Built the handbook and playbook that shaped team culture, created best practices, and helped the studio grow without losing its personality or creative spark.
Introduction
Turning instinct into something you can build on.
Paper Stone Scissors had been around for 30 years. The culture was strong, the team was tight, and people often stayed for years—sometimes over a decade. You didn’t need to be told how the place worked. You could feel it. That knowledge was passed on in conversations, learned by example, and carried through the way people showed up.
But as the team grew, that wasn’t enough. I’d felt it myself—figuring things out as I went, filling in the gaps along the way. I wanted to make it easier for the next person. Not by adding rules, but by making what mattered easier to pass on. That’s where the Handbook & Playbook came in.
The Handbook captured how we work together. The Playbook showed how we deliver the work. One focused on the team, the other on the craft.
I wrote the Handbook based on what I’d learned and what the founders had shared with me over the years. I shared it with them, and they ran with it. For the Playbook, I built the structure, then worked with each department to shape their part. Together, they gave the team something solid to build on—whether they were just joining or had been around for years.
This wasn’t about adding documentation for the sake of it. It was about giving people the tools to do great work, stay aligned, and grow without losing what made us, us.
Highlights
The Handbook
The Handbook set the tone. It defined our values, shaped our mindset, and gave new joiners a clear sense of how to show up. It covered everything from how we give feedback to how we support each other—turning unspoken norms into shared expectations. It played a key role in onboarding, helping new hires feel part of the team and understand how we work, without carrying over habits from past companies. It helped us keep the culture strong, even as the team changed.
The Playbook
The Playbook was all about action. It covered the nuts and bolts of how we worked, from our end-to-end creative process to getting new clients through the door. I built a library of tools, templates, and how-tos—capturing everything from briefing and reviews to client relationships and delivery. It helped people learn faster, stay consistent, and spend less time chasing answers. It became a tool for onboarding, training, and doing the work. It taught the new and reminded the old so the quality stayed high, even as we grew.
Testimonials
“Shermaine gets things done with a lot of attention to detail and methodical, logical organisation. She is a comprehensive problem solver, and no stone gets unturned if she is on a mission. She is also a natural relationship builder. Her positive persona puts people at ease and helps with reaching out to new business and sustaining current ones. She was also instrumental in building a positive company culture.”
Gergana Le Coq, Creative & Managing Director
Paper Stone Scissors