A few images from a just launched project for Backlit, a team-building experience using the medium and magic of shadow theater.

When you are entering a new market—especially with a novel or unfamiliar offer—a clear creative vision is a must. This was exactly the case for Daniel Barash, founder of Backlit.

The Backstory:

Daniel is on a mission to help teams create and collaborate better together. With Backlit, Daniel is now able to offer companies and organizations team-building experiences using the shadow theater. This new venture complements the professional development and training work in shadow theater that he has done nationally for over ten years for educators and teams of teachers through the John F. Kennedy Center for the Arts in D.C.

The goal for the brand and website: to show how shadow theater is a medium that can support a strong team dynamic to root and rise; emphasize its experiential, participatory, collaborative, accessible, fresh, and visually dramatic qualities; and most importantly, convey how shadow theater fosters a creativity that belongs to everyone.

Our collaboration was a gem, and involved a lot of conversation, creative concepting and direction. An unfamiliar idea had to be given a clear frame and copy, so potential clients could grasp Daniel’s offer in an instant.

Key takeaways:
The value of beta-testing an idea, and working iteratively. I encouraged Daniel to bring friends, colleagues, and acquaintances in his personal network so they could experience his offering in a beta-form and get feedback. These events were hugely informative, and Daniel adapted and refined each time, so that when he began bringing his team-building experience to actual organizations and companies, he had honed his ideas and process.

A clear voice. As part of this project, I analyzed the team-building market, especially as it relates to art-inspired company team building. We then found the overlap between Daniel’s point of view and what we felt was missing from the market. This is reflected in the concept and copy.

An offer tailor-made for a specific audience. Daniel knew that he would have to create something new for companies—in which the pull of focused creativity and the experience of teams working through artistic and technical challenges would become a resource to draw on going forward. Team members would be able to appreciate themselves and each other in a new light.