We’re honored to share that FCB Chicago’s “Caption with Intention” has won the esteemed Titanium Lion at Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity 2025.

This win is a culmination of the six years of creativity, research, development, and innovative thinking that led to the new design system that has revolutionized captioning in film and TV. Often regarded as the most coveted Cannes Lions Award, the Titanium Lions recognize game-changing work that reshapes the creative landscape — work that inspires and pushes us into the future.

Created alongside the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community in collaboration with the Chicago Hearing Society and Rakish Entertainment, “Caption with Intention” has set a new standard for entertainment accessibility. Recognizing that captioning technology has seen limited progress since the 1970s, the design system uses animation, color, and variable typography to convey not just the dialogue in film and TV, but the speaker’s identity, and the emotion, tone, and pacing. And earlier this year, the technology was recognized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in support of a new industry standard.  

The campaign has also taken home three Grands Prix — one in the Design category, which recognizes visual craftsmanship, one in the Digital Craft category, which celebrates technological artistry, and another in the Brand Experience & Activation category, which honors creative, comprehensive brand building through the next level use of experience design, activation, immersive, retail, and 360° customer engagement.

Following the recognition, Oscar-winning deaf actress, activist, and member of the Academy’s Board, Marlee Matlin said, “I’m so excited to be a part of this effort here with ‘Caption with Intention.’ It’s something that really is exciting for my community and beyond — it really gets into this idea that accessibility is for everyone, and everyone should be able to watch and see films.”

“It’s an incredible honor to be recognized with a Titanium Lion and multiple Grands Prix for ‘Caption with Intention,’ but even more so, it fills me with immense pride to see the positive impact this project has had on improving entertainment accessibility,” added FCB Global Creative Partner Danilo Boer. “‘Not only does Caption with Intention’ set a new industry standard, but it goes to the heart of the entertainment industry to change the world. Forever. These wins underscore the passion and commitment of the entire team in delivering on ideas that permeate culture and leave a lasting impact.”

Bruno Mazzotti, SVP, Executive Creative Director at FCB Chicago continued, “‘Caption with Intention’ is a project very close to my heart, having grown up with two Deaf parents. I witnessed firsthand the gaps that existed in captioning technology, and it’s a proud moment to be recognized by Cannes for the design system’s role in bridging these gaps — through adding elements like emotion, sarcasm, tension, joy — that had been missing before. It’s transformational.”

“‘Caption with Intention’ was built on direct feedback and insights from the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community,” said John Bleeden, FCB Global Executive Creative Producer. “Inclusive design belongs at the center of the entertainment industry, and these accolades mark a meaningful step forward. This is only the beginning, but today, we celebrate a significant breakthrough in captioning accessibility after decades of limited progress.”

Visit here for more on how “Caption with Intention” is revolutionizing captioning accessibility.