Signing Santa Launches FCB Inferno’s Storytelling App

Tech giant Hauwei has released a revolutionary sign-language app that was developed by FCB Inferno. The campaign launches with a touching spot directed by Chris Overton and produced by Dog Eat Dog. Along with a sympathetic Santa, the film features the remarkable seven-year-old actress Maisie Sly, star of Overton’s Oscar-winning short The Silent Child.

The making of the StorySign launch film

The StorySign app uses AI to help deaf children learn to read; users simply hold their phone up to the words on the page and an avatar signs the story as the printed words are highlighted, this helps parents and children to learn to read together, and at their own pace. FCB Inferno spent a year developing it in collaboration with Aardman, Penguin Publishing and the British Deaf Association. 

The development of the StorySign app

There are approximately 32 million deaf children globally and many struggle to learn to read, often due to a lack of resources bridging sign language and reading. Huawei's research indicated that parents of deaf children in the UK spend more time reading to their children each day than parents of hearing children – yet statistics indicate that they are falling behind their hearing peers with most deaf 16-year olds having an average reading age of nine years.

“StorySign is not just another Christmas campaign, it’s an initiative that we genuinely hope will help deaf children enjoy the world of books” said Frazer Gibney, CEO, FCB Inferno. "Huawei’s technology is empowering great things, and I am thrilled that we are working with them on work that is both purposeful and creatively interesting.”

Launch trip to Lapland

The wide-reaching campaign also included a trip to Lapland to give a group of or deaf children and their families an accessible Christmas experience, including quality time with Santa of course. 

The app can be downloaded for free at Google Play or Huawei App Gallery.