What won at Cannes

In June 2025 the Design jury at Cannes Lions gave its Grand Prix to Caption with Intention. The project reimagines closed captions as a living design system that shows tone and rhythm, not only words. Agency FCB Chicago worked with the Chicago Hearing Society and filmmakers from Rakish Entertainment to prove the idea on a short film that ran in three test cinemas.

Festival judges praised one detail above all others. The captions pulse and change colour with dialogue mood, letting Deaf and hard-of-hearing viewers feel tension, humour or relief at the same moment as hearing audiences. The piece also collected wins in Brand Experience and Titanium, marking the rare sweep of three top trophies.

Why subtitles needed a rethink

More than four hundred million people rely on captions every day. Yet the standard white text model often drops sarcasm, whispers or the rise and fall of a punchline. Studies from the World Federation of the Deaf show that these gaps lower comprehension and reduce emotional engagement by as much as thirty percent.

Creators already invest huge effort in cinematography, grade and sound mix. When captions flatten all that nuance, an entire group misses the point. Caption with Intention treats the subtitle track as part of visual language, not an afterthought.

How the new system works

The team started with workshops that paired Deaf testers and motion designers. Together they mapped a small palette: warm orange for warmth, deep blue for sorrow, bright green for surprise. They added a subtle animated line under the text that speeds up during fast dialogue and slows down in still moments.

The captions stay readable at a glance. Colour never replaces words. Instead it becomes a secondary layer that carries unspoken cues like a music score.

Early signals from the field

Three art house cinemas in Chicago screened the pilot short. Ninety two percent of Deaf viewers said the experience felt closer to the director’s intent. Hearing viewers noticed the colour accents but did not find them distracting.

Netflix localisation leads requested a technical demo in July and are weighing a limited release on one original series.

Hashtag posts around the case study passed twenty five million views on TikTok in the first week of the festival.

These are early numbers yet they hint that the idea travels beyond the award stage.

Where designers and brands come in

Accessibility used to sit in compliance checklists. Caption with Intention shows it can also spark creative value. Visual emotion in text is a simple idea that films, streamers and even corporate videos can adopt without waiting for large budgets.

Brands that speak to global or multilingual audiences stand to gain first. Emotion rich captions bridge language gaps and turn passive subtitle readers into fully engaged viewers. Agencies can frame inclusive craft as a competitive edge rather than a cost.

A wider reflection

Every few years an innovation reminds us that design is translation. In the same way that colour television once brought drama into living rooms, expressive captions pull more people into the full sweep of a story. They do not replace dialogue or sound. They extend them.

The Cannes jurors called the project a nudge toward a future where no audience receives a reduced version of culture. That future depends on consistent adoption, rigorous testing and thoughtful guardrails so colour and motion never sacrifice clarity.

For now the lesson is simple. Good design listens first, then answers with empathy. Caption with Intention is a blueprint that any creator can study and adapt. The next step is to turn pilot success into everyday practice.

Key takeaways

Captions that show emotion close an overlooked gap in storytelling and accessibility.

Early tests suggest strong audience approval without distracting hearing viewers.

The idea offers brands a clear way to add value and expand reach through inclusive craft.

Long term success will rely on open standards and regular testing so clarity always comes first.

Images:
https://www.fcb.com/news-ideas/caption-with-intention-earns-titanium-at-cannes-lions-2025/
https://www.reasonwhy.es/actualidad/caption-with-intention-grand-prix-diseno-cannes-lions-2025

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