A tablet displaying a website with the headline "Visual Storytelling Brings Your Brand to Life" and an image of two people in a vintage car, alongside a logo and text that reads "Broad Arrow Creative"

Broad Arrow Creative

Peter Silvia is a storyteller. I first realized this when we worked together in the late 90’s as a designer and photographer duo traveling up and down the East Coast creating visual narratives for university marketing departments. Peter had a “sixth sense” that allowed him to see a unique photographic story where others just saw clichés.

Fast forward 20 years and Peter and I found ourselves working together again. This time he was starting a new venture called Broad Arrow Creative — a boutique agency that would leverage his visual storytelling skills, his experience as a creative director, and forge partnerships with a select handful of professionals such as writers, designers, and web developers.

“Justin took me on a branding voyage of discovering who I am and what I do. His ability to strategize and navigate was beyond my expectations.”
— Peter Silvia, Broad Arrow Creative

The brand

My job was to take Peter’s 35+ years of experience, insight, and talent and develop a brand strategy and identity for Broad Arrow. We focused on how storytelling was the key to making an emotional connection with an audience, and making an emotional connection was key in persuading a prospective client to take action.

The essence of Broad Arrow’s mission is to help humanize a client’s story and evoke emotion in the eyes and minds of their audience with images that will set their brand apart.

Branding style guide for Broad Arrow Creative, including logo variations, primary and secondary colors, accent color, typography samples inAktiv Grotesque and Nunito Sans, with color codes and font details.

The brand identity is simple but dynamic, with a highlight color that Peter refers to as “grease pencil yellow,” a common tool of the trade when photos were still shot on film and contact sheets were the norm for reviewing the stories that film captured.

In addition to a stationery suite and new website, Peter and I designed four direct mail postcards that he could use to put something tactile and compelling in the hands of prospective clients.

A person holding an orange tote bag with a small puppy peeking out of it, outdoors on a rocky surface.
A man and woman smiling, sitting in a vintage green car with the words "1931 Austin" on it, during a parade with a crowd watching from the sidewalk. The car has a small British flag and a circular badge that reads "Auburn 2021." The woman is wearing sunglasses and a brown jacket, the man is wearing a flat cap and a navy jacket.
An older man with gray hair and glasses wearing a blue jacket and khaki pants, kneeling inside a building, hugging a large white dog with black patches, through a glass door.
A woman with long brown hair and a young child in a grocery store produce section. The woman is holding some asparagus, and the child is reaching out to touch it. The shopping cart in front contains carrots and other vegetables. Brightly lit shelves behind them display various fresh vegetables like radishes, broccoli, and leeks. There is a quote on the right side of the image that reads: "People may forget what you said but they will never forget how you made them feel." The Broad Arrow Creative logo is in the bottom right corner.