We all know the iconic image “Bliss,” the default wallpaper of Microsoft Windows XP, taken by photographer Charles O’Rear. Widely believed to be the most-viewed photograph in history, this vivid green landscape with a perfectly blue sky feels familiar to just about everyone.
Now, can you imagine anything replacing this legendary wallpaper? It seems almost impossible. But what if we challenged creative minds to dream up the next great Windows wallpaper?
That’s exactly what Superdigital, a creative agency, did in collaboration with Microsoft. Together, they launched an exciting initiative: the “Windows 11 Wallpaper Expedition.” Seven creators from seven different regions were invited to use the newest features of Microsoft Surface Devices and Copilot AI to plan, capture, and edit an image that could one day grace millions of screens worldwide.
Scroll down to discover the stunning results of this groundbreaking project!
Horizontal Falls, Australia by Zac Watson
Bored Panda spoke with John Tringl, Superdigital’s Group Account Director, to learn more about the Wallpaper Expedition. We began by asking about the inspiration behind the collaboration between Microsoft and Superdigital: “Superdigital and Microsoft have worked together closely on short-form video content over the last 3+ years. Specifically, on Windows, that relationship began with the launching of their TikTok account when the Windows 11 OS was released, so this has been a longstanding relationship evolving year over year in really fun and incredible ways.
At the center, our approach together has been focused on the blending of nostalgia with tech modernity, leaning into both core and aspirational audiences, and ultimately leveraging creators as partners on the pulse for culturally relevant, audience-first creative.
We’ve had so many successful creator partnerships across Microsoft brands, and so when the opportunity to help launch their newest category of devices via a creator campaign arose, the collaboration between us was natural and exciting.”
Val de Loire, France by Loic Lagarde
Glencoe, Scotland by Kate Hook
When asked how the seven photographers participating were selected, Tringl responded: “With the launch of a new device category and the scale of Microsoft’s consumer base, we knew from the jump that this needed to be a global campaign. That led us to prioritize creators in Microsoft’s seven key markets, which helped the campaign feel diverse even with the clear through line of photography.
Then, because we were asking creators to travel, capture and edit the content themselves—all activities made more efficient and exciting with the use of the Copilot+ PCs—we wanted to tap creators who were comfortable behind and in front of the camera, who had a signature style, who were confident in their ability to take on this journey, and of course, who could ultimately provide a kaleidoscope of different format types and personalities.
Just looking at the content, you can see that a level of polish was consistent, but unique authenticity was present across the board. This was all crucial in the selection process, and we could not be more proud of all seven creators—they blew our minds.”
Northern Canada by Justin Choquette
Alaska by Caleb Wielhouwer
