Name & Logo

After consulting with the priest of this new church plant, I suggested a name for their congregation that was distinct from their originating parish.

We developed a simple logo with multiple possible references. The twenty-four lines around the cross can reference 1) the spinning wheel which is the national symbol of India, to which St. Thomas went as a missionary, 2) the twenty-four elders around the throne of the lamb in Revelation, or 3) a monstrance with the host inside.

Identity

We selected blue as the primary color for the church because of its ability to complement the four main liturgical colors of the church year (with gold substituting for white), and built a palette that enabled the church to mark each season in a simple and beautiful way.

Next, we selected a basic texture for use in the background of most digital communication: draped light, in each of the primary colors of the palette.

Then, I created a small suite of icons for Eucharist, Morning Prayer, and Evening Prayer, directional arrows for church signage, and variations on the 24 rays in the logo that could be used to emphasize details in an image or in text.

Website & Social Media

First, I interviewed St. Thomas’ priest to understand everything he wanted the website to do and include, and to draw out descriptive and evocative language.

Then, I designed the entire website from the ground up, including draft copywriting. After a few small tweaks, the church was ready to go. This took place with a two-week turnaround.

I also set them up for a beautiful social media presence by making a profile picture and marquee that is optimized for both Twitter and Facebook, on both computer and mobile devices, and by creating frames that could be overlaid on images or text to instantly brand a post as “St. Thomas.”

I also assembled a repository of great religious paintings that are in the public domain for use in their posts and other communications.

Other Mockups

To help them imagine how to deploy the identity further, I made a number of mockups of possible implementations, like these mockups of an informational flier and a digital poster.

Training & Support

After all the design files were delivered, I trained the church staff on how to use them, even though none of them had regular access to design software. In the following months, I reengaged for occasional consulting or to design an item (like a-frame signs) that they felt unable to finish alone, until the whole St. Thomas team was fully independent.

I’m grateful to have played a small part toward helping St. Thomas Anglican launch successfully and begin serving its community.

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