Google
Qalam

The project

9 calligraphers. Hundreds of cards. One tool no one had used like this before.

Collaborating with 9 internationally renowned calligraphers and typography artists, we created hundreds of unique greeting cards in Tilt Brush, capturing the essence of this ancient art in a truly modern, shareable way.

Named after the Arabic word for a calligraphy brush, Qalam was born.

Innovative technology

A VR painting tool.
Used for the first time,
at this scale.

Tilt Brush was Google's virtual reality painting application: a tool for artists to create three-dimensional brushstrokes in mid-air. It had never been used as the foundation for a global consumer campaign before.

We built a pipeline from scratch. Each calligrapher created their work inside a VR headset — painting in full 3D space. Those sessions were then captured frame by frame, sequences were extracted and composited, and the output was converted into both static imagery and looping animations, web-optimised for mobile delivery. To direct nine internationally renowned artists through a tool they'd never touched, I had to master it myself first.

UI / UX

Personalisation at scale.
Frictionless by design.

The web app needed to feel like holding a piece of art — not using a generator. The experience walked users through a simple three-step flow: browse the calligraphers' work, personalise with your own message, then share directly to WhatsApp or download as an animated card.

Every decision was shaped by the audience: MENA markets where mobile is the primary device, connectivity is variable, and WhatsApp is the dominant communication channel. The app was built mobile-first, optimised for low bandwidth, and output formats were tailored specifically for WhatsApp's compression pipeline. Static images and GIFs shipped at sizes tuned to survive the platform without falling apart.

Thousands of variations

Static images.
Looping animations.
Endless creativity.

The platform enabled thousands of unique outputs. Users embraced it and created a variety of messages, from calm, elegant stills to richly animated cards — sharing them with friends and family across WhatsApp and beyond.

The making of

"To use a tool no one had used this way before, I had to become an expert — fast."

Low-fi scamps and scrappy prototypes were created early to fail faster and arrive at a better experience. Since multiple artists would be working in Tilt Brush, I had to master it quickly and become a mentor to all nine of them.

Recognition

FWA of the Day — twice.

Awarded FWA of the Day for both Desktop and Mobile — recognised as one of the most innovative and beautifully executed web experiences of the year.

Soraya's Story

A launch film to close the loop.

To celebrate Qalam's release we created a launch film. This is the story of a young woman who reaches out to thank her calligraphic master for years of guidance and tutoring using a completely new medium. One he has never witnessed before.

Silver Lovie Award Winner for Best Internet Video Editing.