Case study: Engineering
MODUS Road
- Apparel Pattern Design
- Icon Design
- Browser Game Design & Development
- 3D Character Design
- Trade Show Experience
Client Need
MODUS wanted a fresh way to introduce the people behind its engineering work at AIA Iowa, a room full of architects. The firm already had a good place to start: a culture polo covered in icons about its work, history and traditions.
Our Approach
Jackall designed the polo pattern and its 25 icons first. We then used the same artwork to build MODUS Road, a 3D game that runs in a web browser. Icons from the shirt became collectibles, and each one opens a short card that explains what it means. The characters are based on real MODUS people and wear the same lime polo.
Impact on the Client
At the booth, visitors played on a big screen or on their own phones and competed for a spot on a shared leaderboard. The shirt, the characters, the icons and the game all share one look, so a detail someone spots on a polo can start a conversation about MODUS. The game is still live at modus-eng.com/modus-road.
Part 1: The polo
A shirt full of stories
Before MODUS Road was a game, it was a pattern on a shirt. Jackall drew 25 custom icons for the MODUS culture polo and laid them out as a repeat in gray and lime versions.
Look closely and you find coffee cups, ping-pong paddles, engineering tools, the year the firm was founded, its founders' signatures, and symbols for the causes the team supports.
- 25 custom icons
- Gray and lime versions
- One hidden portrait
- 01
Work and history
Icons cover the firm's trades (HVAC, electrical, plumbing, sustainable design), the tools of the job like Revit and the ductulator, and its start in 1963.
- 02
Time together
Golf, ping-pong, team competitions and the Pigman Triathlon sit next to blood drives with LifeServe and the American Heart Association.
- 03
Hidden Harry
To celebrate Harry Doyle's retirement, one small portrait of Harry is tucked into the pattern. He shows up only once, so finding him is its own little search-and-find.
- 04
Worn every day
The finished polo is part of daily life at MODUS. It shows up at desks, at events and in team photos.
Part 2: The game
From the pattern to the playfield
MODUS Road is a 3D hopping game set in a busy expo hall. Players dodge carts, forklifts and rival firms, ride rafts across sunken aisles, grab booth swag, and look for the MODUS booth.
The icons from the polo became the collectibles. Pick one up and a short card explains what it means while the score keeps going. The playable characters wear the same lime polo, so the people at the booth and the people on screen match.
- 3D browser game
- Phone and desktop
- No app download
- Characters based on MODUS people
- 01
Pick a hopper
Play as Jared, Mike or Josh, each based on a real MODUS person. Frank and Zaha are nods to Frank Lloyd Wright and Zaha Hadid. Or build your own look, hard hat optional.
- 02
Culture cards
The cards keep it short. MODUS holds blood drives with LifeServe each year. MODUS loves a game of ping-pong. The ductulator is used to design and evaluate air distribution systems.
- 03
Coffee and Revit
Coffee gives 4 seconds of double points and faster hops. Revit gives 3 seconds of faster hops.
- 04
CE tokens
A wink at the continuing education credits architects need. In the game they are points, not real CE credits.
Part 3: The booth
Launched at AIA Iowa
MODUS brought the game to AIA Iowa in September 2026 as a way to introduce the people behind its engineering work to the architects it works with. A game inspired by an expo hall, played in an expo hall.
At the booth, a tall display ran the game, a second monitor showed the leaderboard, and the center screen showed MODUS project work. QR code signs let visitors open the game on their own phones.
- Game display
- Live leaderboard
- QR code signs
- Project work screen
- 01
Play
A game screen at the booth put the polo's graphics in motion where people could see them.
- 02
Scan
QR code signs opened the game in a phone browser. No app to download.
- 03
Follow
A shared leaderboard on its own monitor let players watch the standings during the event.
- 04
Today
The event leaderboard is paused. The game is still live, and high scores now save in each player's browser.
What Jackall did
Designed, built and marketed in-house.
- 01
Polo pattern
Drew 25 custom icons and built the repeat pattern for the MODUS culture polo, in gray and lime.
- 02
Hidden Harry
Hid a single portrait of Harry Doyle in the pattern to mark his retirement.
- 03
Game design
Planned the expo hall course, hazards, power-ups, swag and scoring for MODUS Road.
- 04
Game build
Built the game to run in any modern web browser, on phones and desktops, with touch and keyboard controls.
- 05
Characters
Made voxel-style characters based on MODUS people, plus Frank, Zaha and a build-your-own option.
- 06
Culture cards
Wrote the short cards that explain each icon while the game keeps moving.
- 07
Event leaderboard
Set up a shared leaderboard for the booth, with name, company and email entry for the board.
- 08
Booth tie-in
Paired the game with the booth: a game display, a leaderboard monitor and QR code signs.
The icon set
25 icons from the polo.
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Features
What MODUS Road does.
Hop the hall
Tap to hop forward. Swipe to sidestep or back up. On a keyboard, use WASD or the arrow keys.
Collect culture icons
Each icon opens a short card about MODUS people, traditions or engineering.
Grab the swag
Pick up pens, lanyards and stress balls from other booths, and Field Notes and koozies from the MODUS booth.
Find the MODUS booth
Hop onto the booth with the MODUS M for a one-time visit bonus. Jared is behind the desk.
Meet the MEPs
Players in lime polos are MODUS MEPs. Run into them for a connect bonus.
Gold MODUS coins
Collect one to score points and hear the coin chime.
It speeds up
Rafts, rivals, carts and forklifts get 25% faster every 500 points, and twice as fast by 2,000.
Keep moving
Stall too long and a red laser sweeps down. You get three reminders per game.
On site
The MODUS booth.
The tech
How it’s built.
- 3D engine
- Three.js and WebGL, with voxel-style models drawn right in the browser.
- Interface
- React for the menus, culture cards, character builder and score screens.
- Controls
- Touch and swipe on phones. WASD or arrow keys on a keyboard.
- No app
- It runs on a web page at modus-eng.com/modus-road. At the booth, visitors scanned a QR code to play on their own phones.
- Scores
- At the event, a shared leaderboard on a booth monitor. Today, up to 10 high scores saved in the player's browser for six months.
- Sound
- Sound effects in the browser, like the chime when you grab a MODUS coin.
See MODUS Road live.
Work samples