A good friend of mine who used to be a youth pastor just opened up the first brick-and-mortar location for his fly fishing business. It got me thinking about how Jesus made his disciples to be fishers of men (Matthew 4), which, in those days, called to mind an image of casting nets. But what about using a lure? Is it appropriate to “bait” people toward the gospel by making our visuals flashier and our colors brighter in the name of more effective man-fishing? My conclusion is no. Well, usually no. Jesus’ model of evangelism and ministry was markedly NOT seeker-sensitive. If your goal with church branding is to baptize marketing trends and tactics, you’ll be surprised at how few people stick around and put down roots in your congregation. What you win them with is what you win them to. That’s why a brand based on vision and congregational identity can last for decades, while a brand based on cultural relevance and eye candy feels like a “bait and switch.” For my friend, tying flies started as a hobby on the side. He would source exotic materials and study the quirks of different fish species to create unique flies that looked more fine art than fishing gear. These things were beautiful. It’s not wrong to build beautiful buildings, design beautiful logos, or lean into an aesthetic. Those are good things, and they can help to attract people to a church. But those people should be there for what the brand represents, not the brand itself. A well-crafted and positioned brand is a beautiful, visual manifestation of your church’s identity and mission, not a flashy lure.

If you go read online, ask ChatGPT, or just generally do color-related research, you know how big of a topic color really is. If you’re like me, it can leave you feeling a little… lost? People have written books and given 2 hour lectures on color theory, color psychology, digital color management, and everything in between. Even just scratching the surface can feel completely overwhelming. You might be thinking, “It feels like I should be using these principles, but how do I actually put them into practice for my church?” Even after reading my work specifically about church brand colors, it might not be clear how to actually apply this knowledge to your specific needs. And at end of the day, color is just one piece of the puzzle. That’s where having a personal guide can be a total game changer. With someone to make objective recommendations and help you avoid common mistakes, not only will you save time, you’ll save the headache of having to rethink your branding decisions in a few years. Ideally you would want this person to be a proven expert who loves the capital “C” Church and has a strong track record of branding success stories. If you’re looking for that kind of guidance, I’ve spent countless hours meeting with church leaders and translating their gut feelings into concrete messaging and visuals. I know the struggles and hurdles pastors face when nailing down exactly how their church should look, speak, and feel. Book a strategy call with me and I’ll talk with you one-on-one about what your goals are, the context your church is in, and how you can make your branding fit without the DIY headaches. See you there!

Bonus 1: Use a color palette tool Creating, adjusting, saving and sharing color palettes isn’t actually all that easy. That’s where a color palette website can be invaluable. I mentioned this website up above called Coolors. When I first discovered it, I thought “where have you been all my life?!” Unlike most color websites out there, this one lets you do much more than browse and save color palettes. You can visualize your color palette in different contexts, do global adjustments to the whole palette at once, extract colors from an image, and even use a huge library of unique color names. They didn’t sponsor me, but I really like using it. Maybe you will too. Bonus 2: Ignore CMYK and Pantone …unless you’re working with a pro, that is. When I create a brand guide for a client, I include CMYK and Pantones as a nice addition, fully expecting that they will never be used. Almost all print shops and vendors these days have automatic conversion between color spaces that is usually reliable, accurate, and consistent. Even if you’re having screen printed t-shirts made or running off thousands of flyers, Pantone and CMYK values are only helpful in very specific situations. Long story short, HEX codes are probably all you need. P.S. This week I’m focusing on church brand color selection principles, which I’ve gathered the hard way from years of church rebrands. If you want the complete guide, I’ve collected all of the principles into a single post here.

Using tints and shades is a powerful way to get more mileage out of your visual identity without adding new base colors. What this means for color selection is that you don't have to worry about that exact palette working in every possible scenario. A tint is a lighter version of the same color. Shades are darker versions of the same color. Tint = Base color + white (lighter version) Shade = Base color + black (darker version) While you might not need them in everyday use (especially with a professionally designed color palette), there are situations where your standard set of base colors are going to clash or look too opinionated. For example, a limited color palette might handicap your web designer. Because websites are interactive and display lots of information in different formats, they often call for a suite of neutral colors, ranging from dark to light. You might also find that a particular color works well online and in print, but is too strong and vibrant for apparel. A tint or shade of that color might make for a more wearable and fashion-friendly t-shirt than the original swatch. If your palette feels incomplete or you’re looking for good supporting colors, consider using tints or shades of your core colors to round it out. P.S. This week I’m focusing on church brand color selection principles, which I’ve gathered the hard way from years of church rebrands. If you want the complete guide, I’ve collected all of the principles into a single post here.

Just use red? Can it really be that simple? Red is historically a color used by churches of all denominations, and it checks all the boxes I’ve mentioned so far in this color selection series. ✅ It makes a bold hero color and contrasts with both white and black. ✅ Among other biblical tie-ins, red symbolizes the blood of Christ that is offered in the gospel. ✅ Almost every church building or location has some form of red that can be sampled for a close match. There are an infinite number of shades of red that can work for a church brand identity. Even if you’re not using red as one of your core colors, see if there’s a place for it in your supporting color palette. P.S. This week I’m focusing on church brand color selection principles, which I’ve gathered the hard way from years of church rebrands. If you want the complete guide, I’ve collected all of the principles into a single post here.

Carefully crafting color categories can catalyze cohesion. Alliteration aside, the categories or buckets you sort your colors into will determine the overall look and feel of your church’s brand. If you try to use too many colors spread out across different channels, your visual identity can start to feel incoherent and disjointed. Core colors Keeping the visual identity unified is why we normally pick 2 to 4 “core colors,” which are the duo, trio, or quartet that glue your whole brand together. Core colors can help focus the look of the brand and make it recognizable by a particular combination of colors alone. This also means core colors must be used and guarded more carefully than other colors. Supporting colors Supporting colors are generally taken from other parts of the color spectrum. We do this to add a certain level of variety and depth to the overall brand. Having supporting colors sprinkled in throughout your brand helps prevent it from being strictly monochromatic, which can come across as flat or boring. Even if your core colors aren’t monochromatic, they can be easy to overuse, diluting their impact and handicapping their ability to grab attention. So, to sum up, distinguishing between core colors and supporting colors is all about proportions and ratios. Disproportionate use of even the perfect palette can send the wrong message, so prioritize which colors you want to stand out and maintain that balance. P.S. This week I’m focusing on church brand color selection principles, which I’ve gathered the hard way from years of church rebrands. If you want the complete guide, I’ve collected all of the principles into a single post here.

Look for symbolism Just like with your church logo, you’ll want layers of meaning and depth behind your church color choices. One way to accomplish this is through symbolism. Colors are symbolic because they can bring to mind a mix of material things and abstract ideas. Here are a few examples… but before I share them with you, keep in mind that these colors are broad and have many different meanings associated with them. The symbolism I’m focusing on here is related specifically to churches, and how a church might use these for their brand colors. Don’t start using them without doing your own research as well. Okay, with that out of the way, here are some color symbolism examples: Gold Gold can communicate permanency, age, and class. It symbolizes kingship, wealth, and light. Orange Orange can communicate energy, friendliness, and youthfulness. It symbolizes flowers, fire, and sunsets. Red Red can communicate courage, warmth, and gravity. It symbolizes blood, life, love, and sometimes purity. Purple Purple can communicate spirituality, depth, and confidence. It symbolizes royal robes, heaven, and wisdom. Teal Teal can communicate balance, peace, and renewal. It symbolizes healing, water, and growth. If you want to go deeper, here’s where you can read more on color symbolism and usage (from a secular source). P.S. This week I’m focusing on church brand color selection principles, which I’ve gathered the hard way from years of church rebrands. If you want the complete guide, I’ve collected all of the principles into a single post here.

Brand colors aren’t always black and white (wink), so this week I’m answering the following questions: How do you get buy-in and agreement on what the colors should be? How do you know which colors to use more and which to use less? How do you stay confident in your colors over years and years? Those questions all have the same answer: timeless color selection principles. I’m giving you mine, which I’ve gathered the hard way from years of church rebrands. If you want the complete guide, I’ve collected all of these principles into a single post here. Sample Everything In a vacuum, it’s easy for one person to pick colors that “look good.” But when the stakes are high and the colors have look good to more people in more contexts, suddenly things get trickier. Sampling colors from the real world can be a great starting point for palettes that feel cohesive and familiar. Palettes taken from nature, architecture, and even human features translate surprisingly well to both digital and print. Scottish tweed makers will go out into the countryside, capture a swatch of colors from their environment, and use those colors in their designs. What’s stopping us from doing the same thing? Find or take a photo of your church building, its surroundings, or something in your environment that fits the aesthetic you’re going for. Pull the image into a tool like Coolors.co and start sampling. You’ll notice that the palettes you can create will have light colors in the highlights of the image, dark colors in the shadows, and mid tones which are more vibrant or less vibrant. You’ll want at least one of each. Then, when you’re feeling good about a particular palette, you can go beyond the screen to a Home Depot or Sherwin Williams paint store. Gather swatches close to the colors in your palette, and compare them in different real-life environments. If you follow these steps for sampling, it’s hard to go wrong.

Let me cut to the chase. Color is absolutely, non-negotiable critical. I wouldn’t be going out on a limb to say that color is even more important than the logo. But… which colors you choose for your church is only part of the equation. How frequently and consistently you use a color palette is what makes or breaks the brand-color association. Effective branding through color is 50% selection and 50% repetition. In other words, your color choices for your brand only matters to the extent that you use it repeatedly and consistently over time. You can organize a committee. You can get swatches from Sherwin Williams. You can look at what’s trending. You can browse Pinterest. You can research color symbolism. You can have your congregation vote. None of it matters if you don’t use your colors (or use them sporadically without patterns). This should be freeing! While selection is important, the knowledge that repetition matters more should take some of the pressure off. Picking “wrong” or “suboptimal” colors isn’t the end of the world. Just commit and use them consistently.

In the graphic design world, much of our time is spent on layout. This is because you usually have fixed content, and a fixed space where that content needs to go. If those two variables are set in stone, then it’s up to the designer to solve the Tetris puzzle - how can I fit X content into Y box? Sometimes this is easier said than done. As a brand designer who often continues to help churches “roll out” their new visuals following a rebrand, I want to make things as easy as possible for future Braden. What if we get a space where the logo doesn’t fit, or looks awkward? This comes up quite a bit, and it’s something that can be solved by having an alternate verison of your logo for just such scenarios. The need for a mark to fit into narrow spaces comes up more than you might expect. Lanyards Banners Table runners Outdoor signs Leather belts (just seeing if you’re paying attention) Creating a “wide” version of your church logo means your brand can look and feel comfortable in those spaces that are too narrow for a more squarish mark. The way you do this is pretty straightforward, with some caveats and a couple of bonus tips I’ll share at the end. Unstack multiple lines of text into one line Move the icon to the left or right side of the mark (sometimes it can go in the middle of the words) That’s it! Well, sort of… Below I’ve put an example of how to apply this in practice. Also, if your church does have leather belts with your logo, please stop it. Get some help.

I just finished helping a church select and refine their brand colors, so hues, shades, and swatches are fresh on my mind. To my amusement, I started having dreams about color palettes. I’ve been so engrossed in color lately that I figured I would write down some of my process, rationale, and considerations for color selection. Why is color hard? Color is hard because it’s a perceptual thing. There’s no way to know if the blue you see is the same blue I see. Online color blindness tests can only reveal a very general problems, but there’s no way for you to know how certain color sensitivities are affecting your preferences (without more rigorous testing). ß The paradoxical thing about color is that it’s both subjective and objective at the same time. What do I mean? Well, most of us mortals get frustrated with indecision around color. We piddle and fiddle and can’t fix the nagging feeling that something’s “off.” So how come the greatest painters, designers, and photographers can reliably produce work that everyone agrees has “beautiful” color? The secrets of color The greats all seem to know the secrets. Many of them have spent decades immersed in the theory and practice of color, so maybe they’ve earned it. I’m sure you don’t want to go to those lengths, (and I haven’t… yet). So instead I want to distill for you what I have learned about color selection in a church context. The Brand Colors series will take up the next several installments of Tend Your Brand. Stay tuned for those in the coming days.

Let’s Imagine a young couple building a house. They’ve worked with a builder and picked a colonial style for the exterior. It has the white columns and the wide porch with two rocking chairs. It has the tall windows and the warm wood trim. But suppose this couple is handy and has decided to finish off the interior on their own, with the help of YouTube University. They browse Pinterest for inspiration and find a style of rustic modern kitchen to set their hearts on (you know the kind I’m talking about - with the subway tile, white marble countertops, and stainless steel accents). Then, in their hunt for inspiration, they come across those industrial living spaces with exposed brick and black steel. They haven’t begun to feel overwhelmed yet, and so they save this style for their living room. One Pinterest board at a time, they add layers of paint colors, textures, and styles to the interior plans. Before they know it, the inside of the house looks like a Picasso: an uncomfortable collage of pieces that would otherwise be beautiful on their own. It’s easy to fall into this trap with any kind of design, and branding is no exception. Before someone starts piecing together visuals for their church, the smart thing to do is to consult a designer who specializes in brands and get a set of guidelines nailed down. We have names for styles because certain textures, colors, and shapes work together to create a particular curb appeal. Switch it up too often, and curb appeal turns into confusion.

We often think of form and function as a dichotomy. Sacrificing beauty for efficiency is putting function over form. Making something sleek and attractive at the cost of performance is putting form over function. Here’s my hot take: The form-function dichotomy is wrong. Form and function are two sides of the same coin. The name of the coin is elegance, or more simply “goodness.” And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. — Genesis 1:31a We don’t assess beauty in a vacuum. If a thing doesn’t accomplish its purpose, can it be beautiful? The Roman aqueducts were built with masterful craftsmanship and still stand to this day, 2000 years later. They transported millions of gallons of water over a hundred miles, making them extremely functional. But would they be beautiful if they didn’t work? If a thing’s only purpose is to be beautiful, does it matter if it can do anything else?

A few months ago, Crossway released The Dyslexia-Friendly Bible, featuring a new font they called “Grace.” The design team took a data-driven approach, carefully studying and testing what tiny details makes a font more accessible for dyslexic readers. This Bible also featured special design touches to make the reading experience more approachable, and less fatiguing. The team working on the design used existing studies, focus groups, and user testing to optimize things like paragraph spacing and line height (and other technical specs we designers are thinking about all the time). The end result was a beautiful product that is already changing the way thousands read and access God’s Word. This brings me the same joy as when the Scriptures are translated into a new language. Praise God! It’s also a good reminder that intentional design can make your localized vision and message accessible to a previously “unreached” people group. Are you studying what prevents your congregation and community from "getting" it?

If you’re a church that does sermon series graphics, then you might have struggled with how far to push the envelope in those visuals. Do you download the latest free template from Free Church Media or Ministry Designs dot com? Do you design them in-house? For us creatives, it’s enticing to explore and use new visuals every few months. But I want to encourage you to curb that impulse. Here’s why: Those unbranded templates and graphics can ultimately work against your brand. But wait, they’re not permanent - what’s so bad about them? Over time, these graphics become part of your brand, whether you like it or not. Using templates that are fun, fresh, and modern might feel like a good way to keep things interesting, but over time that variety adds up into noise. Over time, too much variety accumulates into noise. Instead of your sermon graphics reinforcing your brand, they can start to pollute it. They start to appear disjointed and random when you sample them as a whole. To protect your brand, you need a common thread woven throughout. This is why brand guidelines are so important. They provide a fixed scope for visual styles. Robust brand guidelines will tell you not only what that common thread is, but how it should be integrated in different contexts. If you’re worried about your sermon graphics polluting your brand rather than reinforcing it, check your brand guidelines to see if there’s a way to bring that free template into alignment. If you don’t have brand guidelines, consider having some created. It’s a great way to get the most out of your existing logo and can help you add variety to your church’s communications, without feeling random.

A side adventure I’ve had for the last two years has been bringing Oklahoma Trading Cards to market. But this week, that adventure almost ended abruptly. Turning photos of iconic landmarks into a product for sale, we knew we needed to be on our toes when it came to copyright. We thought all our ducks were in a row until we stumbled on a goose; a very aggressive goose who was not happy about his trademarked pop bottle sign being featured. We thought we were in the clear, but trademarks are tricky things. Now we have to negotiate with the business owner on how to compensate him and whether we need to stop our sales. At the time of writing, we’ve sold them all over Oklahoma so it’s no small matter. If you’re taking inspiration from a well-known or iconic image of any kind for your church, check the trademark database and avoid the headaches we’re going through now.

No, not that kind. I’m talking about a crest or circular mark that adds a level of class to your overall brand. You might think, “Isn’t a seal something you press into wax on a scroll or an envelope? I can’t see our church needing something so… outdated?” I’ll grant that. Seals and crests have been around a long time. But their oldness is exactly what makes them such a useful form for a logo to take. For almost every organization, and certainly for a church, there are times when you want to present yourself with a bit more formality. Pop quiz: You‘re greeting someone you know. Do you…? A. Give a short nod B. Embrace them with a warm hug C. Offer a firm handshake The answer is, it depends on the context! Some situations call for a nod, others a hug, and depending on where you are, neither of those things might be appropriate. The logo seal is the firm handshake of visual branding. Having this brand mark in your arsenal is tantamount to elevate your brand for settings where more formality and gravity is required.

I’ve encountered confusion when I provide multiple versions of a logo for a rebrand project, especially regarding the scaled-down or “mini” version. Why do we need this one? Shouldn’t the main logo be just fine? It’s understandable. Designers love to be nitpicky and anal about things. And most logos can work at small sizes (ish). But you want to elevate your brand above just “good enough” right? The thing to understand about “mini” versions of a logo is that they solve a very specific problem: Most logos with any kind of complexity will start to lose their detail or integrity at a certain size when scaled down. Beyond that point (usually around 1in on the longest dimension), linework starts to appear thin, gaps begin to plug up, and the logo loses its presence. Every medium for rendering an image or a shape into the real world has its limitations. Digital screens are limited by pixels. Ink on paper is limited by the dot size and density. Embroidery is limited by thread and needle size. Laser etching is limited by tolerance in the machinery and surface material. I could go on with this list, but it’s actually not necessary that you understand these different techniques. The critical idea is this: Relative size matters more than anything else. Every medium comes with logo limitations. Relative size is what matters most. For a sunglasses company, they need at least a version of the logo which works in the tiny space on the stem of a pair of sunglasses. For a food truck with no website or merch to speak of, the logo can be more complex, and is only limited by what can be printed on a vehicle wrap or a menu. For most churches, having a website is enough of a reason to have a logo optimized to fit in that little square provided by the browser tab (usually called a “favicon”). It’s a common practice for many churches and other organizations to have a mini logo, and it’s why I recommend all of my clients use the mini version I provide them in their branding package. If you ever anticipate getting the logo embroidered on a hat, embossed on a journal, or printed on a lanyard, you will probably need a simplified brand mark.

A couple of years ago, I tried to talk a church out of hiring me for a rebrand. The church had an outdated logo and the leadership had a new vision/mission statement they were beginning to push. Here’s why I hesitated: the church was running 400+ members/regular attenders and I couldn’t believe they didn’t have someone from their own congregation with design expertise. Here’s how the conversation went with the pastor (we’ll call him Jake). Braden: “So why rebrand with my help? Isn’t there anyone in your church already who is a graphic designer?” Jake: “We’ve got a couple of people with a creative background, but nobody who’s up to the task of a complete rebrand.” Braden: “Surely they could work as a team to design it?” Jake: “Here’s the thing: we don’t want to put people in a position where they’re stepping on each other’s toes. We want this to be a unifying thing for our church - not a divisive thing.” Braden: “Hmm… if you’re sure…” Jake: “Bringing in an outside expert helps us avoid those situations. Plus we know we’ll get a better result in the end that we won’t have to second-guess in a few years.” Now, a few years later, Jake is still using that brand identity to reinforce his vision and communicate effectively in their thriving church. It turns out, he wasn’t the only one who feels that way. For many church leaders, bringing in a believer with expertise and an outside perspective is the clear best choice.

In the age of the internet and now of ChatGPT, our memory muscles are getting weaker and weaker. I’ve felt the effects, and I’m sure you have too. Wade Stotts had a recent episode of the Wade Show with Wade where he highlighted how short and shallow our memories really are these days. Why does that matter for effective branding? Your audience has the memory of a goldfish. If your branding consists of disjointed visuals or too much information, it’s not going to stick. And if you haven’t thought through templates, words, and images that are going to help you repeat that message, your brand message will slide into one ear and out the other (My dad said that happens because there’s nothing in between to stop it). It’s an important reminder that I’ve preached and will continue to preach: Repetition is persuasion. You cannot repeat your messaging enough. You cannot integrate your branding into enough of your church’s life. It also got me thinking: How have I handicapped my own memory for creative and branding work? How could I fix it? Those are questions I’m going to be answering this year.

I love magic. I’ve probably watched movies like the Prestige and the Illusionist more times than most people. But I recently learned the origins of a phrase that magicians love to say: “Abracadabra.” It comes from the Ancient Aramaic phrase, “Avra Kedavra,” meaning “I create as I speak.” We worship a God who is creative, the first sentence of the Bible tells us. But how does he create? We find out in the following verses that he does so with his speech. Words are how the God of the universe chose to express his creativity. We get to imitate his creativity using our own words. And it’s easier to do this now than ever. Because of AI, we live in a time where anyone can create anything - pictures, video, and interactive experiences - using just words. It feels like magic. With such a powerful tool at our disposal, should we not meditate on how this can be used to create things that will honor our Creator?

For those of us that read books, we quickly find a favorite author who we can’t put down. I’m curious how well you really know yours. If I put five excerpts by different authors in front of you, could you tell which one was written by your favorite author? What would give it away? I’m a fan of sci-fi, and my favorite author is currently Blake Crouch. He writes with a unique combination of vivid detail and grungy vocabulary. I like to think I could absolutely tell when a book is written by him. This identifying power of the words we choose and the tone we use is one of the key elements in branding. When a brand is polished, refined, and bolstered, it would be a mistake to leave out defining the word choice and tone of voice that brand speaks with. Tend your whole brand, and choose a tone of voice that will reinforce your message.

Sometimes we need to be confronted about how bad a situation really is. It’s too easy to develop blind spots over time, and your branding isn’t an exception. Like an untended vine, it can quickly get out of control. So here are ten warning signs that you might need help reigning in that branding. You cringe when you hand out a business card or flyer Your social media pages all have a different profile picture You have to hunt for your main logo file on a regular basis There are more than 3 fonts used on any given flyer, banner, or bulletin You don’t have the original HEX codes for your core colors Outdated materials and web pages still surface every few months to haunt you You’re seeing more unofficial logos than official ones used in the wild Your staff or volunteers don’t feel equipped to make the church “look good” online Your website, wayfinding, and bulletin look they’re from three different eras You’re constantly reinventing visuals, changing styles, or revising logos because nothing sticks If several of these sound like you, it might be time to consolidate and clean up. Or, it might be that you’re transitioning, and you need to start from scratch with a new and fresh look as you start this new chapter. Either way, consider getting professional help. I work with churches specifically to solve those problems with their branding. Contact me here, and we’ll talk about what it looks like for me to help you design an identity that reflects your God-given vision and lasts for decades.

Last weekend I decided to finally clean the garage. It was dirtier than I thought - filthy, actually. That’s why I was amazed when I finished the whole project in under 3 hours. When it comes to your church branding and design, there are probably some things that you’ve thought about cleaning up but have been wary of starting. What if it takes longer than you thought it would? What if it’s going to cost you money to fix? It can be easy to ignore these minor issues until they turn into bigger ones. The problem is that we often underestimate how bad things really are. If you looked into it, you might find that your website actually doesn’t work on certain browsers, or that there are 7 different versions of your logo floating around. This spring-summer season is a great time to clean up those divergent designs and maybe even do a light branding refresh. Tending your brand means addressing problems before they accumulate for too long, or it will quickly get out of control.

If a church is rebranding, it usually means they’re wanting to start something new. Sometimes that looks like focusing on a younger audience or rewriting the distinctives and core values. But many times, the goal is to create separation from a previous scandal, former leadership, or mission drift. If your goal in a church rebrand is to put the past behind you, you might not consider taking logo inspiration from your history… but maybe you should! In fact, it can be totally appropriate to draw on your history for branding ideas. Here are a few reasons to consider: Your past challenges were leadership-specific Your congregation and community still resonate with the legacy of your church Your church is especially old and its history is genuinely redemptive So what does taking logo inspiration from your church history actually look like? If your church has an archive of historical artifacts and documents, dig around and see if there’s anything interesting. You'd be surprised at how many times a simple artifact or document has been the inspiration for a killer logo design. Keep your eyes peeled for things like: Stamps and seals Building illustrations or paintings License plates Hand-made items Articles of formation Items that were important to the founding members/pastor I’ve personally seen all of these in a church archive at one point or another. And at the end of the day, you’ve gathered a greater appreciation for the legacy of your congregation, even if you don’t find something to integrate into your brand. P.S. If a rebrand is intended to create separation from the your past (especially a painful one) then drawing visual inspiration from that same past can send mixed signals. Even if the intentions are good (e.g., honoring long-time members or heritage), using symbols, colors, or design language tied to a difficult era can unintentionally reinforce what you’re trying to move past.