Design for Community Organisations, Part 1
Over the last year I’ve worked on a few projects for my local community, as well as one for the community I grew up in (see here for that project). As a self-employed designer I have to be careful not to take on too many unpaid/low paid design projects, although it’s always really hard to turn people down, especially as these projects can often be really fun and satisfying to work on! Below is a design and photography project for a local group who are attempting to save the a church from demolition, and who asked me to help create a logo and some brand communications for them. I’ll be posting about another community project for a local playground action group soon.
The unique architecture of the church and its rural setting were the starting point of developing the logo, colour palette, and accompanying illustrations. It is a small, neat, red-brick Victorian church surrounded by trees. At the basis of the campaign to save the church is a message that the church can be used in all seasons (not just special times like Christmas and Easter), and by everyone (of any faith or none).
The logo colour variations reflect the changes of the surrounding landscape throughout the season, and the logos’ simple, architectural lines and lack of religious symbols are designed to appeal to the wider local community, not just the church goers.
The outline drawing style references the leading of stained glass window. The secondary logo colours reflect the four seasons to emphasise that ‘a church is for all seasons’. The small size versions of the logo were created to be used in various situations that demand something smaller and more compact (social media profiles and web icons for example).
Illustrations
To highlight the special setting of the church, supporting illustrations are used to demonstrate the rural surroundings, and to create a sense of place that people in the local community can relate to. Not everyone has a religious connection to the church, but everybody in the community shares the same rural location, and can appreciate the natural beauty of the area the church is in.
Typography
The typeface Fedra Serif is a contemporary serif typeface, with humanistic roots (the rhythm of handwriting). It is elegant, legible, and it’s roots in handwriting give the messaging shown here a friendly down-to-earth feel.
Photography
I took a selection of interior and exterior photos of the church for use in leaflets, social media, and a possible future website. The full set can be seen here.
