Breaking down barriers and making the world more inclusive is part of Mastercard’s brand ambition. Their new Touch Card features unique tactile notches to make payment easier for the blind and low vision community.

With millions of new Touch Cards rolled out to Australian consumers, Mastercard wanted people to understand that these cards were not just a new design idea, but were created to make a material difference for people who are blind or low vision. The task was to educate consumers at mass scale about this card, while creating a conversation about designing the world for everyone. So, we decided to bring the thinking behind Touch Card to life in a new way, and redesign another experience that had traditionally catered to the sighted community: cinema.

‘TOUCH’ is a feature-length motion picture without pictures. Brought to life solely through Dolby7.1 sound, without images or audio descriptions. Designed so all audiences can enjoy the magic of cinema together, no matter their level of vision.

It follows an original story of a neuroscientist trapped inside his father’s mind, along with his ex-girlfriend and an unsuspecting delivery driver. To escape, they must journey through crumbling memories and forgotten worlds.

‘TOUCH’ was developed in collaboration with consultants/composers/writers/actors from BLV communities all over the world – alongside award-winning filmmakers. We worked closely with inclusivity group BusStopFilms, BlindCitizensAustralia, and focus groups to consider the BLV perspective at every stage of production.

‘TOUCH’ premiered at iconic Australian theatres, where sighted/non-sighted people were invited to sit together. The production learnings were turned into a lesson module shared with film-schools globally, giving future filmmakers a blueprint to make more inclusive productions.

Mastercard’s Touch Card challenges how we design the world around us in every way. So, we decided to redesign another experience that had always catered to the sighted community: cinema. Every year, over 500 million people visit the movies. Yet, for those who are blind or have low vision, the experience is an afterthought. The reliance on screen readers, audio descriptions, or asking friends what’s happening on the screen often leads to a compromised cinema experience. To celebrate Mastercard’s Touch Card, we flipped the script, creating an inclusive cinema experience anyone can enjoy, regardless of their vision.

We began by engaging inclusivity body Bus Stop Films & BlindCitizensAustralia, who placed 34 members of the blind and low vision (BLV) community in roles across every department – giving some their first break in the industry, and helping us consider their perspective at every stage.

With their help, we wrote an audio-first screenplay – refined over a series of BLV focus groups. Our sound team used spatial panning, subharmonics and more to turn each scene into an immersive environment that didn’t rely on audio descriptions. Our team of BLV musicians, spanning Berlin/Sydney/Mongolia, worked with them to create seventeen original pieces. The result is a rich audioscape built for cinema.

TOUCH premiered in Melbourne+Sydney, where sighted, non/low sighted audiences sat together. The accessible box-office and theatre experience included a partnership with Humanitix, GuideDogsAustralia, BindiMaps throughout the venue and on-site support staff. All ticket proceeds went to BlindCitizensAustralia.

After one premiere, ‘TOUCH’ garnered +AUD $10million in earned media coverage, reaching +74million people with a 12.5% ROI. But this is just the start. ‘TOUCH’ has been submitted to film festivals globally, including Cannes, Venice and SXSW. Importantly, the

production learnings from TOUCH have been turned into a lesson module and shared with dozens of top-tier film schools around the world, giving future filmmakers a blueprint to make more inclusive productions.

Additionally, the production of TOUCH employed 34 people who are blind or low vision, giving them access to the film industry, where they’ve been traditionally overlooked.

“The world is finally making movies for blind people — & it means more to me than you’ll ever know”

- Ingrid Barnes, refinery29 writer (blind)

“I didn't necessarily 'watch' or 'see' the movie like usual, though it was undoubtedly

the best film I had ever heard”.

- Isabella Ross, Mamamia