Case Studies July 16, 2025

How Branding Increased Returning Website Users by 32%

Discover how a strategic rebranding for The Arc of Nova built community trust, growing returning users by 32% and direct traffic by 28%.

About Arc of NoVa

BSA’s comprehensive branding services made Arc of NoVa’s brand more distinct and engaging.

The Arc of Northern Virginia has served its community for more than six years, promoting and protecting the human rights of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). To continue its legacy and connect effectively with more people, the organization needed a clear and distinct brand identity. The Arc of Northern Virginia, recognizing this need, partnered with Blacksmith Agency to forge a new brand identity that would honor its history and resonate with its target audience.

Services Delivered

To help our clients stand out and build authentic connections with their audience, we provide end-to-end branding solutions.

Brand Strategy

Before you can have a great look, you need a great story. We work with you to answer the big questions: Who are you, what makes you special, and how do you communicate it in a way that truly connects with your customers?

Creative Branding

This is where your brand comes to life visually. Our creative team will create a complete visual system. This includes everything from your logo and color palette to the style of your photos, creating a professional, cohesive, and memorable look.

UI/UX Design

We translate your new brand identity into a seamless digital experience. We ensure your brand story, message, and visuals are integrated into every part of your site. Our team also works to guarantee that users have a smooth, engaging, and intuitive experience that consistently reflects your core brand values.

Inconsistent Brand Integration

The page exhibits a fragmented approach to branding. The brand’s signature orange and yellow accents are isolated to the logo and a few buttons, while much of the page relies on unrelated shades of blue and grey. This disjointed palette weakens brand recognition and makes the visual experience feel pieced together rather than cohesive.

Generic Visuals and Weak Storytelling Cues

The website homepage was largely text-heavy and lacked imagery that conveys the organization’s mission or values. The video thumbnails and standard stock photography didn’t reflect the empathy, community, or human connection central to the brand’s purpose. Without strong visuals or brand storytelling elements, the user experience became impersonal.

Overcrowded Footer and Unbalanced Hierarchy

The footer area overwhelms the user with dense text, multiple link groups, and competing font sizes. While it provides useful information, the lack of spacing, alignment consistency, and typographic hierarchy gives it a cluttered, institutional feel. The footer ends up dominating the mobile scroll experience.

The Solution

Developed a Brand Narrative and Voice

We developed a brand narrative and a consistent messaging framework that honors the organization’s rich history while speaking to a modern audience. This new brand voice was designed to clearly and empathetically communicate their mission, values, and profound community impact.

Modern Brand Identity

Our team designed a cohesive and modern visual identity system, including a refreshed logo, an accessible color palette, and professional typography. This created a recognizable and trustworthy look that accurately reflects the importance and scope of their work.

Brand Guideline

To ensure consistency across all programs and platforms, we integrated the new brand identity across every digital touchpoint. We also created a comprehensive brand guideline document to empower The Arc of Northern Virginia’s team to maintain brand cohesion and memorability long-term.