Figma has launched a playful new campaign celebrating one of Australia and New Zealand’s most beloved cultural traditions: giving people nicknames.
Created in collaboration with director Angie “Birdie” Bird, Truce Production Co. and indie creative shop Hellions, the campaign brings to life the fictional Australian and New Zealand Bureau of Nicknames (ANZBON), an entirely self-appointed authority dedicated to recognising the region’s unofficial monikers.
The initiative spans narrative films, social content and a microsite, inviting Australians and New Zealanders to submit their own nicknames for “official” recognition.
The campaign is designed to demonstrate how ideas can move from concept to reality using Figma’s design and development platform, effectively turning a whimsical idea into a fully realised fictional institution complete with branding, rules, bureaucracy and digital infrastructure.
Yosub Kim, director of brand marketing at Figma, said the campaign was inspired by the uniquely personal role nicknames play in Australian and New Zealand culture.
“In Australia and New Zealand, nicknames aren’t just nicknames, they’re a love language,” Kim said.
“They’re given by friends, family and loved ones – the people who know you well enough to turn a single moment into something that sticks for life.”
Kim said the idea behind ANZBON was intentionally playful, reflecting Figma’s belief that the best ideas often start small or even a little absurd.
“It started as a dumb, playful idea, but that’s the whole point,” he said.
“At Figma, we believe the best ideas often start that way. It doesn’t have to be perfect to be worth building.”
Speaking about the creative process, Hellions creative partner Elle Bullen, a former B&T Women in Media Woman of the Year, said the team realised early on that if they wanted to demonstrate Figma’s capabilities, they could go far beyond a traditional ad campaign.
“Building an entire organisation just to demonstrate another company’s product seemed like a far-fetched solution for a campaign, until we realised the power to do exactly that was in our hands,” Bullen said.
“We figured if you’re going to show what Figma can do, why stop at an ad? So we created the branding, the bureaucracy, the website, the rules, the films… and an entire institution that, quite frankly, should exist.”
Despite the elaborate fictional bureaucracy portrayed by ANZBON, the real campaign came together with minimal red tape, built by a small, globally distributed team collaborating across borders.
For Australian expat director and creative director Angie Bird, the project also served as a celebration of collaborative creativity.
“The brief was basically to make something unhinged with uniquely Aussie and Kiwi vibes,” Bird said.
“That’s the kind of creative freedom directors dream about.”
Bird said the campaign embodied the joy of creative collaboration and the idea that unconventional ideas can flourish when given the right tools.
“ANZBON is what happens when a slightly ridiculous idea gets the tools it needs to exist,” she said.
“Huge credit to Figma for backing such a wonderfully strange idea.”
Figma said the broader message behind the campaign is that creativity doesn’t require permission.
Whether it’s an app, a startup, a product — or even a fictional government bureau for nicknames — the platform aims to show how ideas can quickly become tangible projects.
Nickname applications are now open via the ANZBON site.
CREDITS
Figma
Director of Brand Marketing: Yosub “Meatball” Kim
Marketing Manager, APAC: Bell “Beastie” Tan
Brand Marketing Strategist: Amy “Fox” Sligh
Social Media Manager: Laurie “Hugh” Cruz
Senior Art Director: Sunny “Tron” Chuang
Truce
Director and Creative Director: Angie “Birdie” Bird
EP / Producer: Elise “Treno” Trenorden
Production Manager: Jess “Jerry” Chapman
Production Assistant: Michael “Danger” Hollis
Socials Producer: Carla “Cax” McConnell
Cinematographer: Mitch “Grub” Ayers
B Aam: Amy “Delz” Dellar
1AD: Cam “Scanner” Mellor
Production Designer: Beth “Private” Ryan
Costume Designer: Emma “Lampy” Lamp
HMU: Nat “Burls” Burley
Lighting/Grip combo: Christiaan “Gary” Aberneathy
Sound Recordist: Alex “Wak” Wakefeild
Socials director: James “Bear” Dryden
Post Production
Editor: James “Flashbolt” Ashbolt
Colourist: Daniel “The Whip” Witt (Moodlab)
Online/Flame artist: Naomi “Nomalini” Anderlini
Sound Designer: Rob “Tofu” Stephen (Echo Darling)
Sound+Grade Producer: Laura “Messy” Hesse
Hellions
Creative Partner: Elle “Walrus” Bullen
Creative Partner: Dan “Sparkles” Sparkes
Managing Partner: Mike “Arctic Fox” Doman
Senior Designer: Trudi “Troodles” Hewitt
Group Account Director: Miranda “Turbo” Anzarut
With special thanks to Shrooms, Old Sally, Sunshine, Nobby, Clackas and Shetland Tony.
