New Ministry Logos: Before & After

Remember those ministry logos I was redesigning? Finally, they have all been completed! Here are the final versions along with the old versions.

Black Campus Ministries (BCM):

Before:

 

As you can see, we are moving away from including words or acronyms in the mark and rather having the ministry name explicitly included underneath the InterVarsity logo. This works to better align the new logos with each other, as well as have a clear and consistent relationship with the InterVarsity logo.

Graduate & Faculty Ministries:

Before:

GFM previously had many different marks to label each of their separate ministries. For simplicity and consistency, we decided to create just one new mark for all of GFM's ministries.

 

For the GFM and ISM logos, we have also updated colors so that they are much more relevant to current color trends and stay in line with InterVarsity's brand of colors.

 

International Student Ministry:

Before:

Whether or not these are all the best decisions, I am not sure. But I do know that consistency and clarity are helpful in good communication, so that is what I am aiming to do!

Unsexy, but Important

Normally I like to share about projects I'm working on that are directly related to student ministry because it's easier to communicate how my job connects with transforming lives with the Gospel. However, over the past few months and in the coming months, there's one major project I'm working on that, well, in so many words, is unsexy.

A glimpse at my work flow for the new Black Campus Ministries logo

Branding
"Brand" is basically a person or group's reputation based on public opinion. It involves what people think about them or associate with them (high-class? fast? cheap? great quality?). When it comes to a company or organization like InterVarsity, a large part of how you inform the public and shape that brand is by your visual standards. Think about Coca-Cola, Apple, or Nike. Immediately you can picture their logo and products. That means they've got a strong brand that helps you associate certain values with their organization.

When it comes to a non-profit ministry, we don't necessarily have products, but we do have a mission along with a set of values that are integrated into everything we do for that mission. My job as a designer for InterVarsity is to help shape the way our brand is communicated visually - using logos, colors, fonts, specific layouts/proportions, etc.

Exciting huh? 

My progress on the new Graduate & Faculty Ministries

Why It Matters
Despite the decidedly unsexiness of my current work, I think it is very strategic and important to be developing a more cohesive and consistent brand for InterVarsity. Why? It helps the public associate what they see and hear with who we really are. And who we are is an organization committed to seeing students and faculty transformed by the Gospel. It's a compelling mission, but can get confused if we're not clear and consistent with how we communicate it. By using a better standard of visual design, we're making Jesus more accessible to the very people we are trying to reach. We are giving our alumni and ministry partners a clearer reason for continuing to partner with us. We're telling our story more effectively.

Work on the new International Student Ministries logo

So, despite the fact that I will never be able to directly connect my hours of work on logo design and template layouts to any measurable results of students coming to faith or ministry partners joining our ranks, I press on.

Thanks to all of you who have been a part of me getting to do this important, albeit unsexy, ministry work.

Starting Something New

 

Welcome banner I designed for the Greenhouse entrance at Ambition 15

In January, over 700 students and staff gathered in Tampa, Florida for Ambition 15, a conference geared towards equipping students to start new ministries, either on their own campus or on a new campus where there is no current InterVarsity work.

Signs I designed to help direct students in the Greenhouse

I worked with the conference planners to help create a space at the conference called Greenhouse. It was an interactive, hands-on space designed to help students take their God-given vision for a new ministry and give it 'legs'. Coaches and training tools were available for them to start planning out how to get the word out, how to gather partners, how to lead, etc.

Designs of stickers and a tshirt that InterVarsity staff wore around Greenhouse to identify themselves

 

One of three double-sided "canvases" (worksheets) used to lead students through the process of developing a vision, finding partners and making concrete plans for the new ministry they want to start.

The conference awarded 8 students with a planting grant, $1000 and a coach for 6 months to get them started. These students included a young woman named Kat, who, as a student with disabilities, never truly felt accepted at her school until she encountered the InterVarsity chapter. Now she has a vision to begin a small group for other students with disabilities so they can also find the same love and acceptance of Jesus.

Pray that God would take these seeds planted at Ambition and grow them into flourishing new ministries so that more unreached places on campus would be impacted by the Gospel.

What happened at Price of Life?

Wondering what happened at Price of Life in October? Here's a brief snapshot. Thank you for your prayers and support in this life-changing event.

click to view larger

 

Price of Life - it's coming up soon!

The Price of Life campaign is happening next week! After months of working on this, I am excited to see things coming together. If only I could be there in Michigan to be a part of it in person! Here is some of the work I've done for the campaign.

Please pray for God to be at work this next week. I am hopeful and excited to see him change lives and change culture. I'm grateful for the opportunity to contribute to helping fight human trafficking and sharing the hope of Jesus.

a collection of some of the print pieces I've designed for Price of Life

This is the first time I've had design work featured on a bus! Exciting.

My Michigan colleagues sent me this picture of one of the banners I designed.

It is surreal to see my work on my alma mater's campus! Wish I could see it in person.

I printed a couple of banners for the kick-off event's photo booth where students will take pictures of themselves to post on Facebook to promote Price of Life. I thought I'd get a selfie before mailing it off.

Upcoming Notecards

One of the smaller and sometimes more fun things we get to do is design new InterVarsity-branded notecards that our staff can use. Most of the time these are Thank You cards used to send to ministry partners. But we also produce Christmas cards and Invitation cards. Here are a couple I've designed recently that will be printed soon!

Creating a Campaign

For the past several months I've been working on a number of pieces related to an upcoming event happening at my own alma mater, The Price of Life campaign.

In October, InterVarsity chapters at the University of Michigan will be partnering with many local and state-wide organizations to raise awareness and fight against human trafficking (modern day slavery).

fact sheet explaining more about human trafficking including statistics

Human trafficking is a global issue affecting millions of people. But it also hits close to home. There are said to be up to 300,000 children or more currently enslaved in the United States.

postcard sent to all residents of a UofM dorm inviting them
to a kit build (to assist those most vulnerable to trafficking)

As believers in a God who created all humans to bear his image, human slavery is unquestionably the worst offense to what we hold sacred.

front page of the Price of Life website

I'm excited to lend my design skills to contribute to this important effort. I wanted to show you some of my work as well as ask for your prayers as the students and staff at UofM enter into this campaign.

prayer card for InterVarsity students to encourage them to be praying over the summer

The aim is to raise awareness to 30,000 people in the state of Michigan and engage 5,000 people in Ann Arbor in significant conversations about human trafficking and how the Gospel relates to this issue. 

PowerPoint background for when InterVarsity staff make presentations
to other organizations inviting them to partner in the campaign

Please pray that God would go before us in giving us success to fight against this evil. And pray that many people would clearly hear the Gospel at these events, coming to understand Jesus as the only true solution to human trafficking.

poster to be used around campus in the weeks leading up to the campaign

And pray for me as I provide visual resources for this campaign, that my work would effectively communicate and promote the event.

Stay tuned for more!