How We Work

Method: Research + Workshops

RESEARCH

 

At ARC, every project begins with a commitment to understand.

We undertake rigorous research across data, policy, technology, and cultural contexts that frame the story,

We expand research through dialogue with subject matter experts, key industry figures and academics. These conversions add nuance, offer new angles and add forward-looking perspectives.

The research phase reveals opportunities and key questions that shape ongoing work. ARC then synthesises all inputs into a clear conceptual framework to guide strategy, narrative and content design.

Research evidence remains the backbone, ensuring outcomes that are credible, nuanced and relevant to their audiences.

WORKSHOPS

For ARC, workshops are central to our process.

Here is where ideas spark, stories take shape, and shared understanding emerges. Each workshop brings together a diverse mix of participants — subject experts, engineers, designers, educators, and organisational teams — creating a rich exchange of perspectives.

Through curated activities led by ARC facilitators, participants collaborate to generate ideas, define priorities, and explore how best to communicate complex narratives.

The result is work that is both imaginative and strategically robust — ideas that resonate deeply because they are informed by the people, expertise, and stories at the heart of the project.

Outputs: Creativity + Narrative

CREATIVITY

For ARC, creative practise is the foundation of good communication.

Using techniques borrowed from the creative industries — storyboarding, narrative mapping, iterative drafting, visual thinking, and collaborative workshops  – we transform complex ideas into relatable experiences.

Our approach encourages exploration and discovery. Instead of forcing information into a fixed structure, communication emerges organically through the shared process.

This is crucial in a sector filled with complexity. Energy systems, climate science, and sustainability policy can be dense and technical. Creative practice helps us think laterally, find metaphors, build emotional resonance and tell the human side of the story.

NARRATIVE

At ARC, every project begins with the early threads of a story — apparently diverse questions, themes, and perspectives.

ARC’s narrative team shapes these insights through dialogue, content mapping and story prototyping.

The outcome is not simply a storyline but a narrative architecture –  the framework that defines tone, perspective, interpretative approach, and the key ideas that will carry through the project. This is the reference point for every discipline involved, ensuring that design, content and media all come from the same narrative core.

This narrative method builds clarity and alignment from the start, creating experiences that are strategically focused and rooted in shared understanding.