Courtesy of Snapchat (Frank Shi); Courtesy of Paper Triangles (Filters, Storyboard); Shutterstock.com (All Other Images)

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Who Creates These Filters?

How Frank Shi uses a technology called AR to make cool social media experiences

March 2025

by Alex Lim-Chua Wee

Courtesy of Snapchat

Frank Shi

Have you ever taken a selfie of yourself with dog ears? Turned your face into Baby Yoda’s? Run through a field catching cheeseburgers falling from the sky?

Many of us have, thanks to augmented reality (AR). That’s a type of technology that puts digital images on top of your view of the real world. It’s used to make TikTok effects, Snap lenses, Instagram filters, and more.

Frank Shi is the co-founder of a company called Paper Triangles. It creates AR filters and games for brands like Netflix and Cheez-It.

How does his team do it? We talked to Frank about his fun—and very creative—job.

Have you always been a creative person?

I came to the U.S. from China when I was 10 years old. I wasn’t very good at English, so school was hard for me. Art was a way for me to express myself. I also loved video games. I liked that they allowed you to build worlds, create characters, and tell a story. Video games inspired me to do creative things. I’m still inspired by them to this day!

When did you know you wanted to start a business?

After I finished art school, I worked on 3-D effects for commercials and movies. But I started to notice that there weren’t many other Asian Americans running creative businesses. That really inspired me to start my own.

What’s the process of making a Snapchat lens?

Let’s say McDonald’s has a new menu item. They want a fun lens to promote it. Our job is to help them figure out what that lens looks like. Is it for selfies? Is it a game? How do you play? Do you have to tap or tilt your head? We map out the answers to these questions on a storyboard. This helps us design the lens. Then our team of tech designers builds it.

Is there an AR project that you want to do someday?

It would be cool to make AR mirrors. When you walk up and look into them, you’d see an AR world around you!

What advice do you have for kids who want a creative career?

Create as much as possible, but don’t worry if it’s not perfect. The process of creating will give you confidence. And that will inspire you to create more.