the game, incorporating dynamic 3D elements like abstracted basketballs and court lines. Dozens of Search trends moved seamlessly across the screen, captivating both NBA fans and the local community.
When we launched NotebookLM, Google’s AI-powered learning companion, we knew we wanted to tap into the genuine experiences of students to bring the real-world benefits of the tool to life.
Our teams were efficient, creating a series of videos showcasing real college students using NotebookLM to study.
The result? A lively campaign featuring 2D animations, 3D elements, and vibrant colors showing all the ways NotebookLM’s summaries, study guides, and audio overviews can make learning a bit easier for everyone.
Click the link in our bio for the full behind-the-scenes.
