I suppose the clever name for what we are is a virtual studio. We don't have premises, nor employees, and for the greater part, we is pretty much in the royal sense... warehaus studio is the collective noun for a loose group of creatives, writers, image makers and developers; friends really, who enjoy collaborating on projects.
I could talk about flexibility, pooling expertise and delivering within a budget, but the truth is that it's fun to catch up with friends. When it stops being fun, it's probably time to find something else to do.
I have over 13 years commercial experience, the lion's share of which I've spent creating believable narratives for retail environments. I've been running a studio (in one guise or another) for nearly eight years, working as a consultant with a number of multi-channel retailers, high-street brands and independents. Prior to this, I was head of graphic design at Fat Face, where I was instrumental in bringing visual strategy in-house & creating a consistent brand vernacular that would run through all channels.
Neil Hardcastle, Creative Director
Ideas, Craft & Sharing
If communication is in simplest terms, the expression of, the sharing of an idea, then excellent communication shouldn't be solely about a great idea, but also the craftsmanship with which it is expressed and the honesty of the sharing.
We believe meaningful relationships begin with the quality of the listening, going beyond what is given or seen at first glance; getting under the skin of your brief to ask frank and pertinent questions.
This is how we begin to develop ideas that are worth sharing, ideas that have substance and integrity, ideas that connect to form a convincing, compelling story.
Audience & Story-telling
Audience is a much friendlier word than market, and one that empathises with people on an emotional level, not just reducing them to a demographic slice or potential sale. Relating to your customers in this way better enables you to talk to them, to build a rapport, an affinity. This is at the heart of our strategic approach, whether for a single campaign or as part of an ongoing body of work.
In essence, our work is about simple stories, well told; engaging your audience, not shouting at them, nor rushing them to the checkout. We believe it's essential to entertain as well as inform, by sharing messages that are not only insightful, but also inspiring & fun.
Joining it all together
A fully integrated approach requires that the thinking and all assets of a given campaign or strategy join up to create a cogent message across all media or channels. We think this is more about working with complementary content, than homogenising across channels into a single tone of voice. What's appropriate to a 48-sheet will probably resound overbearingly at point of purchase.
This is where we draw upon a wealth of expertise across disciplines, from branding, literature, display, environment & interface; to create bespoke content and solutions that communicate your message, position your product or service in a contextual & dynamic way.