Inspiration Station Nov #1

Nov#1

9 Nov 2026 Creative news for the HLL Collective

InspirationStation

Weekly newsletter

Oh, hi there…

Welcome to the relaunch of Inspiration Station. I’m Vicki, and this weekly newsletter brings together standout work, from sharp ideas and AI to great craft and storytelling.

In this edition: a watch film that prints memories, a diagnosis framed as an earthquake, and a living room that ignores gravity.

Plus practical AI & creativity tips and the latest industry news.

Every piece was published in the last few weeks.

Give me three minutes. Let’s dive in.

3-minute read · nothing here is more than a few weeks old

The big idea

Title card from Keeping Time: an ornate cuckoo clock on a mustard wall, with the words Keeping Time, narrated by Kaya Scodelario — Image: Studio Underd0g / Magick

Off the map

Time, kept by hand

Studio Underd0gMagick, BrightonUK

British watch brand Studio Underd0g takes a whimsical trip through the history of watchmaking, from solitary watchmakers to wealthy industrialists to a new generation of enthusiasts. The two-minute film is narrated by Kaya Scodelario and directed by Blake Claridge through Gusto.film. The pastel sets and costumes are handmade, and a vintage watch-testing machine is repurposed to print memories instead of measurements.

4:3the boxy frame it’s shot in, with pastel sets and handmade costumes.

Handcrafted filmStorytelling

Watch the film →

Ad Highlights

Film still: a woman and a man talking at a kitchen table, with the line A Parkinson's diagnosis can shake up your life — Image: Parkinson Canada / Broken Heart Love Affair

Neurology

When the ground gives way

Parkinson CanadaBroken Heart Love AffairCanada4 Nov

A Parkinson’s diagnosis, shown as an earthquake. The ground slips away, linking the disease’s best-known symptom to the emotional upheaval that follows, for the person and everyone around them. Directed by Abby Ballanger at Felon. Donated media gave the campaign nearly 20 times its budget.

One metaphor carries the symptom and the feeling.

Visual metaphorFundraising

See the work →

Film still: Colin Jost in a long coat, arms open, in a snowstorm — Image: Kay Jewelers / The Martin Agency

Holiday season ad

An odyssey for one necklace

Kay JewelersThe Martin AgencyUS2 Nov

In Kay Jewelers’ holiday campaign, SNL’s Colin Jost hilariously braves a blizzard in a period robe on a Homeric quest for the perfect present. While the ad leans into comedy, the struggle is real: 40% of people stress over finding the right gift. Kay’s ultimate message? Skip the anxiety and gift boldly.

Insight: 40% of people stress over finding the right gift.

Humour + insightEpic parody

Watch the film →

Crafted

Film still: first-person view of hands reaching towards a tablet floating in a cosy living room — Image: Amazon / ProdCo

Powerful performance

The room that defies gravity

AmazonProdCo, dir. Mackenzie SheppardAlexa Tablets

Keyboards unfold, speakers appear and a living room seems to defy gravity. About 80% of the effects were done in camera, with mechanical rigs, sleight-of-hand transitions and choreographed camera moves. A helmet-mounted camera gives the first-person view, and CGI fills in the rest.

A product demo turned into a magic trick. Imagine this for a medical device.

Practical effectsProduct demo

Watch the film →

Two digital posters in London stations showing rainy street scenes reflected in puddles, with a plane in the sky — Image: British Airways / Uncommon

Beautifully crafted

It’s always sunny somewhere

British AirwaysUncommonUK4 Nov

Unscripted reportage of rainy British life, reflected in puddles, with a plane crossing the grey sky in every shot. Photographed by Daniel Benson at Making Pictures and running on digital six-sheets at London stations. The puddle is both the setting and the camera trick.

The everyday moment as the frame. Proof that the setting can do all the selling.

PhotographyMedia as idea

See the work →

AI & creativity

OpenAI announcement graphic: Introducing Images 2.6 — Image: OpenAI

ChatGPT Images 2.6 · 4 Nov · rolling out to all users

GIFs, made in one step

ChatGPT can now make an animated GIF from a text prompt or a photo you upload. You can change the speed and edit single frames before you share it. It’s rolling out on web, desktop and mobile.

TryRough out a looping storyboard or a bespoke GIF to drop in a Teams chat.

Title card in bold black type on orange: Claude, motion designer — Image: Claude

Claude How-To Geek hands-on · 4 Nov

Motion graphics in four prompts

We covered the Claude Motion launch last month. Now How-To Geek has made a 20-second promo with it in four prompts. Their tip: put length, aspect ratio, style, scenes and brand colours in your first prompt. Great for animated stats and rough cuts; After Effects still does the polish.

Adobe graphic: Get the Beta, with an Illustrator (Beta) install card — Image: Adobe

Illustrator Beta · 4 Nov

Icon sets from one prompt

Illustrator’s new Icon Sheets beta turns a prompt into a whole icon set, with each icon an editable vector on its own layer. Use one icon as the style reference for the next set. English prompts only. Find it under Beta apps in the Creative Cloud app.

Release notes →

Image: Runway

Runway API · 28 Oct

Prompt in, SVG out

Runway’s API now runs Ideogram Vector. It makes a scalable SVG illustration from a text prompt and up to five reference images, or turns an image into vector art. Each SVG costs 14 to 22 credits, and the results stay editable.

Changelog →

Adobe Acrobat AI Assistant graphic with a sparkle speech-bubble icon — Image: Adobe

Acrobat Video · Kevin Stratvert · sponsored by Adobe

Ask your PDFs anything

Kevin Stratvert shows how to ask questions about PDFs, summarise complex documents, compare supplier contracts, analyse meetings and even generate images, all without leaving Acrobat, on desktop, mobile or the browser extension. He also points out extras you might be missing, like Liquid Mode, Firefly image generation and redaction tools.

Watch on YouTube →

Industry radar

Image: Adobe

10 to 12 Nov · Miami Beach and online

Adobe MAX: pick your sessions

Over 200 sessions across seven tracks, from Branding to Video, Audio and Motion. Two to bookmark: “Stop the Scroll: Motion Design for Social Media” and “The Sea of Sameness: How to Build Work People Actually Remember”. Keynotes and Sneaks stream online. UK times: the opening keynote is tomorrow at 2pm, the Inspiration keynote is Wednesday at 3pm, and Sneaks with Terry Crews is Wednesday at 10.30pm.

Browse sessions →

24/364 Rare Disease Film Festival banner: A celebration of rare disease storytelling — Image: 24/364

Entries close 13 Nov · San Diego, March 2027

A film festival for rare disease

CG Life’s first 24/364 Rare Disease Film Festival screens patient stories at the San Diego Natural History Museum on 11 and 12 March 2027. 97 films from 33 countries are in so far. Made one? Submit it by 13 November at 24364.life.

Image: PM Society

Deadline 10 Nov · extension 17 Nov · London

PM Awards: last call

The 41st PM Awards celebrate pharma marketing and healthcare comms, with 25 categories, six of them new. The main deadline is tomorrow, 10 November, with an extension to 17 November, and 1 December for Individual and Team Awards. The ceremony is on 19 March 2027.

Enter →

Your turn

Seen something brilliant?

Send me the best thing you’ve spotted lately. Any category, any format, the braver the better. My favourites make the next edition, with a credit if you want one.

Message Vicki on Teamswith the link and a line on why it’s great.