GOO CREATE
WEBGL EDITOR
Creative direction + Brand- & Product design for an artist friendly web-based game creation tool.
GOO ENGINE
2013-2015
A WEB 3D CREATION TOOL
I was brought on as a CCO to help design and brand Goo Create, a browser-based 3D creation tool built on the open-source Goo Engine, using HTML5 and WebGL. With a background in 3D, design and motion graphics, I saw the project as a rare opportunity, technically ambitious and creatively forward-thinking, as it also offered a glimpse into a hands-on, more open future for 3D production on the web, where anyone could build directly in the browser.
DISCIPLINES
- CREATIVE DIRECTION
- BRAND DESIGN
- PRODUCT DESIGN
CREDITS
- The whole team at Goo Create
CHALLENGE
In 2014, WebGL was still a developing technology, and building a 3D engine from scratch came with a long list of unknowns. These technical constraints naturally shaped the design of the creation tool, which was inspired by platforms like Unity but had to run entirely in the cloud.
Balancing that ambition with accessibility presented a unique UX challenge: how do you make advanced 3D workflows intuitive in-browser, with no installations and minimal loading time?
THE WORK
I led the UI and UX design of the Goo Create editor, shaping its interface to make real-time 3D creation approachable for both developers and creatives. The goal was to maintain power without overwhelming the user. I also designed a range of visual assets used for in-app guidance, demos, testing, and external communications ensuring that the creative potential of the tool was clearly communicated to new users.
In parallel with tool development, I contributed to a series of commercial projects built with Goo Create, from browser-based games and interactive experiments to strange talking mountains and early VR prototypes. These side projects helped push the platform’s boundaries while serving as proof of concept for what real-time web-based 3D could be.
RESOLUTION
Despite being ahead of its time, Goo Technologies struggled to find product–market fit. In an industry where loading times and compatibility were still the primary concerns, the market wasn’t yet ready for browser-based 3D creation or immersive ad formats. Eventually, Goo Technologies was acquired by Amazon, and the underlying technology lives on under the name Sumerian.
For me, the project was a deep dive into creative direction, user-centered design, and emerging real-time tech, and one of the more creatively rewarding chapters in my career.
