The project tackles one of the biggest challenges that those with MND face after diagnosis – the need to ‘bank their voice’ in order to have a digital recording of how they sound for use in the later stages of the condition, which causes the loss of the ability to speak over time.

The site is created by ad agency VMLY&R for Dell and Intel, in partnership with the Motor Neurone Disease Association and Rolls-Royce. At its heart is a book, written by writer Jill Twiss, which when read aloud lets people with MND record their voice, while its words also help explain MND to individuals and their families.

The text is designed so that every sound necessary to create a digital voice is embedded in the story naturally, so by the time the reader completes the book, their digital voice can be processed quickly.

The film above shows how the website works, and features a number of people living with MHD who share their experiences with the condition and the struggles that they have found with voice banking, which are simplified by the I Will Always Be Me book.

The site, iwillalwaysbeme.com, also gives more information on the technology behind the project and features an example of a digital voice that has been recorded via the software, which can be compared to the original voice.

Credits:
Agency: VMLY&R
CCO: Wayne Best
ECDs: Niraj Zaveri, Justin Ebert
Creative Directors: Tal Shub, Carlos Pabon
Production Company: Borderland
Directors/DOPs: Simon Frost, Ben Hanson