Microsoft x Signly
Turning a world-first accessibility campaign into the most visible BSL moment in UK advertising
Agency
CATEGORY
SERVICE
Most digital content assumes the Deaf community reads English fluently. But for over 150,000 people in the UK, British Sign Language (BSL) is the preferred language, and English captions and subtitles fall short.
Marking its five-year accessibility commitment, Microsoft set a dual ambition: build something that genuinely worked for the Deaf community, and use it to inspire other businesses to follow. Partnering with the Royal Association for the Deaf and Signly, the campaign launched a click-to-sign experience on Microsoft’s accessibility website and became the UK’s first national digital out-of-home (DOOH) campaign to feature a person signing in BSL.
I designed the look and feel of the hero ad: a visual treatment that felt unmistakably Microsoft and was built around the in-vision BSL translator. Typography, colour, and composition kept the frame calm so the signing could carry the message. I then animated it, along with the social adaptations, so the motion supported the translator.
On the platform
Major UK railway stations were the venue: high-traffic, shared public space, the kind of place where BSL had never been visible at scale before. For 14 days, eight major stations carried the message, putting the translator in front of millions of commuters and the business decision-makers the campaign was trying to reach.
Seen at scale
The campaign reached far beyond the Deaf community and showed businesses what inclusive design can look like in practice, with 100% positive sentiment across social channels, a rare result at any scale.
26M
People reached
115K
Organic LinkedIn views
An industry model
Beyond the audience numbers, the work was held up by the industry as a model for inclusive design. Press coverage spread across the sector, from The Drum and Adweek to specialist accessibility and advertising titles.
The campaign also picked up peer recognition at the UK’s flagship out-of-home advertising awards.
Bronze
Outdoor Media Awards 2022 — National Social Impact
More selected works
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