This 400 Member Baptist Church Didn't Have a Single Designer

Last year I had a jaw-dropping call with a church that was in some serious trouble - let’s call them Ridgeview Fellowship. The church had a good online presence, a functional logo, and a brand they had worked hard to build up over the years. They didn’t want to rebrand, but when they came to me, they felt like they had no choice. A local accounting firm that had opened nearby had a similar (almost identical) logo. The firm was threatening legal action if the church didn’t change their look. But wait, the church had been there longer? Yes. Hadn’t the church been using their logo out in the community already? Yes. Where did the church get their logo in the first place? Good question. Nobody was 100% certain, but they thought they remembered it had been designed with a small budget by someone on Fiverr. If I had to guess, I’d wager that the accounting firm went with a Fiverr designer too, and ended up with a not-so-unique mark… Here are the reverse-image search results that suggest the same thing (church logo not pictured). {{ comp.video({ src: "/img/posts/lawsuit-reverse-image-search.mp4" }) }} Now, the firm was threatening to sue for trademark infringement. Instead of spend untold sums of money and time imbuing themselves in a lawsuit (to defend a logo they didn’t even love), the church felt like they had no choice but to rebrand. This is a sad situation, and it happens more often than you might think. Here’s the takeaway: build your visual identity around the things that make your church unique, and you won’t have to worry about someone else stealing it. Also, you might think about trademarking your church logo.

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.

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.

Recently I shared a story about a church who was threatened with a lawsuit due to a similar logo. But that was probably just a fluke - is spending the time and money on a trademark really necessary? As it turns out, there are other cases of trademark battles involving churches, and more nuanced reasons to venture down the trademarking path. I’ve been learning about this process lately, so I figured I would share what I’m learning here and contextualize it for churches. With that, here are five reasons you might want to trademark your church name and logo. 1. You’ve been confused with other organizations This first one should be obvious, but trademarking your church’s name and logo is the best way to prevent organizational identity theft and brand abuse. In 2010, the International House of Prayer (IHOP), faced a trademark infringement lawsuit from the restaurant chain International House of Pancakes, also known as IHOP. The restaurant chain alleged that the ministry’s use of the acronym “IHOP” and the website domain “ihop.org” caused confusion and diluted its brand. Although the lawsuit was eventually dropped and settled out of court, the ministry agreed to rebrand itself as IHOPKC to distinguish itself from the restaurant chain. 2. You sell merchandise If you’re selling books, shirts, or creating digital resources under your church’s name, a trademark can help you maintain control over the brand. As soon as you start putting your name or logo on merchandise like shirts, mugs, hats, books, etc., you’re entering the realm of commerce. A trademarked image and name helps you protect your church’s right to sell those products without worrying about knock-offs or competing merch. Otherwise, another church could copy your image for their own merch and start profiting off it. Online platforms like Amazon, Shopify, and Etsy will sometimes even require you to trademark your brand, rather than run the risk of stores impersonating you. 3. You create media resources Similar to physical products, digital products can be replicated, resold, or changed without your permission, which can quickly turn into a huge headache. In fact, digital products are even more vulnerable than physical products because they are easier to make and distribute copies of. Media resources like trainings, devotionals or Bible-reading plans, and paid digital content (even if it’s just raising support for a campaign) can all be exploited without trademark protection. 4. You’re expanding digitally In that same vein, creating content online can become more complicated as your brand and audience grows. Even if there’s no money changing hands, your church’s reputation is an asset that can be maligned or challenged. All that to say, if you’re expanding online (websites, social media, podcasts), you probably want to think about trademarking sooner than later. 5. You’re expanding geographically If you’re starting satellite campuses, or gaining regional/national recognition, trademarking helps protect your brand across state lines. At the end of the day, without proper trademark protection, your name or logo can be used by others, leading to confusion or association with unrelated or even opposing groups.

Marshall McLuhan was a Canadian communication theorist who coined the phrase, “The medium is the message.” In other words: how you choose to say something changes what your audience walks away with. McLuhan’s point was that each medium doesn’t just deliver your message - it shapes it and sends unspoken signals like: The value you place on the relationship How urgent or serious something is How you want to be perceived Let’s look at an example. Sending a text message says, “I want to be quick and efficient.” A phone call says, “This is personal.” The words exchanged can be the same, but the vibe of that medium changes what message actually gets received. Effective branding is effective communication, so it’s important to understand this idea! Here are a few church-specific examples: Animated sermon graphics say, “We care about looking fresh and young.” A church-wide email newsletter says, “We expect our members to stay informed.” Hand-written note cards from a pastor or staff member say, “You are known and cared for.” You have core ideas and feelings about your church that you want your congregation and community to “get.” The medium can either supercharge or neutralize the power of those ideas. If they’re not getting it, you might want to find a different way of presenting it.