In a move to redefine hearing accessibility in cinema, FCB Chicago, in collaboration with the Chicago Hearing Society (CHS) and LA-based Rakish Entertainment, has launched “Caption with Intention,” a first-of-its-kind caption design system aimed at transforming how Deaf and Hard of Hearing audiences experience film and television.
The groundbreaking system doesn’t just transcribe dialogue—it captures emotion, tone, pacing, and speaker identity through animation, color, and expressive typography. The result is a more immersive, human-centered experience that goes far beyond the standard closed-captioning format that’s remained unchanged since the 1970s.
Built through a yearlong, community-first development process, Caption with Intention was created with and for the Deaf community. Dozens of captioning prototypes were tested using iconic film scenes, refined through in-person workshops and remote feedback sessions.
“We brought together a diverse group of Deaf and Hard of Hearing people, whose lived experiences and expertise guided the team in shaping a system designed to serve our community and beyond,” said Karla Giese, Coordinator of Training and Education at CHS. “Centering Deaf perspectives was essential to ensuring the authenticity of this new caption design system.”
Acclaimed filmmaker Marc Forster, founder of Rakish and member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, played a key role in the project’s visual execution and in facilitating its introduction to the Academy. On April 29, the Academy officially recognized the work with an Award of Merit at its Scientific and Technical Awards, praising the innovation as a crucial step toward establishing a new accessibility standard in the industry. Watch below:
“This project is proof that creativity, when led by empathy, can spark lasting change,” said Andrés Ordóñez, Global Chief Creative Officer at FCB. “We believed captions could do more than inform—they could connect, include, and elevate storytelling. And now, they can.”
Bruno Mazzotti, Executive Creative Director at FCB, brought a deeply personal perspective to the work.
“I grew up with two Deaf parents, so I saw firsthand how much was missing from the captioned content we consumed—emotion, sarcasm, tension, joy. It was all flattened into plain white text,” he said. “This project was a chance to finally bridge that gap.”
The design system is now open-source and available for free use, encouraging adoption by studios, streamers, and production houses across the globe.
So A Ryu, a designer on the project who is Hard of Hearing, summed up the effort’s broader mission:
“Accessibility isn’t just about information—it’s about delivering full creative expression. This campaign proves that inclusive design can be beautiful, bold, and emotional.”
With “Caption with Intention,” FCB, CHS, and Rakish have turned an overlooked functional tool into an art form—and taken a giant step toward a more inclusive entertainment industry.
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