Good lighting. Bad intentions.Now with 36 ways to avoid a straight answer.
01 / The collection
The makeover counter.
Old title. New packaging. Same little grab for control. I have provided a translation service.
Stratagem 07 / 36
Before / Traditional title
Create something from nothing
A historic stratagem arrives at the branding agency. The agency has concerns about its lack of premium positioning.
English titles vary. The modern makeovers are jokes, not historical explanations.
After / The glamour edit
Conscience sold separately.
Bespoke Reality™
A beautifully tailored assertion. No awkward evidence to spoil the silhouette.
In plain English
Making it up to get your own way.
“I see we have moved from ‘show your work’ to ‘admire my lighting’.”
— AK
07 of 36 · All gloss. No improvement.
Open the full collection — all 36 makeovers
No matching nonsense.
Even this collection has limits. Try a different word, or return to the full range.
02 / Made to measure
The opinion generator.
A bespoke position for people who know what they want, if not what they are talking about.
The client’s position / Entirely fictional
“I prefer not to call it getting my own way. It is a carefully curated outcome, supported by an expert I have not read. Further questions would compromise the finish.”
House sample · Supporting evidence: still none.
Evidence inspection
An unread expert is a name-drop, not support for the claim.
AK: “I asked for a source. The client has sent the mood board again.”
03 / The verdict
Does dishonesty need a makeover?
I have considered the silk lining, the prestige vocabulary and the flattering portrait of someone who has never been wrong in natural light.
There is still one rather unfashionable alternative: tell the truth and accept that other people are allowed to say no.
A small factual note, before someone gives the mood board a bibliography.
The Thirty-Six Stratagems is a Chinese collection of strategic maxims, distinct from Sun Tzu’s The Art of War. English titles vary; the traditional labels above are shortened renderings in the usual order. Check the sequence and titles ↗
These makeovers parody modern dishonesty, not Chinese culture or every use of strategy. The luxury agency, clients, opinions and narrator’s remarks are fictional. A satirical parallel is not a claim that every historic stratagem is a lie. Read additional background ↗