How do you humanize storytelling, and why does it matter? We chatted with Nadia Breakie, the newest addition to the Chesapeake Utilities Corporation creative services team, and a former intern who recently agreed to join the team full time. Nadia has brought her illustrative talents and graphic design skills to the team, creating beautiful images that tell entire stories.

Finding a Passion for Storytelling

Nadia’s journey to illustration was unexpected. “I always loved art, but I didn’t really consider it as a career until I was 16 or 17. I had to quickly get a broad portfolio together to apply to Maryland Institute College of Art. Initially, I was interested in animation, but all my teachers guided me toward illustration. The main thing that they have in common is storytelling. I view it like solving a puzzle – how do I make this work so that it tells the story that we want to tell?”

How does one tell a story in a single image? “Even something like a simple icon, where you take a complex idea and turn it into an icon you can use broadly, isn’t easy. When I made icons for us that were intended to be reusable but applicable to specific situations, it was complicated. One icon I made was a natural gas pipeline. How do you simplify that, so people know it is a pipeline, and it’s for natural gas, and specifically that it’s for Chesapeake Utilities? I balance considerations of readability, understandability, audience and impact – and that’s all for a simple icon.”

“The banners I illustrate are more complicated, colorful and experimental. Stuff that will be used externally is cleaner and looks like it all lives within the same family. The audience changes the storytelling aspect of it. It’s a big challenge, and a lot of fun.”

Creating Designs That Reflect Chesapeake Utilities

Her favorite thing she’s worked on? “I’ve loved the banners for our HR rapport hubs. They’re only used internally, so in theory, I don’t have to make them as extravagant as I do. That said, I love them, and I enjoy making sure employees can see we care about what we create that’s just for them. I think it generates more interest in the rapport hubs. When I started, they would provide a finished banner for certain events, but I felt I could create versions for us that really spoke to who we were as a Company.”

“Now, they give me all the information, and real creative freedom. I wanted to do it the human way, not lean on AI. I’ve done two banner illustrations so far, and I’m working on some upcoming ones because they were popular with our employees. I get to incorporate elements that are specific to Chesapeake Utilities, or to the ERGs (Chesapeake Utilities’ employee resource groups) represented in them. I can be creative and make them beautiful, fun and meaningful.”

Above: Images created by Nadia for Chesapeake Utilities’ ERG Rapport Hubs

Why the Human Touch Still Matters

Nadia shared her thoughts on the value of human art in a world where generative AI is increasingly common. “I understand why some companies want to lean more toward generative AI, because the fact is, it’s faster. It might take me a week to make one of our banners, both because of the other work I do and because I take my time with them to be sure they’re done right. So yes, you can do them faster with AI – but it won’t look great. At first glance, it might look ok. But when you look deeper, you realize it’s inconsistent. Lettering is wonky, design elements seem like a random mishmash and the emotional impact just isn’t there.”

“When you use generative AI, you’re telling a story both with the image you use and how you made that image. When a company leans on generative AI illustrations, they’re prioritizing speed and efficiency over quality and emotional connection with their customers. I want to send the message that we care about doing things right for our customers and our employees – and that attitude permeates everything we do, from the illustrations I create to the employees who make sure our pipelines are safe and bills are accurate.”

“People are smart – they can tell when a company is trying to cut corners. Our work shows that we care. Customers don’t want a company that’s just trying to save time.  Our work demonstrates that we care, and customers respond to that authenticity. AI lacks the lived experience that gives art meaning. It doesn’t have skin in the game. I pay attention to every detail, because any little change can shift the entire meaning of the illustration. AI just cares about getting it done.”

What brought Nadia to Chesapeake Utilities and made her decide to stay on after her internship was set to end? “When you go to art school, you don’t expect to work in a corporate setting. It wasn’t really on my radar. I originally wanted to do freelance illustration. There’s almost this fear of corporate work in art school. It never even crossed my mind. You want to be a storybook illustrator, or do editorials for a magazine, or work on a TV show. So, it was almost a surprise when I realized I wanted to stay on at Chesapeake Utilities.”

“A lot of people assume an artist shouldn’t be able to thrive in a corporate setting, because you’re told your creativity will be stifled. I brought that preconception in with me when I began here. Originally, I just figured this would be a short internship that would be good on my resume while I figured out what I really wanted to be doing. Instead, I discovered there was a ton of creative freedom, even as an intern. As I stayed on longer and longer, I reached out about doing more, and everyone was so receptive. I’ve been amazed by how much freedom I have here to make art that’s truly meaningful to me.”

The team here at Chesapeake Utilities is thrilled to have Nadia with us full-time and looks forward to seeing what she comes up with next as we work to bring the human element to our work with customers and employees alike.

Above: Some of Nadia’s off-the-clock work