ICYMI: Little Wonders - The Best of 2023 by Max Gethin

ICYMI Our favourite bits of innovation, inspiration and insight from 2023

Presented by

“ Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and

look around once in a while, you could miss it.” Ferris Bueller

In a fast-paced world, Little Wonders are all around us. The subtle cues from diverse, often unexpected, sources that bear testament to bigger societal shifts. Real world proof points of real world change. The innovations, insights and original thinking that help inspire new solutions to old problems. Ideas powered by possibility and promise that spark fresh, creative ways to connect with the people that matter, through business experiences and beyond. Not just helping us tell new stories, but helping new audiences hear them. ICYMI is a collection of 12 of our favourite Little Wonders from the past year to help you start 2024 refreshed and reinspired. Stop. Look around. Be more Bueller. Jonathan Izzard - Strategy Director, Wonder

Contents 01

#ImmersiveTech #LiDAR #AR

#Accessibility #Gaming #Arachnophobia

#GenAI #Creativity #Photoshop

#Materiality #Automotives #Creativity

#GenAI #Creativity #Content

#Creativity #GuerillaSocial #Instagram

More than a Memory

Black Magic

The Force of Digital Accessibility

Marvel’s AI Invasion

Breakout Album Artist

Sign o’ the Times

Your Money Where Your Mouth Is

Simultaneous Interpret-AI-tion

#Accessibility #CannesLions #Technology

#GenAI #Accessibility #Content

#Creativity #Automotive #Purpose

#Guerrilla #TikTok #Experiences

#Broadcast #SkySports #Gaming

#Robotics #Disney #MoreHuman

Elevating the Everyday

It’s in the Game (Mode)

No More Shades of Grey

More Human Robots

More than a Memory

What if you could…

Relive a memory more viscerally than ever? Back at the start of the year, Wist Labs announced they were working on the beta of Wist, an app that allows you to experience your memories in a more immersive way than ever before. Using the LiDAR scanner available on newer mobile phones (iPhone Pro models from the 12 onwards) the app captures 3D video, mapped to the location where the video was taken.

#ImmersiveTech #LiDAR #AR 6

This means that it’s possible to relive moments not just as they happened, but where they happened. The Augmented Reality effect is reminiscent of moments from sci-fi staples like RoboCop, Strange Days and, more recently, Blade Runner 2049.

And it doesn’t stop there. The technology is designed to create an output that is shareable in VR, meaning you (and others) can experience these moments not just through a phone screen, but by literally stepping inside that world.

“ Photos and videos are great to

look at, but they don’t give you the same experience as being there again.”

Andrew McHugh, Wist Labs co-founder

So what? At a personal level, this technology (whether it’s via the Wist app, or built into future Apple firmware, for example) could help recreate another layer of depth for memories from the places and times that matter. From a business experience perspective, this tech could help create a more vivid sense of place for events that happen year-on-year in the same location. Similarly, it could help brands develop 'living' content based on location (e.g. that plays when you're at a specific corner of a venue like ExCeL). Let’s hope this is not just Wistful thinking.

See the app in action

The Force of Digital Accessibility

2023 saw the launch of Star Wars Jedi: Survivor - the sequel to EA’s highly successful Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order video game. As with almost any AAA game title, accessibility considerations are pretty much a hygiene factor for developers. Options here include the ability to modify controller inputs, audio and closed captioning, and to tinker with display settings, catering for colour blindness, reduced field of view and more. However, what sets Jedi Survivor apart is the depth to which its makers have gone to aid gamers’ enjoyment of the Force-based fun; namely, the ability to toggle on ‘Arachnophobia Safe Mode’, an option that modifies the giant spider enemies in the game to make them "less reminiscent of an arachnid".

#Accessibility #Gaming #Arachnophobia 8

Whilst there are still many other suitably horrifying creatures for the Jedi protagonist to battle against, this acceptance of eight-legged freak haters everywhere is an interesting move to cater to a tranche (even a small tranche) of gamers through a 'simple' digital solution.

Entertainingly, reminding us that there are spider lovers, not just loathers out there, developer Asymmetric decided to include an arachnophilia option in its game Shadows Over Loathing - a setting which ensures spiders feature on every screen. This feature was understandably absent from Sony’s biggest release of 2023, Spider-Man 2. It was PlayStation Studios’ fastest-selling game, shifting 2.5 million copies in the first 24 hours of sales.

So what? This is a really interesting reminder that Accessibility comes in all forms, and begs the question: what might we still be missing? Whether it’s the incorporation of more accessible VIS or the use of smart wayfinding tech at an event, simple, elegant digital solutions exist that can help improve the collective audience enjoyment business experiences. Which begs the question: what are our Accessibility blind spots?

Learn more here (if you dare)

6.1%

of the global population are affected by arachnophobia, making it the world’s most common fear. 9

Breakout Album Artist

#GenAI #Creativity #Photoshop 10

Ever wondered what MJ was reclining back on in the Thriller album cover? And where was that little kid swimming on the Nevermind sleeve? And how many people were patiently waiting on the other side of that zebra crossing for The Fab Four to get over Abbey Road? One of 2023’s more diverting uses of Generative AI (and perhaps one of the best metaphors for its exponential, breakout growth in the past year) was @dobrokotov’s experiment with the new Photoshop beta tool, Generative Fill. This uses AI to analyse the make-up of an image and create a (potentially) plausible continuation of the original composition, Dobrokotov using the tool to show what *might have* existed just out of shot in a raft of iconic album covers. This spawned a host of imitators and parallel experiments, including this thread that shows what might have lurked beyond the borders of some of the most infamous memes on the internet. AI has even gone so far as to animate these often static shareable images.

Originating as a paid feature of DALL-E called

‘Outpainting’ 2023 saw Adobe drop its own contextual image expansion tool in Photoshop named

‘Generative Expand’

So what? How could we recreate the wider story from snapshots of a brand's life? What were the moments just out of shot? Who were the forgotten heroes in a product's development or the folks just off camera? Wouldn't it be fun to try to bring to life the hidden stories that exist beyond the bounds of the picture frame? Bigger picture thinking at its best.

See the effect in action

Black Magic

In the Disney+ series Fleischman is in Trouble, Jesse Eisenberg’s character, Toby, takes his kids to the American Museum of Natural History for an exhibition called ‘VANTABLACK’. Said to be the world’s darkest substance, absorbing 99.96% of light perpendicular to its application, Vantablack has typically been used to coat stealth-related tech like jets or satellites.

#Materiality #Automotives #Creativity 12

Whilst the family outing ends in a spot of existential dread for the Fleischmans, it’s a reminder of the visceral power of colour - or absence thereof. And so, to Volkswagen South Africa’s use of BLK 3.0 -

a similarly blacker than black paint - to demonstrate just how easy it is for drivers to miss motorcycles in their blind spot. The experiential installation won a Clio, with the impactful reveal of what could be hidden in plain sight made possible thanks to this distinctly darker shade of black.

BLK 3.0 is an ultra matte paint that absorbs up to

99% of visible light.

So what? This work demonstrated an incredibly disruptive use of space, a subtle shift in perspective delivering genuine audience surprise. It’s a reminder that experiences can challenge the established rules of perception to create a powerful, indelible reaction. Out of darkness, enlightenment.

Watch the ‘VW Blind Spot Monitor’ video

Marvel’s AI Invasion

A ray of hope for

human creativity in AI dominated times. In June it emerged that Marvel Studios had opted to use AI to create the title sequence for its 2023 series, Secret Invasion...and the feedback wasn't overwhelmingly positive. According to Marvel, the rationale for this move came down to the perceived parallels between Generative AI’s ability to mimic and merge original creations, and that of the series’ shape-shifting (secret) invaders, the Skrulls.

#GenAI #Creativity #Content 14

Whilst this suggests it was a move designed to create a bit of PR buzz around Secret Invasion, there’s an argument that Marvel were simply trying to be too clever here; the “Read the room!” reaction from

voices across the industry demonstrating that, as with the extended SAG-AFTRA dispute, we’re not quite ready for human creativity to be supplanted by machines. And this was all before the series itself was critically savaged.

“ I’m devastated, I believe AI

to be unethical, dangerous and designed solely to eliminate artists’ careers.” @jeffsimpsonkh

So what? Whilst innovation is generally considered a societal boon, the human impact of such a profound technological evolution as AI cannot be ignored. Whether you’re content creators, experience designers or anything in between, the temptation to jump on the innovation bandwagon to garner clicks and chatter - in this case in the form of Generative AI - can sometimes leave us blind to how our audiences actually feel about this beyond an initial “oh, wow, that’s cool” reaction. Tread softly, for you tread on my dreams.

Watch the intro

Sign o’ the Times

#Creativity #GuerillaSocial #Instagram 16

In stark contrast to the concerns around automated creative output, here's a lovely example of a creator being creative and a human being, well, human. It revolves around Instagram artist Max Kolomatsky (cool_lookin_bug on TikTok), who took it upon himself to start redesigning unloved street signs around New York. From 'Man in a Van' offerings to 'Join our Goth Band' notices, he was on it, transforming pen-drawn posters into beautiful, effective, characterful works of art.

Man in Van

In his videos, Max perfectly breaks down his creative process in a really engaging and clear way, demonstrating the tools and thinking that went into each piece of work. The upshot of this was that Adobe jumped on the back of the video series (in a good way) to publicise them further on the company TikTok - a reminder of why the invention, craft and heart of real people is the lifeblood of true creativity.

Join our Goth Band

Clean up after your Dog So what?

“ When I see something poorly

designed, it’s in me to imagine how I would do it differently. That got me really excited.”

Max Kolomatsky

In a world where ‘influencer’ sometimes feels like rather a dirty word, this is a lovely reminder of the power of creators to do just that - create. And yes, Max uses Adobe products, but this wasn’t a paid promotion, just a moment that authentically demonstrated the importance of their software in efficiently enabling a very human story to happen.

Learn more about Max

Your Money Where Your Mouth Is

#Accessibility #CannesLions #Technology 18

We talk a lot about accessibility as part of

a more inclusive experience strategy Well, here's an innovation from company Augmental that allows quadriplegics to interact with digital technology using their tongue, jaw, head and even breath. MouthPad is a kind of dental plate that fits to the roof of a user's mouth, letting the user directly interface with devices of all shapes and sizes. This includes everyday technology like phones and computers, but also (as the brilliant promo video profiles) the likes of sex toys - progressively destigmatising disability and removing vital limits to life. The device went on to win the Innovation Grand Prix at the 2023 Cannes Lions.

So what? Imagine being able to ensure that any quadriplegic guests at an event could interact with demos or digital experiences in a similarly meaningful and satisfying way as the rest of our audiences? And if there's a single piece of tech that can enable this...? Nice.

See how it works

“ It’s the power to transform an

individual life in such a holistic way. It’s a use of innovation that doesn’t just touch on the practical, it touches on the emotional.” Grace Francis, president of the Cannes Lions Innovation jury. 19

Simultaneous Interpret-AI -tion

HeyGen is one of several companies specialising in

generative AI-powered video creation However, the beta launch of their video translation service back in September went on to cause a stir on social media, with LinkedIn users eager to test the scope of its capabilities. And the results were impressive. You simply video yourself speaking (the system supporting 10 input languages), after which the AI not only clones your voice, but translates the thing you've been saying into one of eight output languages.

#GenAI #Accessibility #Content 20

At launch, the service lets users turn their words into English, Spanish, French, Hindi, Italian, German, Polish and Portuguese. It even moves ‘your’ lips in appropriate time with the simulated tongue.

So what? Nice not to be stuck with language barriers during a keynote, right? This could also be a means of creating an incredibly personal version of a welcome note, without having to rely on a speaker to have any specific language skills. A fascinating one to watch.

Check out the viral video

The original video from @mrjonfinger, where he tested HeyGen’s free service, has been viewed over

7 million times 21

No More Shades of Grey

Sure, it’s an ad, but one that reﬂects the personality of a brand (and it’s pretty damn bold commercial strategy) like no other. In a nutshell, FIAT have vowed not to make any more grey cars, opting instead for bright, beautiful colours, synonymous with the brand's proud Italian heritage. So they made this advert to announce the plan. Starring company president Olivier François, the ad sees a grey FIAT dunked in a giant pot of orange paint, set against the beautiful Italian coast. Genuinely epic execution in a world where identity and self-expression matters more than ever, purpose meeting passion with ambition and authenticity.

82% of new cars #Creativity #Automotive #Purpose 22

sold globally are black, white, grey or silver Axalta Global Automotive Color Popularity 2022

So what? Experiences can sometimes find themselves having to awkwardly navigate business objectives and brand ambitions, with the result that one factor constrains the other. FIAT’s advert demonstrates a synergy of commercial and creative decision-making, with a climax that’s bold, effective and on-brand. Molto bene.

Watch the ‘Operation No Grey’ ad

Elevating the Everyday Really sweet little bit of social content from the Voodoo Brass Band (on TikTok, Insta and elsewhere...) Bringing colour and humour to daily life, as they followed runners around Regent’s Park playing the Mission Impossible theme.

#Guerrilla #TikTok #Experiences 24

Whilst this type of everyday inspiration isn’t new, this, alongside the success of uber-charming ‘professional greeter’ Troy Hawke, demonstrates the power of giving ordinary moments a shot in the arm for brands, celebrities and the general public alike.

“ If someone played the Rocky

theme while I was jogging, I would feel invincible and would start sprinting like Rocky does before the steps.” Twitter user

So what? This is a great example of how a brand (or an exhibition owner) can capture and elevate the spirit of an event such as MWC or Web Summit through on-the-ground stunty activations. Not only can this help build a bit of social love and hashtag traction beyond the four walls of an event space, but it helps bring to life the vibe of the occasion in a warm, human, unexpected manner. Even if it’s not necessarily targeting the event or a specific brand audience, this is exactly the sort of activity that can help demonstrate who a brand really is - pressing play on personality.

Check out the original post

It’s in the Game (Mode)

If you happened to catch Sky Sports’ coverage of the Premier League ﬁxture between Arsenal and Man City on 8th October… Then you may have noted the option to watch the match via a camera angle dubbed 'Game Mode'. In standard broadcasts, the gantry camera is a static set-up that simply pans to capture the action as it moves from end to end, occasionally flipping to a tighter angle on individual players, the corner, penalty area, you name it. But, in a nod to video games like FIFA (R.I.P.) and Pro Evolution Soccer (also R.I.P.), Sky Sports is trialling this new mode - a direct flip of the traditional script. Whereas in FIFA/PES you have the option to change

the camera to Broadcast/Television Mode (more of a static, panning viewpoint), Sky’s 'Game Mode' camera slides along a dedicated gantry track to follow the action on the pitch in a more immersive, connected manner. Whether you agree that this is all about capturing Gen Z audiences - merging video game stylings with the real world - it's fair to say that this offers an increased appreciation of the pace of the game and the movement of players. And, yes, it also gives Sky Sports a lovely little PR bump.

“ The Premier League is always looking for ways to enhance the #Broadcast #SkySports #Gaming 26

broadcast experience for fans around the world - we hope ‘Game Mode’ will provide a new and exciting way to enjoy the action at home.”

Rachael Nightingale, Head of Media Operations and Innovation, Premier League

So what? This is a move that shows a bit of fearlessness to shake up a pretty well accepted perspective on (in this instance) a national institution. Not just for the sake of it, but to add a layer of additional value or interest for a specific audience. Format Freedom in action.

The ‘Game Mode’ viewing experience

More Human Robots It's probably fair to say that the current wave of robots (particularly the absolutely chilling robodogs in that episode of Black Mirror...) are not exactly combating the odd bit of existential angst. Well, that's where Disney's got your back. Taking a leaf out of the Star Wars book - where R2-D2 was a pretty engaging little pedal bin-shaped companion - they are now working to bring additional personality to their line of robots.

#Robotics #Disney #MoreHuman 28

Fans of the recent Star Wars trilogy may have seen that a puppeteer was used to bring genuine character to spherical robot BB-8, and this is the

approach Disney are now taking to their real-life set of bipedal IROS robots, with an animator becoming a key part of the coding team, to ensure that these little robots feel warmer, friendlier and more human. And the results are like something straight out of a sci-fi playbook - the IROS robots affectionately resembling BD1, the droid companion in the aforementioned Star Wars Jedi: Survivor video game.

So what? A pretty on-the-nose reminder that more human interactions and connections matter. Being able to engage with these robots (or feeling like they're engaging with us) makes them more appealing, more buyable and more memorable. The power of personality.

See the robots in action

“ Our aim is to capture the soul

of character animation, blending historical animation wisdom with modern technical prowess.” Michael Hopkins, R&D engineer at Disney 29

( wearewonder.com )

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