symbolism

For most people, the word “branding” brings to mind symbolism. Brands use symbols to convey a bigger message and create an association between ideas, people, and products. There’s also a strong Biblical precedent for visual storytelling and symbolism. Moses lifted up the image of a serpent in the wilderness. The Lord’s instructions for his tabernacle were packed full of icons and symbols. The early church used the ichthys to represent their shared Christian identity. Applying this to a church communications, we focus on the logo as the main visual symbol, and most people naturally want it to represent as much transcendent meaning as possible. Here’s my hot take: All the symbols in the world can’t make up for unclear foundational ideas that underpin your church identity. Symbolism in a logo means nothing without core distinctives. How do you know what those distinctives are? You have to do a little digging. Tending your brand sometimes means breaking out the shovel and getting to the root.

I recently watched the movie Imitation Game with Benedict Cumberbatch. It chronicles the genius work of Alan Turing to crack the Enigma cypher during WWII. Germany was using encrypted messages to send critical instructions to its ships and submarines via radio. The Americans could intercept the messages, but couldn’t decode them fast enough. The Germans knew that a message is useless if it can’t be understood by its recipient. When you’re crafting your vision, mission, and brand, how often do you evaluate if it will be understood by your audience? Are you putting it in language they’re familiar with? Does your logo capture something they resonate with?