8 Best Augmented Reality Design Agencies in 2024
Augmented reality campaigns outperform traditional ones by 300% and cost an average of 59% less. Cool, but how do you actually add AR into your marketing? Find out what to look for in an augmented reality design agency, explore industry-leading options and identify the best fit for you.
Seeing that purse sitting on their kitchen table through their phone screen to judge its size in real life. Being immersed in a digital booth at a tradeshow to learn something new or interact with a brand. Virtually participating in a campaign through an AR face filter, and posting a selfie on Snapchat, TikTok or Instagram.
These are all ways people want to use augmented reality in their everyday lives right now.
Shopping is the number one way people want to use AR: 84% want to interact with a product before buying, 70% say it makes shopping easier and 74% of brands using AR for commerce say it improves customer loyalty and reduces returns. But there are so many use cases for B2B, too.
In fact, there’s a big misunderstanding going on: 90% of brands still think AR is “just for fun” or doesn’t have a high ROI.
That means, it's actually the perfect time to use an augmented reality design agency to advance your marketing, win over customers and create immersive brand experiences people won’t soon forget.
What to Look for in an Augmented Reality Design Agency
Okay, but should you even look for an augmented reality design agency? Sure, AR drives results, but isn’t it still just for splashy B2C companies with their Big Household Name Energy?
Nope. The fact that not everyone is doing augmented reality yet is a huge advantage for B2B companies right now. If you wait until everyone else is doing it, how much harder will it be to stand out? Will your customers remember your cutting edge AR campaign… or your competitor’s?
Don't wait to find out. Choose a new AR design partner today and consider the following as you make your decision:
1. Flexibility
Do you want a flexible design partner to help you create all the content you need, when you need it—including digital, graphic, video, branding, 3D, animation and augmented reality—up to 20X faster and 50% less expensive than hiring in-house?
Hmm, yeah, that sounds good, right? Then we’d suggest using an augmented reality design agency that employs a Creative-as-a-Service (CaaS) model.
A CaaS agency, like Superside (hint!), offers as much or as little creative support as you need, including producing augmented reality and 3D design assets. Have us tackle specific parts of your design pipeline to save your in-house creative team time and reduce bottlenecks. Or, have us tackle tasks you don’t have in-house talent for, like the specific skills necessary for augmented reality design.
What’s the other choice? A traditional augmented reality design agency. They’re full of talented creative professionals but for many companies the rigid packages, slow moving execution and limited specialization aren’t ideal for today’s fast-paced, dynamic digital era.
2. Creativity
AR is all about creativity, so this should be a major consideration when looking for an augmented reality design agency. Choosing an agency lacking a record of creativity is like putting a paintbrush in my hand and asking me to paint like Monet. It ain’t gonna turn out well.
Of course, your agency partner needs to have the technical skills necessary to execute on great ideas. But augmented reality is also a rapidly evolving area where your agency should be pushing boundaries and proposing new, creative applications for this technology.
3. Reliability
All the creative ideas in the world won’t matter if you can’t get visual assets delivered on time—full stop. An augmented reality design agency partner should be reducing your bottlenecks, lead times and stress, not adding to it.
4. Scalability
Traditional agencies pride themselves on running every project through an in-depth strategy, planning and production process. That’s great, but this type of approach can mean duplicating work in the strategy phase and delaying the actual production by weeks, not to mention burning through budget for repetitive planning tasks.
Plus, augmented reality is such a new field, and as noted, it’s growing and changing every day. You need an agile partner who can help you capitalize on new AR trends and opportunities.
5. Transparency
In short: Where’s your money going and what are you getting for it? Trust is a big part of any successful company-agency relationship, and that starts with transparency.
To maximize your budget and get full transparency, choose a CaaS agency, where you’re billed on a subscription basis, meaning your monthly spend stays consistent and you know exactly where your hours are going. Instead of worrying about numbers, you can focus on getting the exact creative assets you need each month with clear communication of how much budget you’ve used and how much remains.
Top 8 Augmented Reality Design Agencies
1. Superside (CaaS)
Best for: Flexible augmented reality design at scale.
As a Creative-as-a-Service (CaaS) agency, Superside is the ideal partner for companies needing ongoing augmented reality design services (or video, graphics, print, animation, ads and more), with a flexible and fast approach to maximize budget and output efficiency—without sacrificing quality.
Services offered:
- Customizable augmented reality design services (from full-service “done for you” to specific support to complement your in-house team)
- Video production
- Animation
- Motion graphics
- Social media content
- Ideation and strategy
- Digital marketing consulting
- Access to additional design services, including branding, ads, graphic, web and print design
We’re placing ourselves #1 in this unranked list, but our Creative-as-a-Service approach means our clients can get a 300% boost in brand lift with an AR campaign vs. a traditional campaign, while still spending up to 50% less.
Unlike hiring a freelancer or agency to handle one project or task for you, with Superside you get a dedicated team who understands your brand top-to-bottom and can deliver creative assets across projects, on a flexible, ongoing basis. Plus, Superside’s designers are made up of the top 1% of global creative talent across all disciplines.
That means, you get innovative ideas, quick, affordable production at scale, and at the end of the day, top-quality creative that performs.
My previous experience with outsourced creative was really just Upwork or freelancers and it felt like we were starting over every time. With Superside, I have a deeply involved team that’s aware of my brand, my strategy and my needs, which helps us go further and produce faster.
Maybe you want to outsource AR design to Superside while your in-house team handles your routine creative needs.
Maybe you don’t have any in-house creatives with AR design skills, and you’d like Superside to step in to fill the gap, while also supporting on social media graphics, videos, email assets and more.
Either way, we got ya with flexible, fast creative assets that seamlessly integrate with your strategy and deliver the results you’re looking for.
Pricing: Starts at $5,000/month and ranges to $45,000/month plus, depending on your needs. Budget can be used across all Superside design services for a fully managed creative outsourcing solution. Learn more about our subscription plans here.
Creative AR to Launch You Into Orbit
Whether you’re planning an immersive event or want to incorporate cutting edge AR into your social marketing with custom games and filters, Superside is here to help.
2. Demodern
Source: Demodern
Best for: Branded experiential events.
Services offered:
- 3D visualizations
- Augmented reality experiences
- Immersive Web3 virtual realities for in-person and virtual events
- Event strategy and design
- Mobile app development
Demodern specializes in conceptualizing and executing large events, either in completely virtual worlds or using augmented reality to gamify our plane of existence. For this reason, they’re best if you’re looking for someone to build a customized solution you’ll be using for a long time, such as a virtual try-on app or online product customization tool.
Some clients have even built entire private metaverses to use as virtual community spaces for customers or employees to mingle, collaborate and have fun.
These types of augmented reality applications are a big undertaking, but you can experiment with AR on a smaller scale, such as social media face filters or world lenses.
Pricing: Custom quote per project.
3. PopulAR Studio
Source: PopulAR Studio
Best for: Impactful, gamified campaigns.
Services offered:
- AR face filter lenses
- In-app video call effects
- Game development
PopulAR Studio describes themselves as creating content in “augmented reality, virtual reality and mixed reality.” Mixed reality means combining created realities with the current environment, like when someone wears smart glasses and can interact with things they see through them that aren’t actually there.
The agency also creates social good projects like AiR, an augmented reality app that allows you to measure the air quality around you 24/7. They also created naturally-focused AR face filters for a body positivity campaign that led to a public petition and proposed legislation requiring altered images on social media to be labeled.
PopulAR is a great choice for one-off or special projects, although if you’re looking for a long-term augmented reality design agency partner for multiple projects, consider a CaaS agency like Superside instead.
Pricing: Custom quote per project.
4. Dept
Source: Dept
Best for: E-commerce and retail brands looking for shopping AR.
Services offered:
- AR face filters
- AR experiences and apps focused around shopping tools
- Product previews and customizers
- Branding
- Full suite of digital marketing services
Well, Dept did the branding for Google, so they’re kind of a big deal. Their portfolio is equally as impressive with augmented reality work for brands like Sesame Street, eBay and Nordstrom. And, they boast a staff of over 2,200 employees worldwide.
While it’s not unique to Dept, many traditional agencies with large teams can struggle keeping up scalability with fast-moving, ongoing requests. In general, traditional AR agencies are best for large, single projects, not for companies who’d like ongoing help with all their creative assets in one place, from a team who already knows their brand.
Pricing: Custom quote per project.
5. Rock Paper Reality
Source: Rock Paper Reality
Best for: Immersive web-based customer experiences.
Services offered:
- Web-based augmented reality
- AR app development
- AR consulting
- Virtual production
While Rock Paper Reality does app development too, their real standout focus area is creating immersive augmented reality customer experiences. For example, a holograph appearing in front of you through your phone telling you all about the wine you just bought, or location-specific elements for event attendees to discover while attending a conference.
If you have a big event coming up or want to create an ongoing brand awareness campaign where understanding your customer flow is paramount, Rock Paper Reality would be a great choice.
Pricing: Custom quote per project.
6. Zoan
Source: Zoan
Best for: Highly detailed virtual world creation.
Services offered:
- Augmented reality design
- 3D modeling
- Gamification experiences
Zoan specializes in combining the 2D and 3D augmented reality worlds together to educate, or entertain, your audience. For B2B companies, that can look like immersive virtual showrooms that showcase your products in full 3D detail to any customer, anywhere in the world. How detailed could they really be? Considering Zoan has also created virtual replicas of the entire cities of Helsinki and Gothenburg, the answer is pretty dang detailed.
Virtual showrooms go beyond what a website can convey to your customers, serving as the next best thing to being at your factory in person.
Pricing: Custom quote per project.
7. Unit9
Source: Unit9
Best for: Augmented reality video content for the entertainment industry.
Services offered:
- Traditional video production
- UX/UI design
- Game development
- Event and experiential design
- Virtual and augmented reality content
Unit9’s strong history in film production makes them a great partner for entertainment brands looking to pair video content with augmented and virtual reality elements, like this giant AR multiplayer game experience on the biggest video wall in the world at Dubai Mall.
Here at Superside, we have strong video production capabilities too, though Unit9 may be a better fit if you’re planning a major in-person event with augmented or virtual reality elements. We stick to what works for marketing your business, not directing the next blockbuster.
Pricing: Custom quote per project.
8. Astound
Source: Astound
Best for: Trade show and other event live experiences.
Services offered:
- Trade show/event design
- Construction of custom trade show booths, displays, etc
- Augmented reality lenses and filters
- Custom metal and millwork fabrication
- Digital tracking and analytics for stadiums/venues
For most companies, showing instead of telling people what you do leads to the best results. And there’s no better place to show instead of tell than at a trade show or conference. Astound creates one-of-a-kind booths and brand experiences that make a splash, blending the physical and digital worlds seamlessly, and turning a 20’x20’ space into something a visitor won’t soon forget.
More than tapping a screen to get information, Astound’s live event installations are truly interactive, using the latest in wearable technology to unlock the power of augmented, virtual and mixed reality elements within the physical world—for everyone attending.
If your projects live mostly in the digital world (on screens), a partner like Superside is the better fit for you. However, if you need the equivalent of a professional movie set built out of thin air as part of an event, Astound may be who you need.
Pricing: Custom quote per project.
Enter Your New Reality With the Right Augmented Reality Design Agency
Augmented reality design covers a huge spectrum of potential projects, from making a relatively simple face filter for social media apps to creating a dynamic game or virtual trade show booth.
No matter what level of AR design you’re looking for, your dedicated team at Superside is here to get it done—along with all your video, graphic, branding, content and other marketing assets.
Add AR to Your Marketing Playbook
Book a free 20-minute demo to find out how Superside can turn your augmented reality goals into actual reality.
Michelle is a SaaS expert who loves digging into the technical side of creativity. She’s worn many hats during her decade in agencies, from project manager to brand strategist, copywriter and social media strategist, and worked across a wide variety of clients (though tech is her jam!). She loves to put the sass into SaaS content… and now CaaS. Connect with her on LinkedIn and send her a pic of your dog (really, she’ll love it).
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