Engagement
Warp — five engagement shapes
Engagements are not packages with hidden tiers. They are shapes — ways the studio can sit beside your team for a defined period and return documents you can use. Each shape states what happens, who is involved and what is written down. No commercial figures appear on this site; scope and terms are agreed in correspondence.
First read of the brief
You send a brief — or half a brief — and we read it at the cutting table within a week. One session on Kandahar Street or by video link. We return a written summary: gaps in the story, risks in the channel mix, suggested next passes. No obligation to continue.
Written deliverable: A brief assessment memo (typically four to six pages) with recommended engagement shape.
Positioning and campaign sprint
Two concentrated weeks in the studio. Position, narrative, channel mix and creative direction are drafted, proofed and handed over. Daily pin-ups, overnight rewrites, a final read before you leave with the documents.
Written deliverable: Campaign architecture, creative direction look book and editorial calendar draft.
Launch programme
End-to-end support from architecture through launch day. The studio embeds for the duration, running orchestration, proofing assets and drafting launch communications. Governance is set before we step back.
Written deliverable: Full document set from the loom, plus launch pack and governance guide.
Retained editorial cadence
Monthly retainer for teams that need ongoing direction and copy review without a full launch. Regular desk sessions, proofing of your team's output, updates to message hierarchy as the market shifts.
Written deliverable: Monthly summary notes, proofed assets and updated editorial guidance.
Advisory seat
A senior strategist attends your leadership meetings quarterly, reads your material in advance and offers written commentary. For founders who want a calm outside voice without a full engagement.
Written deliverable: Quarterly advisory memo and meeting notes.
Choosing a shape
Most new relationships begin with a first read. If the brief is urgent and partially formed, the positioning sprint follows. Launch programmes suit teams about to go to market with a coherent story. Retained cadences suit in-house marketing teams that need editorial discipline. The advisory seat suits founders who want quarterly counsel.
We will tell you honestly if a shape does not fit — if the brief needs a smaller pass or a longer weave. That conversation happens before any agreement is signed.
What every shape includes
Clear scope in writing, named studio contacts, proof stages with turnaround expectations, and a handover meeting where documents are walked through line by line. Exclusions are stated as plainly as inclusions — we do not imply work we will not perform.
Questions about timelines, revisions or what we need from your team are collected on Unpicked. Ready to write? The Threshold page holds our address and mail.
From the workroom 1
The cutting table is where arguments end and proofs begin. Before any channel is named, we ask what the audience should understand after the first read — not what they should click. That discipline keeps launches from unravelling when media begins.
From the workroom 1
Thread tension is a useful metaphor for channel mix. Pull too hard on one platform and the story skews; leave another too loose and the message drifts. Orchestration is the practice of keeping every thread at the same tension until launch day.
From the workroom 1
Pinned proofs on the dark wall are not decoration. They are the campaign as it will look — headlines beside body copy beside photography notes. Clients who visit the studio read the wall before they read a deck.
From the workroom 1
Kampong Glam teaches patience. Textile shops close late; the lane quietens after ten. We match that rhythm — no midnight deck culture, no Saturday blasts unless the brief truly demands it. Clarity arrives on schedule, not on panic.
From the workroom 1
Brass lamp light is consistent across every proof. We colour-correct monitors against the same bulb so screen and print agree. Small detail, but drift starts in small details.
From the workroom 1
The selvedge edge is where we stop editing. Every engagement letter names what is out of scope as clearly as what is in — another edge that prevents fraying.