“How important can a logo be? After all, it’s just a small symbol for my church, isn’t it?”

Well, your church logo is not just a symbol, but a visual representation of the vision of your church. What’s more, your church logo can help you reach out to your target audience! How are these things possible? Continue reading to find out.

WHY YOUR CHURCH LOGO IS IMPORTANT

Your logo is essentially the visual identity of your church. What’s more, Kent Shaffer from Church Relevance says, “your logo gives your church the foundation needed to build a solid brand”.

Yes, that’s right! Your church, too, has a brand image (or an identity) that needs to be cultivated. And, a logo is just what you need to successfully build the brand image of your church.

Your church logo needs to represent your core values and reflect the vision of your ministry. So, if your church has the burden to serve the youth or the unreached, the logo needs to reflect that.

For example, Grace Bible Chapel displays four quadrants in its logo to represent its four core audience groups – children, youth, adults and seniors.

WHAT IS THE IMPACT OF A GOOD CHURCH LOGO?

A logo is a lot more than just a symbol. Your church logo not only reflects the personality of your church, but also has the power to influence behaviours and perceptions. Here’s how:

1. EVOKES EMOTIONS

A well-designed logo always plays on emotions. After all, emotions lead to certain behaviours. Therefore, it is key that your church logo arouses the right emotions among the target audience.

This is where colours play an important role. For example, blue brings about feelings of peace and safety, and orange implies youth and modern.

2. STIMULATES KEY BEHAVIOURS

Researchers at Duke University found that exposing people to a brand’s logo for 30 milliseconds would make them behave in ways associated with that brand.

For example, people associate the brand Jaguar with speed, excellence and grace because of its cleverly designed logo. To further enhance its brand image, all Jaguar cars are engineered to reflect the image of a
moving jaguar.

Your church logo, if done right, can stimulate key reactions among your target audience. It can evoke a sense of belonging and comfort, and leave people wanting to know more about your church. This will ultimately help you draw in more visitors to your church.

3. CHANGES PERCEPTIONS

Your logo has the power to shape perceptions towards your brand, i.e. church. It can even change the common misconception that people have about the church being old-fashioned and boring.

For example, Aflac Inc.’s now famous duck logo helps create warm feelings towards the insurance industry, which is generally perceived as cold and ruthless.

HOW TO GET YOUR CHURCH LOGO RIGHT

Creating a logo is not just about combining a few good-looking elements; it is about pairing the right elements in a meaningful manner. Here are seven tips that can help you create the right logo for your church:

1. MAKE IT SPECIFIC TO YOUR CHURCH

While the cornerstone of every church is Christ, each church is blessed with a unique personality. Therefore, no two church logos can be the same. Moreover, your church logo cannot be found in a downloadable template!

The logo has to be tailor-made to fit your church. So, invest in designing a logo that exudes the character of your church. The little investment that you make in your church logo will ultimately help you build a lasting church brand.

Take the logo of Elevation Church for example. While the logo has a simple arrow head, it is a specific and apt representation of the church’s motto – “We don’t maintain, we multiply”.

2. KEEP YOUR CHURCH LOGO MINIMALISTIC

While your church logo should display the vision of your church, it does not have the tell the whole story. In the words of Phil Cooke, author of Branding Church (2008), “It’s about the story that surrounds who you are – a story that creates focus for your ministry”.

Remember that your logo has the power to evoke emotions. While a neat design typically evokes pleasant feelings, a messy and cluttered design is bound to put people off.

For example, the logo of Bethlehem Baptist Church is both neat and to the point. It clearly states that Jesus is at the front and centre of the church.

3. MAKE YOUR CHURCH LOGO AESTHETICALLY APPEALING

A design can only be effective if it is appealing! Would you ever give an ugly poster another look? Of course not! We like to see things that please the eye, especially since big brands have spoiled us with great designs.

Always remember that your church logo is competing with other big brands. Therefore, the logo needs to be designed to instantly strike a chord with visitors.

For example, look at the logo of Christ Church London. It shows off dynamic colours and a powerfully charged kite shape to communicate life and growth in a beautiful way.

4. CREATE ONE LOGO

Always create one logo and use it across your different ministries and mediums of communication. By doing so, you will be able to build ONE brand image for your church. After all, one organisation cannot have multiple identities. However, you can certainly experiment with two colour variants of your logo.

As a media-driven church, Mars Hill Church publishes several videos, sermons and articles on a daily basis. However, their logo remains consistent, helping their church create a single brand image.

5. DON’T ADD PHOTOS IN YOUR LOGO

Have you ever seen a big brand like Coca-Cola or McDonald’s use an image on their logo? No, because pictures don’t belong in logos. Avoid using images of the church building or your pastor. Rather, use such images on your website.

6. DON’T ADD ANIMATIONS TO YOUR LOGO

Crosses aren’t meant to spin! While there is no harm in experimenting with a few creative designs, your logo needs to look realistic. Not many people realise that animations and special effects can put people off. In fact, animations can lend a comical touch to logos. Surely, you don’t want that for your church.

7. DON’T GET YOUR ENTIRE COMMITTEE INVOLVED

Too many cooks will certainly spoil the broth. After all, not everyone understands design and branding. Therefore, you need to choose the right people to be involved in the process of designing your logo.

Identify people who have a creative and branding eye, and understand the vision of your ministry. This screening process will help your team work in an efficient manner, ensuring that you produce the right logo for your church.

The bottom line is that your church logo needs to encompass the character of your church. When done right, it can prove to be a stepping stone to building a long-lasting brand for your church.

If you are interested to make a new LOGO or redesign existing logo, contact us