# Almost a Lab We build for advertising agencies. We’re a creative technology studio. We build the products behind your campaigns and the systems that run your agency. Physical products, campaign websites, agency software and creative pipelines. We design, build and connect them. ## What does your brief need built? - [Physical products](https://almostalab.io/forge/physical-products): A physical idea. A working object. Connected objects and custom hardware, from product design to engineering. Agree where the object will be used and what it needs to connect to. Outcome: A tested physical build. Test the object and connection in the intended environment. Hardware follows a project-specific schedule. - [Digital experiences](https://almostalab.io/masthead): A clear idea. A workable launch. Campaign destinations and connected experiences. Resolve the audience action, launch dependencies and technical decisions before committing to the build. Outcome: A ready-to-launch journey. Test the audience route, device connection and fallback. Name agency and client approval owners. - [Agency software](https://almostalab.io/forge/agency-software): Less chasing. More work moving. Connect the brief, the people making decisions and the output your team needs. Start with one repeated task and your existing tools. Outcome: A working team workflow. Test the riskiest integration first, then review the workflow with the people using it. - [Creative pipelines](https://almostalab.io/forge/creative-pipelines): From approved inputs to delivery. Connect generation, review and delivery to the way your team makes work. Keep the person responsible for approval in the loop. Outcome: Approved production files. Agree the formats, usage costs and reviewer. Unapproved output stays out of delivery. ## Choose the engagement - [Orbit](https://almostalab.io/orbit): Build a product with us, for a stake. A venture partnership: design and engineering for an agreed stake plus a reduced fee. Agree the product, responsibilities and commercial terms before building. Milestones, equity conditions, governance and ongoing involvement are agreed in the partnership terms. There is no automatic equity formula. - [Forge](https://almostalab.io/forge): Build the thing your brief needs. Physical products, agency software and creative pipelines. Start with the people using it, then build the technology around their work. Standard software engagements use an agreed twelve-week scope. Hardware testing and production are scoped per project. - [Masthead](https://almostalab.io/masthead): Websites that work for people. Agency websites, personal websites, campaign sites and intranets. Design, publishing and integrations shaped around the people using them. Website scope and timing depend on content, integrations, access needs and approval owners. Ongoing improvements are agreed separately. Masthead choices: - [Agency website](https://almostalab.io/masthead): Bring your work, expertise and people together. Give the team a publishing workflow they can keep using themselves. Outcome: A site your team can run. - [Personal website](https://almostalab.io/masthead): A portfolio or publishing home built around what you do. Keep your work, writing and contact details easy to find and update. Outcome: Your own publishing home. - [Campaign website](https://almostalab.io/masthead): Campaign destinations and connected experiences. Resolve the audience action, launch dependencies and technical decisions before committing to the build. Outcome: A ready-to-launch journey. - [Intranet](https://almostalab.io/masthead): Private websites for your organisation. Make everyday information and staff tasks easier to find, with access appropriate to each role. Outcome: A private team workspace. ## Work you can inspect - [ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE AGENCY](https://almostalab.io/case-studies/aia): MASTHEAD · CLIENT WEBSITE. Built for Almost Impossible Agency with a custom CMS, search and AI visibility optimization, and publishing tools its designers can use independently. The work combines a distinctive website with an ongoing plan to grow visibility. - [OBSCURA · FOSS](https://almostalab.io/case-studies/obscura): SHIPPED 2025 · v2.1.0 · MIT. AAL's open-source PII redaction tool for ChatGPT prompts. 100% local, 16 entity types, zero bytes to the wire. Built in a Forge sprint, released under MIT. Proof that Forge ships FOSS clients adopt before paying for the SaaS. ## We work through the build with you Map the brief: agree who it serves, what it must do and how success will be tested. Make it testable: try a working prototype together before committing to production. Connect and deliver: build, integrate and test; hand over the tools and knowledge to run it. ## Agency problems. Products of our own. - [MarginIQ · live](https://almostalab.io/lab/marginiq): Put invoices, quotations and supplier costs to work. MarginIQ brings your agency’s commercial history into pricing and proposal conversations, helping your team investigate revenue leakage, changing scope and supplier costs. The local quotation calculator uses sample rates. It does not search an archive, detect revenue leakage or connect to accounting systems. Discuss data access, supplier confidentiality and the checks people retain. - [Pulse · in development](https://almostalab.io/lab/pulse): Explore possible audience interpretations, cultural friction and backlash risks before publishing. The demonstration uses simulated AI persona responses. It is not audience research or a prediction of real reactions; consequential decisions need human validation. - [Lab](https://almostalab.io/lab): Explore product statuses and individual external destinations. ## Beacon. Can AI search read your site? - [Inspect the example report](https://almostalab.io/audit#beacon-example): An illustrative report explaining access, readiness and action. - [Run a free site audit](https://almostalab.io/audit#beacon-scanner): Crawl-Sim checks the supplied page; Ora separately checks the public domain. Availability and incomplete results are disclosed in the report. Only scan a site you own or have permission to assess. The public domain is sent to Ora and may appear in its public scan dataset. Neither score guarantees a citation or a completed task. - [Discuss a site privately](https://almostalab.io/?brief=audit#contact): A scan is optional. ## Start a brief Send a short brief. We reply within 24 hours, discuss the work, then agree the scope, price and start date before work begins. Builds are priced against an agreed scope. The first conversation identifies what needs investigating before we can quote the work. - [Review a brief](https://almostalab.io/#contact): Add contact details and scope, review your message and explicitly send it. A prepared brief is optional; nothing is submitted by reading this resource. - [Scope and pricing](https://almostalab.io/pricing.md): Agree the scope before the build starts. A change is reviewed for its effect on price, timing and dependencies before additional work is agreed. - [Security and ownership](https://almostalab.io/security): Agree data, access, accounts, documentation, monitoring, backups and support before connecting systems. Ask for an NDA before confidential material is shared. Contact: letsbuild@almostalab.io. Project-specific commitments belong in the agreed scope. ## Public reading resources - [Site guide](https://almostalab.io/llms.txt): Curated public index. - [Privacy](https://almostalab.io/privacy): Website processing and providers. - [Terms](https://almostalab.io/terms): Website and free-tool terms.