MISDIAGNOSIS

from Midwest Conservative Journal by The Editor

The Episcopalians have figured out what’s wrong:

“More than any other church, we need to strengthen our brand recognition,” says Anne Rudig, director of the Office of Communication. What is branding? It is the sum of distinctive visual and verbal cues that symbolize an organization or corporate entity.

“We have no brand, in part, because we have never nurtured it or invested in it,” Rudig continues. “The only thing we have done consistently toward brand recognition is our church signs. That will continue. But we need to do more.”

“The design choices that were made for the new identity work were not a matter of personal taste,” Rudig explains. “It is not about what’s trendy. These are strategic choices based on who we are versus other denominations, what is timeless and true for us, and built on the foundation of research.” When Rudig came on board in January 2010, there were already eight pre-existing identity projects done with cradle Episcopalians, priests, and bishops. These were helpful in identifying a “brand personality,” or the attributes of our institution. Additional work was done by the Office of Communication in 2010 with newcomers to the church. Interviews with people who had belonged to the Episcopal Church for only three months to three years were held, in which they were asked what connected them emotionally to their new church.

“Their impressions were very fresh,” says Rudig, “and people spoke enthusiastically and openly. Many said the same thing: ‘I love the Episcopal Church because it is so steeped in tradition and it’s very old, with decorative arts, music, ritual, architecture, great stuff; but at the same time it is not mired in tradition – it is looking forward.’”

So to reflect this sense of tradition as well as a sense of progress, the font chosen for the new branding is Chronicle. “It is reminiscent of Caslon or Garamond,” explains Rudig, referring to two traditional typefaces, “but it has incorporated modern curves and tall lowercase letters for easy readability, and it has sexy curves and swoopy modern lines.”

As part of this branding work, the Office of Communication is also redesigning the Episcopal Church’s website. The new homepage is designed to give an experience of being in a church; it reflects the deep sense of tradition and architectural beauty, music, and visual arts, but also emphasizes mission work. Each pane in the stained glass will feature a multimedia resource, such as a documentary on domestic poverty, or a video of choral music. The great contemporary vitality of our church will be on display within the ancient framework of the stained glass.

Changing the official font and redesigning the web site. Yeah, that ought to turn things right around.