Capability 07 · Templates, rules and checks

Campaign design systems that carry one idea to every format.

We design the idea, art direction, message matrix and templates behind a campaign. Your market teams then build every format from the same parts, and automated checks catch errors before release.

Start a campaign system brief How it runs
Typical length
6–10 weeks
Scope
Idea · art direction · templates · governance
Standard
Checked automatically
Master layout · v3Your company

An illustrative master layout with four slots (key visual, headline, call to action and logo) re-flowing into 16:9, 4:5, 9:16, 1:1 and 3:1 formats under the same type, safe-zone and contrast rules.

16:9 · YouTube · 6 s bumper · kit check 12/124:5 · Meta · feed · kit check 12/129:16 · Reels · Shorts · kit check 11/12 · CTA moved1:1 · LinkedIn · feed · kit check 12/123:1 · Out of home · 48-sheet · kit check 12/12 Illustrative

What we do · 6 parts

Six parts that keep a campaign recognisable.

A campaign system is built like a product, with tokens, components, rules and tests, so market teams work quickly and stay on-brand.

A printed colour sheet running through the rollers of an offset press
  1. 01

    Campaign platform & master idea

    One idea with room for every market and format, expressed as a line, a look and clear boundaries.

    One idea
  2. 02

    Art direction & campaign toolkit

    Photography direction, typography, colour, graphic devices and motion, defined as a kit of parts rather than finished ads.

    Kit of parts
  3. 03

    Message matrix

    Messages by audience, market and funnel stage, with the claims each one may make and the proof behind it.

    Audience × stage
  4. 04

    Master templates & sizing

    Master artwork and sized templates for every placement, built on tokens so one change updates every size.

    Tokens · every size
  5. 05

    Localisation & adaptation rules

    What markets may and may not change, with rules for type, layout and legal variations.

    Fixed · flexible
  6. 06

    Governance & automated checks

    A review route, an asset register and automated checks for colour, type, safe areas, contrast and legal lines before assets reach media.

    Checked before release

How it runs · 4 stages

Design the system, then test it on the hardest format.

We test each direction on the smallest, busiest and most regulated placements before one is chosen.

  1. 01

    Wk 01–02

    Define

    We agree the campaign’s job, audiences, markets, placements and constraints, and pick the hardest formats as test cases.

    • Campaign brief
    • Format inventory
    • Constraint list
  2. 02

    Wk 02–06

    Design

    We show two or three platforms on your placements, awkward ones included, and refine your choice into a toolkit.

    • Campaign directions
    • Chosen platform
    • Art direction
  3. 03

    Wk 06–09

    Build

    We build the tokens, master templates, message matrix, motion and localisation rules, then test them with a market team on live work.

    • Master templates
    • Message matrix
    • Localisation rules
  4. 04

    Wk 09–10

    Run

    We publish the guidelines, switch on automated checks, set up the asset register and train market teams on what they may change.

    • Campaign guidelines
    • Automated checks
    • Training session

In practice · inheritance map

One token change updates every asset that uses it.

The map shows which parts use each token and which assets use each part, so a change is reviewed once and anything that shifts is flagged.

Campaign kit · v2.4Token → component → execution
Campaign kit · v2.4: illustrative sample
PartInheritsUsed byVisual diffStatus
Colour · accent Token38 executions0 px changeStable
Headline lock-up Type scale + accent26 executions0 px changeStable
Offer badge Accent + radius19 executions3 px on 2 sizesIn review
Story frame 9:16 Grid + lock-up12 executions0 px changeStable
Legacy banner 728 Old grid4 executions11 pxRetire
Executions from the kit
92%Not rebuilt from scratch
New size, brief to live
1 dayDown from 5
Off-brand changes caught before launch
7By visual diff, this quarter

Illustrative The map is generated from your design files and published templates.

What you get

The kit of parts, versioned like software.

Tokens, components, templates, usage rules and a change log, published where your designers, agencies and AI tools can use them.

A linen tester magnifier resting on a printed colour calibration chart
The kitchecked before it is cut down
Campaign Design Systems deliverables and their formats
#DeliverableFormat
01Campaign platform & master ideaDeck
02Art direction & campaign toolkitFigma · PDF
03Message matrix by audience and marketSheet
04Master templates & design tokensFigma · JSON
05Motion & sound rulesDocument · reference files
06Localisation & adaptation rulesDocument
07Campaign guidelines & asset registerWeb · sheet

What changes

Each new execution starts from the kit.

We measure adaptation speed, kit reuse and consistency with the master against your baseline. These are agreed targets, not guarantees.

  1. Recognisable at every size

    A six-second bumper, a billboard and a banner all read as one campaign, because each format was planned from the start.

  2. Faster local adaptation

    Clear rules on what may change let local teams adapt assets without waiting for central approval.

  3. Fewer errors at launch

    Automated checks catch contrast, type-size and legal-line errors before assets go live.

Tools we work in

Built in Figma, exported to your production tools.

We build campaign systems with these design, content and automation tools; no partnership is implied. Generative tools work only from approved parts.

  • Figma
  • Storybook
  • Contentful
  • Sanity
  • Webflow
  • Notion
  • Jira
  • Linear
  • Miro
  • GitHub
  • n8n
  • Google Gemini

Also in use

  • OpenAI

Frameworks we build to

Every template accessible, every AI image labelled.

We build to these frameworks and check each part against them. They are not certifications we hold.

  • WCAG 2.2 AA — Web Content Accessibility Guidelines

    Web Content Accessibility Guidelines

    Every template’s colour pairs, type sizes and motion are pre-checked, so a new execution cannot fail contrast by accident.

  • Core Web Vitals — Loading, interactivity and visual stability

    Loading, interactivity and visual stability

    Web and landing templates come with image sizes and font loading built to keep LCP ≤ 2.5 s and CLS ≤ 0.1.

  • EU AI Act — Artificial Intelligence Act (EU) 2024/1689

    Artificial Intelligence Act (EU) 2024/1689

    AI-generated imagery made from the kit is marked as such, with the prompt and approver kept in the change log.

Services & packages

Campaign system services, alone or together.

We offer services for a campaign’s idea, templates, localisation and automated checks. You can start with the part you need most.

Categories
04
Services
15
Packages
04
Not sure what you need? Describe the problem

How to buy

  1. 01Pick services. Enquire about one, or add several to a brief.
  2. 02Choose a package. A sprint, a fixed project or an ongoing team.
  3. 03Send the brief. We reply within one working day.

Browse by category

Timelines are typical. Every quote follows a written scope.

01Idea & direction

4 services
Typical timeline: 4–6 weeks

Campaign platform & big idea

The idea a campaign runs on, expressed as a line, a look and a clear statement of what the campaign is not.

What’s included

  • Campaign brief and audience definition
  • Two or three platforms on your placements
  • Chosen idea with rationale
  • Boundaries and anti-examples
  • Big idea
  • Platform

Best forBrands whose campaigns start with executions instead of an idea.

Typical timeline: 3–5 weeks

Campaign art direction

Photography direction, typography, colour behaviour, graphic devices and motion, defined as a kit of parts rather than finished ads.

What’s included

  • Art direction boards and references
  • Photography and casting direction
  • Type, colour and graphic device rules
  • Sample executions across placements
  • Art direction
  • Kit of parts

Best forCampaigns that look different every time a new agency touches them.

Typical timeline: 2–4 weeks

Message matrix

Messages by audience, market and funnel stage, with the claims each one may make and the evidence behind them.

What’s included

  • Message set by audience and stage
  • Claims, substantiation and legal review
  • Market variations and restrictions
  • Copy examples per format
  • Messages
  • Claims

Best forCampaigns where every market writes its own claims.

Typical timeline: 2–4 weeks

Campaign naming & line development

The campaign name, endline and supporting lines, checked for meaning, availability and translation before one is chosen.

What’s included

  • Name and line territories
  • Linguistic and cultural check per market
  • Availability screening guidance
  • Recommended route with rationale
  • Naming
  • Endline

Best forGlobal campaigns whose line does not translate into other markets.

02The system

4 services
Typical timeline: 4–6 weeks

Master templates & sizing

Master artwork and sized templates for every placement you buy, so a change is made once and flows to every size.

What’s included

  • Format inventory from your media plan
  • Master artwork per format family
  • Sized templates with safe areas
  • Export and handover specifications
  • Every size
  • Masters

Best forTeams rebuilding the same layout for every placement.

Typical timeline: 3–5 weeks

Campaign tokens & component kit

Colour, type, spacing and component values held as tokens, so digital, social and web executions stay consistent.

What’s included

  • Token set inherited from the brand system
  • Component kit for campaign layouts
  • Export for web and production tooling
  • Versioning and change process
  • Tokens
  • Components

Best forBrands whose digital campaign assets no longer match the masters.

Typical timeline: 3–5 weeks

Motion & sound rules

How the campaign moves and sounds: timing, easing, transitions, logo behaviour and the audio signature, with reference files.

What’s included

  • Motion principles with timing and easing
  • Transition and logo endframe rules
  • Sound and music guidance
  • Reference animations and project files
  • Motion
  • Sound

Best forCampaigns where every edit house invents its own animation.

Typical timeline: 2–3 weeks

Accessible creative standards

Rules for contrast, minimum type size, captions and subtitles, plus audio description guidance, written into the system from the start.

What’s included

  • Contrast and type-size rules per format
  • Caption, subtitle and alt-text standards
  • Motion and flashing content guidance
  • Checklist built into the review route
  • WCAG 2.2 AA
  • Captions

Best forBrands whose campaign work fails accessibility review after launch.

03Scale & localisation

4 services
Typical timeline: 3–4 weeks

Localisation & adaptation rules

What markets may change and what they may not, with type, layout, legal and cultural variations handled by the system.

What’s included

  • Fixed and flexible elements defined
  • Script, length and layout rules
  • Legal line and regulatory variations
  • Approval route for exceptions
  • Fixed · flexible
  • Multi-market

Best forGlobal campaigns that every market team adapts differently.

Typical timeline: 3–5 weeks

Market toolkits & training

A toolkit and a working session for each market, so local teams know how to produce correct assets.

What’s included

  • Toolkit with templates and examples
  • Do and do-not reference
  • Live training per region
  • Office hours during rollout
  • Toolkit
  • Training

Best forBrands whose guidelines are sent out and never opened.

Typical timeline: 5–8 weeks

Automated asset production

A pipeline that generates sized versions, language variants and placement specifications from the master, with a person approving the output.

What’s included

  • Template and data structure for automation
  • Resizing and versioning pipeline
  • Language and offer variable handling
  • Review and approval step before release
  • Automation
  • Versioning
  • OpenAI

Best forCampaigns needing hundreds of variants on a fixed deadline.

Typical timeline: 3–5 weeks

Asset register & library structure

One place where every campaign asset lives, with naming, metadata, rights and expiry recorded so assets are not used past their licence.

What’s included

  • Naming and metadata standard
  • Library structure and permissions
  • Rights and expiry tracking
  • Retirement and archive process
  • Asset library
  • Rights tracked

Best forTeams who cannot find the approved version of anything.

04Governance & checks

3 services
Typical timeline: 4–6 weeks

Automated creative checks

Machine checks for contrast, minimum type size, safe areas, clearspace and mandatory legal lines, run before assets reach media.

What’s included

  • Rule set agreed with brand and legal
  • Checks wired into the production pipeline
  • Failure reports with the reason stated
  • Exception and override process
  • Automated QA
  • Pre-flight

Best forBrands finding creative errors after the campaign is live.

Typical timeline: 4–6 weeks

Campaign guidelines site

A searchable website for the campaign’s guidelines, templates and examples, updated and versioned as the campaign changes.

What’s included

  • Structured guidelines with examples
  • Downloadable templates and assets
  • Search and versioning
  • Update process during the campaign
  • Living reference
  • Versioned

Best forCampaigns running across enough teams to need one source.

Typical timeline: 2–4 weeks per flight

Media specification compliance

Every asset checked against the technical specifications of the placements you have bought, before the delivery deadline.

What’s included

  • Specification matrix from the media plan
  • File, weight and duration checks
  • Trafficking-ready export packages
  • Rejection resolution support
  • Media specs
  • Trafficking

Best forTeams whose assets are rejected by publishers on delivery day.

Your brief

Tick “Add to brief” on any service, choose a package, then continue. Or enquire about one service directly.

How we work with you

Ways to engage, from a question to an RFQ.

Ask a quick question, send a project brief or issue a formal RFQ. The lead for the work reads each one in full, and any services already in your brief go with it.

Or book a thirty-minute call

What are you sending?

  1. 01

    About 2 minutes4 required answers

    For a first conversation, a press request or anything that does not need a scope yet.

    You get A reply from a named lead

  2. 02Recommended

    About 8 minutes5 short steps

    Goals, audiences, a budget band and timing, so our first reply can outline the work.

    You get Options and a first scope after one call

  3. 03

    About 15 minutesYour documents attached

    Your documents, deadlines and the procurement and security rules the work must meet.

    You get Receipt confirmed and a named bid lead

How it is priced

Each package shows its pricing model. Work starts once a written scope and quote are agreed.

  • Typical length
    4–12 weeks
    Pricing
    Fixed price

  • Typical length
    1–3 weeks
    Pricing
    Fixed fee

  • Typical length
    3–9 months
    Pricing
    Fixed price per milestone

  • Typical length
    6–18 months
    Pricing
    Programme fee · by statement of work
Compare what each package includes
What each package includes and who it suits
PackageEvery engagement includesBest for
ProjectA defined scope, delivered for a fixed price.
  • Statement of work with deliverables and acceptance criteria
  • A named project lead and a fixed team
  • A shared plan with dated checkpoints
  • Source files, yours once paid for
 Work you can describe up front: an identity, a platform or a set of tools
SprintA short, fixed-scope engagement that answers one defined question.
  • Scope and outcome agreed before day one
  • A senior lead plus the specialists needed
  • A working review every week
  • A decision-ready answer or prototype
 Discovery, a diagnostic, a prototype or a decision you need to make soon
MilestoneA larger build in phases you approve and pay for one at a time.
  • Phases with their own scope, output and sign-off
  • A go or no-go review at every gate
  • Re-planning between phases as you learn
  • Payment tied to accepted milestones
 Programmes too large for one contract, where you want control at each step
EnterpriseA multi-workstream programme with a dedicated team, governance and agreed service levels.
  • An engagement director and a steering group
  • A dedicated team across several workstreams
  • Service levels, reporting and a risk register
  • Security, legal and procurement reviews in the plan
 Large organisations running change across markets, portfolios or business units

Questions

What teams ask about campaign systems.

Ask us anything not covered here. The first call is about your goal.

01How is this different from brand guidelines?

A campaign system covers one campaign; brand guidelines cover the whole brand. It sets the idea, look, messages and templates for one season. It sits inside your brand guidelines and uses their design tokens.

02Will this make everything look the same?

No. It fixes only what should stay the same, such as grid, type, safe areas and legal lines. Markets keep their own casting, language and offer.

03Do you build the templates in our tools?

Yes. We usually design in Figma and export tokens for web and automated production. Templates come in the formats your media and production partners need.

04How do the automated checks work?

Assets are checked against agreed rules before they reach media. The checks run in the production pipeline and cover colour, contrast, type size, safe areas, logo clearspace and legal lines. Failures are flagged with the reason.

05Can AI generate campaign variants?

Yes, for resizing, variants, background extension and first-draft copy. AI works inside the campaign’s rules, and a named person approves each asset. Anything synthetic that could be mistaken for a real person, place or event is labelled and recorded.

Works best with

Two capabilities that put the campaign kit to work.

You can buy each capability on its own, or add these two alongside a campaign system.

Capability 08 Photo, film and CGI Global Content Production Original photography, films, edits and motion, delivered in every size each channel needs. Explore Capability 06 Channel and budget planning Omnichannel Marketing Strategy Who to reach, where and when, with the measure agreed before launch. Explore

Tell us what you need built.

You will speak to a lead who would run the work, and get a straight answer on fit.

Book a call

Three ways to start

Every engagement starts with a written scope and a quote agreed before work begins.

Choose one of the three ways above
See the work Explore our services Industries we serve Meet the team Email us Read our approach