Hi, we’re Brightwell, a studio specializing in direct marketing creative and design for media publishing companies and marketers who want response-driven, brand-focused marketing communications.
The media publishing companies will always have something that consumers need, want and love. At Brightwell, our mission is to understand that something and use that knowledge to effectively communicate your offer. Think of us as a small outside task force that knows media publishing inside out and brings direct marketing expertise, design principles and fresh thinking to your team. That special something about magazines is what drives us to lift response and build up the brands our clients have worked so hard to create.
Our Backstory
Brightwell’s principals, Christian Drury and Justin Sapp, come from different sides of the design spectrum, but their skills, styles and experiences combine for a mashup that was meant to be. Think peanut butter & jelly, chips & salsa, or Hall & Oates and you’ll have a good idea of the brilliance of Brightwell.
Like many great collaborations, theirs began in art school—at Parsons in NYC. After graduation they worked independently but always stayed in touch. And now, after several years, their individual successes in design, branding and media publishing have brought them together again in Brightwell.
What ultimately joined them was an observation Chris made after working in media publishing for many years: that what the industry really needed was a studio that could artfully combine direct marketing and brand design. That realization got Chris and Justin talking. Chris’s expertise working for successful magazines and Justin’s passion for brand design made them a perfect fit for this unrealized need. Before long, Brightwell was born.
Principals
Christian Drury
After earning a business degree from University of Delaware, Chris worked for a few years in direct marketing before heading to Parsons to pursue a career in graphic design. He worked part-time at Petersen Publishing (later to become Emap USA) while attending Parsons full time. Considering how hard he worked outside of Parsons, it’s hard to believe Chris graduated with honors. But he did. And he did take a job with Bobbi Brown Professional Cosmetics, where he learned more than he needed to know about eyeliner as well as the importance of style and brand image. At the same time, he started taking on side projects, applying that style and brand focus to designs for Primedia, Condé Nast, and G+J USA. And it worked. Before he knew it, Chris had opened up his own design studio. Clients were happy. One project led to another. And things got busy. Busy is good. But busy and good is even better. After a while Chris realized he’d be better with a partner who could help him raise the creative stakes for his clients. And that was when Chris and Justin got the bright idea to form Brightwell.
Justin Sapp
Justin’s parents used to joke that he was born with a crayon in his hand. Art is in his DNA. They sent young Justin to prestigious summer arts programs where he discovered his love for graphic design, and ultimately to Parsons School of Design where his honed talent and hard work earned him a BFA. Justin always knew he would direct his own path, so within a year of graduation he put his skills to use as an independent designer and business owner. Since then, Justin has garnered 15+ years of professional experience producing creative concepts and innovative executions in brand identity, sales & promotion, web design and beyond. His experience ranges from small dynamic brands like Crunch Fitness and Radio One to large multinationals like the BBC and Burger King. All through his years of independent success, Justin found himself lending his skills and talents to more and more of Chris’s projects, and it soon became apparent that a partnership was inevitable. In his downtime, he uses his creative savvy to support his daughters’ own innate talents and to help them color outside the lines.
The Brightwell Flow
At Brightwell, we leverage collaboration and offer constructive criticism to push ideas and executions to the next level. It’s an art school ethic that focuses our attention on perfecting the best ideas. This crucial step comes about after many other steps have aligned, starting with listening deeply to the direction given by our clients. In every step of our process, we draw on our collective depth of experience designing for the publishing industry. We are passionate about what we do and it shows in the attention we pay to every detail of execution. Here’s a rundown of the way our bright marketers work:
- A deep dive into the product, audience, project objective and more.
- We crosscheck the conventions. We ask: how are others doing it, and how can we do it better?
- Conceptual exploration. We focus on the idea: raw, naked and essential.
- We collaborate in studio. We test the waters and take the criticism and turn good into great.
- We include our clients in the process. Great collaborations lead to great work.
- We produce the work quickly, accurately and wisely. Our direct marketing experience translates directly into your peace of mind.
- We put everything we’ve learned, perfected and mastered into making your next project even better that the last one.
Clients
Below are some of the companies we’ve designed for. Interested in adding your company’s name to the list? Contact us.
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MEDIA COMPANIES
- American Media Inc.
- Meredith Corporation
- Scientific American
- Mansueto Ventures
- Condé Nast
- Time, Inc.
OTHER BUSINESSES
- Bobbi Brown Professional Cosmetics
- BBC America
- Crunch Fitness
- Broadpath
- Garfield Group Public Relations
- Splurge Bakery
- Flexcon Container
- Plug Digital
- Rajant Corporation
- Anelis Design + Communications
- The Presidium Group of Companies
NON-PROFIT & EDUCATION
- New Jersey After 3, Inc.
- Stevens Institute of Technology
- DeBaun Center for the Performing Arts
- Association for Community Living NY State
- NJ Community Development Corporation
- Community Charter School of Paterson
- New Jobs for New York, Inc.
- Ohr Naava Women’s Torah Center
- Secular Coalition for America
HEALTHCARE PRACTICES
- Riverside Oral Surgery
- Matthew Krieger DMD
- Million Dollar PPO
- Rockland Veterinary
- Garden State Foot and Ankle Group
- Lorelei Orthotics
- South Bedford Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery
- Kreiner Dental