Milano The School of Design

FRANK – The Truth Project, created by Anna Rebekka Hofer, a student of the BA (Hons) Communication & Visual Design course at Istituto Marangoni Milano Design, has been selected as a finalist at the Art Directors Club of Europe Awards (ADCE), one of the most authoritative recognitions in the European creative and communication landscape.

Although she did not win a medal, being shortlisted represents a highly valuable milestone and an important international recognition.

With the help of Paola Rolli, Communication & Visual Design Program Leader, Anna developed a project that stems from a critical reflection on the role of images in the era of artificial intelligence, where the speed of visual content production has also amplified the risks of manipulation and misinformation. In this context, key concepts such as transparency, traceability of sources, and awareness of the creative process become central.

FRANK presents itself as a conceptual “reverse AI” system: an artificial intelligence that does not simply generate images, but reveals their origins, their journey, and the creative steps behind them, transforming technology from a potential threat into a tool for truth and responsibility.

Let’s find out more through Anna’s words.

How did FRANK – The Truth Project come to life?
“It started from a personal interest in the concept of truthful communication and from a simple question: what makes an image authentic? By exploring this topic, I also moved into a more philosophical reflection, which I then connected to the world we live in today and to emerging technologies, especially artificial intelligence.”

What pushed you to connect the theme of truth specifically to AI?
“Today we often struggle to distinguish what is real from what is artificial. Images created with artificial intelligence make this boundary increasingly subtle. At a certain point, I asked myself: if AI is so powerful, why not use it to solve this problem instead of creating new ones? That’s how FRANK was born, as a system that works on transparency and shows the process behind images.”

In your project you talk a lot about the process and what lies behind an image. Why is it so important?
“Artificial intelligence does not really create from nothing: it draws from content that already exists online. There is always a human-made component, a human thought from which something new is born. Nothing truly starts from zero. For me, it was important to make this process visible and not just show the final result.”

What was the biggest challenge in developing the project?
“The biggest difficulty is truly understanding how image-generation systems work, because these processes are not transparent and require very advanced expertise. But the challenge that stimulated me the most was another one: developing a critical gaze. Today, in new media, we should learn not to stop at the ‘wow’ effect and become more aware, more responsible, and a bit more skeptical about what we see.”

What did it mean for you to be shortlisted at the ADCE Awards?
“It was a unique experience that I will always carry with me. Being in Barcelona, living that atmosphere, connecting with other creatives, and seeing so many projects was incredible. It was a very strong confirmation: this is the environment I want to be part of. It’s beautiful to see how an insight that at first might seem simple can grow and become something powerful in a creative context.”

What do you take away from this experience?
“I understood how our work can be an important voice for society. We have a great responsibility, because we can influence many people, and this has really struck me.
I would like to thank Istituto Marangoni, Director Sergio Nava and especially my tutor Paola Rolli, who allowed me to live this experience, enter this world and learn so much. I hope this is only the beginning of a wonderful journey.”