Portfolio
BEAUTIFUL SAVIOR | CINCINNATI, OHIO
Client Goals
- Integrated Website: Create a site that lives on the existing beautiful-savior.com domain but presents as a unique ministry.
- Local SEO: Boost search engine rankings for increased visibility and traffic in an urban area.
- Branding: Create a brand identity separate from the original Beautiful Savior brand, produced with a young, wealthy, urban audience in mind.
- Organic Community Outreach: Create an extremely sharable resource for the launch team's use.
Approach
Sitting about 8 minutes from the city center, Beautiful Savior Oakley's audience is populated with young, well-educated, relatively wealthy individuals. Values of the community include hard work, long hours, and climbing the corporate ladder. People here may find themselves near rock-bottom emotionally as a result of the constant grind and often use their monetary resources to "fill the God-sized hole."
With that in mind, we decided to create the Everyday Sabbath email series: a daily scripture, devotional thought, and journal prompt. Considering almost everyone in the area is somewhat consumed with "hustle culture," a primary focus for Beautiful Savior will be to consistently—even daily—point back to the rest that can be found within God's Word.
With strong SEO, we drive traffic to the website, capture emails using the devotional resource, and communicate regularly with prospects via email: driving them to in-person gatherings when appropriate.
Logo
Their brandmark is an image trace of an illustration I created using a brush pen and watercolor paper. The shape loosely represents the silhouette of a home.
Read more about this design process here.
Copywriting
Beautiful Savior Oakley's tone of voice is genuine, casual, and compassionate. We chose to write in a way that is inclusive, where everyone feels recognized as part of the inner circle. Because much of our audience may not have been to church since childhood, we communicate in a way that calms common anxieties about participating in a church. We use a lot of scripture to communicate our ideas. We do not use any language that has a commercial or sleazy connotation. We use a relational tone that reflects the experience of receiving a thoughtful text from a close friend. Our calls to action invite exploration rather than obligation. We gently encourage deeper reflection on life and faith with plenty of compassion and without any hurry. We use imagery drawn from what can be seen, felt, tasted, smelled, and heard within a familiar, nostalgic home or living room setting. We also commonly use imagery that can be found within the Psalms.
Website
The goal for the Beautiful Savior website, since the church does not yet have a physical location, was to be the digital front door to the church. With strong SEO, it was also important that we capture contact information as prospects found the site. We chose to use a lot of scripture throughout and to communicate transparently about the process of starting a church. We used a few vintage postcards of Cincinnati that are now public domain.
Feel free to sign up for the Everyday Sabbath yourself!
Print Designs
I commissioned a local letterpress artist to create thick, linen-colored business cards with the logo blind pressed into one side and the pastor's contact info on the other. Instead of a traditional tri-fold brochure, I created a business card sleeve for launch team members to be able to share. New visitor gifts will be custom Fellow mugs wrapped with the brand pattern: a vintage quilt inspired design that abstractly represents the church's 4 core values.
LIVING STONE | ARVADA, COLORADO
Client Goals
- Enhanced Website: Create a user-friendly, visually appealing, and functional website.
- Improved SEO: Boost search engine rankings for increased visibility and traffic in a densely populated Denver suburb.
- Integrated Messaging: Establish a cohesive, year-round communication strategy for various prospect groups.
- Expanded Community Outreach: Take advantage of multiple platforms to engage with and serve the community more effectively.
Approach
Living Stone's primary audience in Arvada includes families with younger children and parents in the 30- to 40-year-old age range. As a suburb of Denver, values of the community include family adventures in the mountains between busy weeks full of lots of children's sports and activities.
With that in mind, we decided to create a "Devotional Day Planner," a printable resource that's intended for use by busy moms or dads as a means of connection over God's Word. With the tagline, "Designed for the dinner table," this lead magnet captures a core desire of parents in this area: a moment of togetherness amidst crazy schedules.
With strong SEO, we drive traffic to the website, capture emails using the lead magnet, and communicate regularly with prospects via email: driving them to social media when appropriate.
Logo
- Groundwork: Living Stone's 12-week Bible Basics course
- Fieldwork: Living Stone's 4-week Discipleship & Outreach course
- Navigation: Living Stone's mid-week, small-group Bible studies
- Monday Minute: Pastor Jeremy's weekly email devotion
- Living Stone Kids: Regular children's programming (Toddler Time & Kids Church)
Copywriting
Living Stone's tone is friendly, warm, and inviting. We avoid being overly enthusiastic or "sales-y," keeping exclamation points to a minimum. We also avoid using what could be considered religious "jargon," instead translating this terminology into accessible language for individuals newer to Christianity. The reader should feel as though they are receiving a genuine, casual message from a close friend via email or text.
Our imagery reflects the community of Arvada and its values. We often use language that evokes pictures of outdoor activities (Example: solid, built up, rooted, path, journey, growth). We also use language that evokes pictures of family and community (Example: together, team, gather, join, connect, neighbor, shared, common).
Website
The goal for the Living Stone website was to make information easily accessible for new visitors to learn more about the church. With strong SEO, it was also important that we capture contact information as prospects found the site. We chose to use a dark theme, with soft edges and animated elements throughout.
Be sure to check out the promotional video Living Stone had commissioned for their "Step One" page!
Print Designs
After their rebrand, Living Stone needed quite a few print designs created including business cards, Connect Cards, new visitor handouts, a pop-up tent, and materials for their annual Live Nativity. Most notable is their business card design, which features a perforated portion that encourages easy outreach for any member of the congregation.
LIVING STONE | CONWAY, ARKANSAS
Client Goals
- Accessible Brand Identity: Create a logo, website, and branding that wasn't stuffy or intimidating. Rather, we wanted to create a look that immediately communicated that Living Stone is for everyone, regardless of your past experiences with religion.
- Community Focus: Demonstrate whenever possible Living Stone's commitment to pouring back into Conway & providing spaces for the many new movers to find their people.
Approach
Situated in Conway, Arkansas, Living Stone Conway's audience includes both life-long Christians and many unchurched or dechurched individuals, many of whom are new to the area and seeking community connections. Values of the community include strong town pride, authentic relationships, and accessible spaces that don't feel intimidating or law-motivated.
After discussing the desires of the people in Conway, we decided to try putting on a Food Truck Night as a brand recognition event. People here may be carrying past negative experiences with religion or simply looking for genuine community where they can get to know their neighbors. With that in mind, we decided to create an accessible brand identity that immediately communicates Living Stone is for everyone, regardless of past religious experiences. Considering the abundance of churches in Conway and the need to stand apart as welcoming and non-intimidating, a primary focus for Living Stone was to develop an earthy, organic visual style inspired by modern brewery and coffee shop branding. With custom linocut logo design and emphasis on community focus, we drive home the message of pure gospel truth while consistently pointing people toward authentic relationships and opportunities to "get to know your neighbors" through in-person gatherings and community involvement.
Logo
I wanted it to have lots of organic texture. To accomplish this, Living Stone's logo was created using a custom linocut piece. I sketched the rough shape on paper, traced it onto a rubber stamp block, carved out the shape, and stamped it onto textured paper. Then, I digitized the print. Now, the pastor has the physical stamp used to create his logo that he can use on physical goods, like greeting cards.
Style
Living Stone's style was inspired by a mood board that the pastor and his wife created. We wanted to create an earthy, organic feel while retaining some class. We were inspired by modern brewery & coffee shop branding that feels non-intimidating and accessible.
Copywriting
There are a lot of churches in Conway, Arkansas. It was important that Living Stone's external communications set them apart as a welcoming, non-intimidating, accessible spot for life-long Christians and the unchurched alike. We place a heavy emphasis on the purity of the gospel message in an area where people likely have law-motivated ideas of what it means to be part of a church.
We also speak often about being all about Conway. Conway has a very strong sense of town pride, so it was important that the church demonstrated its commitment to pouring back into the community. A goal of Living Stone is to foster a community where people get to know each other and become friends. When speaking about events, we emphasize that these are chances to "get to know your neighbors."
Website
Living Stone's website is designed to be highly interactive, with options to toggle between section views. I made use of their complementary font to add some variation and additional visual texture to the page.
As the church grows, this site can be easily expanded to contain multiple pages with more information.
Print Designs
Business Cards: Pastor Fury's business cards are printed on plantable wildflower paper as a play on the "Living" piece of the church's name.
Promotional Materials: I designed custom cooling neck towels for Living Stone's booth at a popular local 5k.
Pop-Up Tent: I created a custom E-Z UP tent for Living Stone to use at the numerous outdoor community events held in their area. It displays their logo, website, and Instagram handle.
SHEPHERD OF THE VALLEY | SURPRISE, ARIZONA
Client Goals
- New Website: Their website at the time was hosted on FinalWeb. It was difficult to update and it was not optimized for search.
- Rebrand: Create a new logo more relevant to the growth of the area.
Approach
Shepherd of the Valley needed a refreshed brand and a user-friendly website platform. Their audience in Surprise, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix, predominantly contains young families. It was my goal to create something that spoke a little more clearly to that demographic as SOTV continued to reach out to their community.
Logo
