Losing Lena
There’s a secret hidden in almost every digital image and website you’ve ever seen. That secret is Lena, Miss November 1972. Or as others have called her, Tech’s Original Sin. Back in the 70s, some guys at the University of Southern California used Lena’s centrefold to test their image-processing algorithms. This research laid the groundwork for the JPEG. Today, with complete indifference to women, Lena remains the most-used test image in the world. Losing Lena campaigns for the removal of the Lena image to create a more equitable future for women in tech.
- IntegratedIntegrated/Small Business (under 50 employees)
- ImpactInitiative/Brands
Country
- Australia
Client
- Code Like a Girl
Production Company
- FINCH
Chief Creative Officer
- Ben Coulson
Creative Director
- Brendan Willenberg
Senior Creative
- Chris Pearce
- Rowan Foxcroft
Creative
- Dave Lidster
Creative Strategist
- Karen Maurice-O’leary
- Andy Blood
Head of Creative Technology
- Brendan Forster
Head of Craft
- Daniel Mortensen
Senior Developer
- Ivan So
- Jay Young
Front-End Developer
- Dale Emrose
Head of Integrated Production
- Denise Mckeon
Interactive Producer
- Claire Bisset
Group Account Director
- Cath Bosson
Senior Account Director
- Smaran Jworchan
Editor
- Kris Rowe
- Emily Cornelius
- Alex Guterres
Online Editor
- Jess Morgan
Sound Engineer
- Robbie Balatincz
Executive Creative Director
- Paul Nagy
Director
- Kyra Bartley
Producer
- Luke Mazzaferro
- Francesca Walker
Executive Producer
- Rob Galluzzo
- Michael Hilliard
Director of Photography
- Anna Howard
Chief Executive Officer
- Nick Garrett
Head of PR
- Nick Zonnios
PR
- Porter Novelli
- Clemenger PR
Digital Production
- Kamber
Technical Development
- The Bot Platform
Film Production Company
- FINCH
Advertising Agency
- Clemenger BBDO Sydney
There’s a secret hidden in almost every digital image and website you’ve ever seen. That secret is Lena, Miss November 1972. Or as others have called her, Tech’s Original Sin. Back in the 70s, some guys at the University of Southern California used Lena’s centrefold to test their image-processing algorithms. This research laid the groundwork for the JPEG. Today, with complete indifference to women, Lena remains the most-used test image in the world. Losing Lena campaigns for the removal of the Lena image to create a more equitable future for women in tech.