1. Subtitles, now with subtext.

For half a century, movie captions have been the digital equivalent of reading the phone book. Those familiar white letters on black bars have dutifully transcribed dialogue while completely ignoring whether someone's whispering sweet nothings or screaming bloody murder. Now FCB Chicago, working with the Chicago Hearing Society, has launched "Caption with Intention," a system that uses animation and color to finally let captions show some personality. Imagine subtitles that can actually convey whether that "fine" is genuinely fine or the kind of "fine" that means you're sleeping on the couch.

What makes this especially compelling isn’t just the visual flair. It’s the year-long, community-led design process that put Deaf and Hard of Hearing voices at the center from the start. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences was impressed enough to hand them a Technical Achievement Oscar, and the system is now free for anyone to adopt. It’s a reminder that accessibility isn’t about ticking boxes; it’s about making sure everyone gets the emotional ride storytellers intended.

2. The Caltrans coup: a true LA infrastructure heist.

In the pre-dawn darkness of August 5, 2001, Richard Ankrom donned a hard hat, grabbed a ladder, and installed what may be the most famous piece of unauthorized public infrastructure in Los Angeles history. The artist had grown tired of watching drivers miss the poorly marked transition from the 110 to the northbound 5, so he decided to fix it himself. Armed with hand-painted aluminum signage crafted to exact Caltrans specifications, a fake work order, and a freshly trimmed haircut to look the part, Ankrom spent 30 sweaty minutes bolting his “NORTH I-5” placard into place.

What began as one man’s act of civic-minded mischief became a defining piece of LA lore when the story broke nine months later, turning Ankrom into a brief media sensation. Caltrans, in a moment of institutional humility rarely seen before (or since), admitted they couldn’t fault the quality and decided to leave it up. The sign stayed for eight years before being removed, but its legacy lived on: the replacement signs used Ankrom’s exact design. It’s a perfect encapsulation of LA’s DIY spirit, where sometimes the best way to get City Hall’s attention is to fix the problem yourself and wait for them to catch up.

3. The fast and the vibratious.

Apple wants you to feel the movie trailer. Literally. Their new “haptic trailer” for the upcoming Brad Pitt Formula 1 film turns your iPhone into a pocket-sized race car simulator, buzzing with every screeching tire and revving engine like it’s trying to drift off the coffee table. Using the iPhone’s Taptic Engine, the trailer delivers vibrations that intensify as the on-screen action ramps up.

This film marks Apple’s biggest swing yet at turning its film division into a serious Hollywood contender, with the kind of technical stunt only Apple would think to pull off. The timing is no accident: F1 fandom has exploded in the U.S., and Apple seems to think that the road to Apple TV+ loyalty might be paved with literal high-octane jolts. It’s not just a gimmick for gimmick’s sake, though. It’s a well-matched use of existing tech to deepen the connection between story and sensation. In a film all about speed, tension, and visceral intensity, turning a phone into a tiny, trembling pit lane isn’t just cute - it’s actually kind of brilliant.

Bonus curious thing: Dawn’s H1 recap.

In classic agency fashion, we spent the first half of the year at Dawn doing a ton of great work, but didn’t talk much about it. So I finally hit record on a long-overdue video update, sharing what we’ve been up to lately: new clients, new collaborators, and a branding project with Work as Play for Lineage.