The
Narrative
Sprint
A one-week, intensely creative engagement to clarify your message, sharpen your visuals, and deliver a powerful narrative that people can understand, believe in, and support.
The Problem
Most high-potential, deep-tech, and hard-science ideas are buried under complexity, jargon, or incoherent decks.
Funders say “too early” when they mean “I don’t get it.”
Stakeholders disengage because the value isn’t clear.
Teams waste time aligning around a story that was never fully defined.
If you can’t make your idea obvious to others, you don’t have a communications problem. You have a narrative architecture problem.
“If they don’t get it, they won’t fund it.”
The Fix
The Narrative Sprint is a focused, collaborative engagement designed for science and tech innovators who need to communicate more powerfully—with fewer words and greater clarity.
Over five days, we work together to:
Frame Your Core Narrative – Define the problem, vision, and value in a way that resonates with non-experts, funders, or decision-makers.
Prototype Your Visual Story – Design the key diagrams, flows, or visuals that carry the weight of your message.
Rehearse and Refine – Pressure-test the story with feedback, revise for clarity, and prep you for delivery.
Who It’s For
Researchers preparing for funding, publishing, or public communication
Science and deep-tech founders shaping their story for investors or partners
Policy or nonprofit leaders translating complex ideas to broader audiences
Teams with too many slides and not enough synthesis
This is not for people who want a new logo or a copy deck. This is for people who need to make their idea land visually, structurally, and strategically.
What You Get
A clear and credible Strategic Narrative Brief
2–3 key visuals or frames that anchor your story
Visuals can be graphics, infographics, images, slides, motion, wordmarks, and conceptual designs. We’ll determine together what would work best for you.
A feedback-tested, audience-ready story you can pitch, present, or publish
You can bring this into a deck, a website, a white paper, and a stakeholder meeting. The core story should be clear and consistent throughout every channel. If it feels repetitive, then it’s working.
Why Not Just Use AI?
If all you need is a draft, AI can give you 20 of them. That’s not clarity.
This sprint is for when the stakes are higher, when you need the story to work, not just exist. Here’s what AI can’t do…
It can’t diagnose what’s unclear to your audience.
It can’t prioritize which story to tell based on context and timing.
It can’t translate ambiguity into a coherent visual strategy.
It can’t coach you through delivery, alignment, or buy-in.
AI is fast, but speed doesn’t reduce confusion. This sprint is designed to cut through the noise and shape a narrative people trust.
How It Works
Day 1: Kickoff call and materials review
Day 2/3: Strategic narrative development
Day 4: Visual and story prototype
Day 5: Feedback session and refinement
All work is remote, focused, and collaborative.
Pricing
Starts at $5,000 USD
Project scope and pricing are finalized after a short discovery call. Most sprints don’t increase in price unless you have a unique, specific need. We’ll send you a final quote after our call and a link to make a deposit payment.
50% deposit to confirm your sprint on the calendar.
50% balance for access to download your files and images.
Schedule Your Discovery Call
If you’re preparing to fund, publish, launch, or align your team around a high-stakes idea, this sprint is designed to accelerate that process while improving accuracy.
Use the link below to schedule a quick conversation. We’ll see if the sprint fits your current needs. (Only 2 sprint slots available per month)
About Your Facilitator
Nic DiPalma is a narrative designer, UX strategist, and founder of SpacetimeLabs. He’s helped organizations like NASA, the National Science Foundation, PBS, and IBM translate complex research and innovation into breakthrough storytelling and experience design.
What Others Say
“Nic is a visionary.”
— Michael Wong, Founder & CEO, DayBlink
“Nic delivers it. Every time.”
— Morris Packer, Head of Operations, Nima Energy
“He is the ultimate team player”
— Andrew Evans, Fractional Product Leader
“He is an awesome designer, a dedicated team member, and a great listener.”
— Chris Tonjes, CIO, DC Dept. of Employment Services
“Nic is not only a brilliant and inspired design talent,… He's also a hell of a lot of fun to work with.”
— Benjamin Rosenbaum, Writer, Game Designer