What Goes into Creating a Unified Visual Identity?

In our previous blog post, we talked about why your church should create a unified visual identity. And now we’ll share what goes into creating one.

For starters, my favorite branding quote ever is “Consistency is better than being better.” I’m 90% sure it came from Dr. Flint McGlaughlin of Marketing Experiments.

It means even if your church doesn’t have the same visual appeal as a brand new Silicon Valley startup, it’s better that your visual identity remains consistent than to constantly change it up so that it looks “better.”

What should be consistent?

• Logo
• Font/Typography
• Icons
• Types of photos you use and how you use them
• Color palette / contrast

It is very rare that we see a church maintain any level of consistency on these things.

 Another tip: Beware of pre-made templates (from Microsoft Word, Canva, etc.) because it can easily lead to a hodgepodge with absolutely no consistency. Remember, “Consistency is better than being better.”

try this exercise

Take a screenshot of your website, social media pages (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, etc.), the signage in front of your church, and your bulletin. Print them all out and spread them out on a big table.

Ask yourself: Do these all look like they are from the same organization? If not, that’s a problem.

To take it to the next level, cover up your logo and any identifying information. Then ask a friend who is not associated with your church to identify which items are from the same organization and which are not. If they can’t do it, your church is struggling from what branding experts would call an identity crisis. 

The payback from an effort like this to improve your church’s visual identity is long term, but it is critical. 

I once asked a friend who owns a nursery when the best time to plant a tree was. His immediate answer was “20 years ago.” But then he said, “The next best time is today.”

The same is true for your church. Don’t wait another minute! You’ll be glad you did it.

In later posts, we'll discuss why a consistent outreach effort that fills a specific need is so important for your church. Make sure you don’t miss those future updates by subscribing! 

And if we can be of help, we would love to work directly with your church. Just contact us and let’s have a conversation.