For OpenAI's first-ever out-of-home campaign, we weren't handed a style guide. We were handed a question:
“What would it look like if AI felt more human?”
In The Margins
Our team of writers, animators, illustrators, and designers explored that question from every angle. We started where every great idea starts: In the margins. Doodles. Scribbles. Visual jokes sketched on top of and on the backs of other sketches.
The Doodle System
The answer wasn't a single image. It was a system. One that blended hand-drawn illustration with minimalist UI. One that held over 40 unique pieces across digital and physical formats, yet still felt quiet and personal.
Not every idea made the cut. In fact, most didn't.
But somewhere in the process—in the curiosity, in the willingness to redraw, rethink, and reimagine—we found the tone that stuck.
Not techie. Not chilly. Just real enough to stay with you.
That’s what human AI looks like.
Problem
The brief was open, but the goal was clear: connect with students in a way that felt useful, approachable, and built for real life—not just for the screen.
Insight
Students are already living in a world full of prompts: Can you create a study schedule for French 201? Can you create an embroidered illustration of string theory? Can we practice my Spanish pronunciation together? They don’t need AI to replace their work. They need it to sit beside them while they figure it out.
Solution
We built a warm, flexible design system that paired hand-drawn illustrations with minimalist UI, blending the analog with the digital. 40+ unique assets lived across animated OOH, static posters, and playful micro-interactions. Together, they framed ChatGPT not just as a tool for the classroom, but as something students could keep turning to, long after the last exam.
Result
OpenAI’s first advertising campaign didn’t just introduce ChatGPT to students—it gave it a voice, a tone, a face. Something human enough to feel familiar. Something quiet enough to stick with you.
Credits
- Chief Creative OfficerJonathan Notaro
- Executive Creative DirectorChris Dooley
- Creative DirectorEmeric Trahand
- Lead DesignerChae Park
- DesignersLili EmtiazShirlin KaoXtine TinosoPortia BarrientosTatsumi TaeronArantxa GilJieun LeeNicolas GloazzoCathy Xiao
- IllustratorsClaudia AlexandrinoKaren HongYoon LeeYi Chen Kuo
- 2D Lead AnimatorGerald Mark Soto
- 2D AnimatorsHei KuokFelix HemstadiusMauricio VillaDaniel WenzelPaul SuhPete GermanoSeong Yeop Sim
- Cel Animation LeadJeff Bryson
- Cel AnimatorsStieg RetlinLizzi AkanaSean Lattrell
- EditorRyan Rigley
- Sound Design & MixOne Thousand Birds
- Executive ProducerGarrett Braren
- Managing PartnerDevin Brook