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Stories are a natural form of human connection. That's why they're so effective when it comes to driving business. Our stories help businesses connect with audiences, clarify their product or services better, and build legacies.

Businesses or projects 
are similar to people. 

They have a persona 
and a way of doing things.

Monthly insights from studio – read the latest
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The method behind the magic

No matter what format or business, our story design process always starts with a framework that articulates your business, its persona and voice accurately. 

The studio is led by a designer-writer collaboration. With stories at the center of our work, we operate in the space bridging businesses and their customers.

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Shamalee de Silva Parizeau

Writer / Company Owner

 

Shamalee’s writing and strategic messaging has been used to drive business and reposition brands and personalities; Sri Lanka Design Festival, Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, Colombo Innovation Tower, AOD, Colomboscope and Elpitiya Plantations, Brandix, Rithihi, and Four Seasons Maldives are some of the companies that have relied on her words. Anoma Wijewardene, Linda Speldewinde, and Dulith Herath are among the personalities who have commissioned her writing. Shamalee's work has been published in national newspapers like The Sunday Times, while her words have directed film and digital productions, as well as books.

 

Before creating Public Works commercial story design studio, Shamalee spent over a decade driving strategic communications as the sole custodian of seven different businesses' brand voices and messaging; here, she combined her love for writing and language with her studies in design (Academy of Design and University of Moratuwa) to create stories that can drive business. Building on this experience for Public Works, Shamalee now specialises in designing commercial stories for businesses and personalities, helping them build compelling conversations around their work.

Why partner with us?

 

Limited client list

Similarly to the Pareto principle (80/20 rule), we think roughly 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes; meaning, 80% of returns come from 20% of clients. We prefer to give more of our time to a few businesses, rather than give a little time to more businesses. We’re not bluffing a rare business virtue. It’s a practice that makes perfect business sense and allows quality solutions to be created.

Alain S. Parizeau

Image maker / Designer / Company Director

 

In the world of design, Alain Parizeau embodies a balanced blend of the Ruler's strategic vision, the Explorer's curiosity, the Hero's perseverance, and the Humourist's connective charm.

 

A communication designer and story articulation specialist renowned for systematically enhancing business communication. Alain Parizeau’s methods and processes for identifying appropriate graphic systems (illustrative gestures, corporate symbols, and visual language) help business owners find ways to articulate their stories in ways that align with their business objectives, solve a problem, or are authentic to their vision. His work was featured in Canadian graphic design publications like Coupe Magazine and How Magazine. In Sri Lanka, where he is based, national newspapers such as the Daily FT and the Daily Mirror featured his design insights from workshops and seminars. Parizeau was formally trained as a Multimedia Specialist and received DEC from André Grasset College (Canada) in 2001. Afterwards, he studied at York University, Toronto, Canada, and graduated with a BA (Hons) degree in Graphic Design. He is an HEA Associate Fellow (AFHEA), was a member of the International Association of Typographic Designers (ISTD) and contributed as a judge on the ISTD international competition committee from 2013 to 2018.

 

As a speaker at various festivals and conferences, Alain Parizeau unpacks his storytelling knowledge and experience, subtly weaving in the journeys he’s taken to develop his expert skills. His presence at events like the Sri Lanka Design Festival, UX Colombo, Maldives Marketing Forum, and Disrupt Asia reflects a commitment to exploring ideas within his industry. For a decade, Alain served as a Senior Lecturer and Head of the visual communication department at AOD. His seminars are known to playfully explore the cultural and social nuances of visual communication, showcasing a Humourist's ability to connect with diverse people and explain the significance of an idea.

 

In 2010 he moved to Sri Lanka and has been based there since. In 2014 he married writer Shamalee De Silva Parizeau. Five years later, they co-created Public Works Pvt. Ltd. story design studio and store.

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The studio is based in Colombo, in the seaside town Mount Lavinia. But every year, our work takes us to different places, from the south and east coasts in Sri Lanka to the west and east coasts in Canada.

Story design workshops

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