AI key visual — Grand Show 2025, Friedrichstadt-Palast
I still remember riding the rattling U6 to class every day, passing the giant posters at the stations. Friedrichstadt-Palast — the world’s largest theater stage. The visuals were stunning, the advertising so powerful. And I kept asking myself: how do you ever land a project like that? Indeed, I still have no clear answer. The commission came in on my 35th birthday — consequently, the most memorable one. Crazy, right? For the 2025 Grand Show, we developed an AI key visual that now covers Berlin — on city billboards, S-Bahn platforms, and throughout BER airport. Built from 2,435 AI-generated images, the campaign artwork combines Midjourney, Magnific.ai, and 3D type design into one ultra-high-resolution print file. It will run through 2027.
How this AI key visual was built
An AI key visual lives or dies by the decisions behind it. We started with a concept built around live photography. However, we scrapped it entirely. The fully AI-generated character that replaced it is sharper, more expressive, and moreover scales to any print dimension without quality loss. Furthermore, several hundred production hours went into the final image: iterating on light, refining character detail, retouching skin and texture in Photoshop, and preparing the file to the exact specifications required for large-scale outdoor printing across a city.
Why entertainment brands choose AI for campaign imagery
Traditional key visual shoots come with casting, weather dependency, logistics, and hard deadlines. A well-executed AI key visual delivers full creative control — every proportion, every surface, every light source is intentional. It is a precision tool — not a shortcut. The results are consequently scalable, format-flexible, and built to hold up for years on a wall. See the full range of what this approach looks like on our commercial AI key visual service page. And if you’re thinking about where AI fits into professional visual production — and what that means for retouching — our piece on whether retouchers still have a place in the age of AI is worth a read. For a deeper look at how this specific project came together — from photoshoot pivot to 2,435 AI iterations — read the full production story.
More key visual and artwork
For a different take on large-format conceptual imagery, our Dior full CGI key visual and the Energy Transition CGI key visual show what the same discipline looks like across industries — built without a single photograph.
Your campaign. Our craft. Whether it’s a grand show or a product launch — let’s make it real.
