Most of what we do is self-explanatory: logo means logo, website means website and Brand Interview means, well, what does it mean?

Our brand interview is one of the most important pieces of our branding process. It's a series of questions broken down by category, that help us understand your vision, your objectives, who you want to reach and most importantly the personality you want your new brand identity to have. There are many "aha" moments or simply "hmmm, great question" moments that help pastors or team leads realize not only how integrated a brand is into their entire vision and mission but how important it is in helping them reach their community.

After the interview, the responses are organized into a document that becomes the blueprint and reference point for everyone involved in the branding process. This is called the Brand Brief and is reviewed and approved by your team before development begins. Every time there is a review of design, copy or strategy, the team is encouraged to weigh opinions against the Brand Brief—seeing how each piece relates to the vision, objectives and personality expressed by your church's leadership.

Even churches with an in-house design team have completed this interview and use the Brand Brief as a reference point when critiquing new marketing or design, making sure it fits within their desired personality and objectives.

Sound interesting? Contact us and we'll set up a time to talk personality.

This is a presentation from the 2011 Calvin Symposium on Worship. This is a great fly-over of what branding is and isn't. Especially as it relates to developing and building experiences and expressions for your church or ministry. 

Working in branding and marketing obviously entails daily conversations of the benefits of differentiating yourself from the crowd. Actually, not only the benefits of differentiating, but the benefits of just being noticed among the noise. The video below takes the exact opposite position. A friend of mine turned me onto this video and I often share it with new clients to set the tone that branding can be fun (and also to lighten the mood if we don't exactly agree on the importance of branding and marketing). Though this video is humorous, be thinking about how your church or ministry is perceived. Though people may get their tan at Tan, most are looking for a personal connection the minute they see your signage, postcard or website. However, if you disagree, we are offering 50% off large signs that say "Church." Enjoy!

Successful church brands stand for something fundamental—an underlying foundational idea or principle that at every turn supports the church or particular service. This is called positioning, and without it a brand has no traction.

Successful positioning rejects conformity. At its best, positioning elevates a brand above the fray so that people can't help but take notice. The human brain instinctively looks for things that are different and unexpected. So a brand that stands in stark contrast to its "competition" will attract people's attention and have a distinct advantage in the community or marketplace.

To be noticed and interesting, however, a brand's positioning must accomplish three things. It must

1. Be different
2. Be focused
3. Be relevant

Neglect any one of these factors and the platform collapses. Each one plays a critical role in the psychology of branding.

Next Step: Define your "angle" (what makes your church different?). Look around and what other churches are doing and avoid thinking "I really like that, I wanna do that." Instead, think about how you can differentiate yourself from that and define your own church brand personality — How are you different? What are you focused on? What is happening in your community and how are you playing a part in it? (relevance).

Remember: You started your church or ministry because you had a different and distinct vision for how to reach and assist people. If your mission and vision was exactly the same as the church down the street, you would have just joined their team. Branding brings to life your difference and distinction, it's the visual voice that shares your mission, vision and personality with others.