Your brand identity is not a trend (or it shouldn't be)

I just read a post by Ryan Imel over at Church Communications Pro about “Make Your Church Logo a Flexible Logo” and I think Ryan has some great ideas but I would disagree on some of his points.

First, branding is not a trend that we change like dirty underwear. The reason John Deere, Coke, Nike, BMW, and Harley Davidson are globally known brands is because of consistency. There is no doubt that these companies have adapted their logo and image over the long haul but the core of the brand has always been concrete. If they changed every time there was a culture shift then we may not know them as we do today. But then remember that a brand is not just a logo – it is the attitude, the style, the beliefs and emotional experience of the total package.

You should have a logo or brand identity developed that can stand the test of time. Trends come and go and you may look cool and hip today but be an ancient relic a year from now. I agree that your logo should be one that can easily be adapted to bean bags, t-shirts, a wall mural or sign, or even look great as a tattoo (and this is all more difficult than you think) but be careful of modifying it just to be creative. One of the biggest mistakes I see in branding, advertising, and marketing is that people always want to change things up in order to be creative, but if you are always changing your brand image it will be almost impossible for people to “see” you. You can become a chameleon and blend in with the environment – which is not what you want to do!

Your brand and your identity also needs to reflect who you really are. I love the weathered look and some of the cool effects you can do in Photoshop and Illustrator. I love that there are unlimited ways you can communicate your brand image to the people inside and outside your church. However, it would behoove you to make absolutely sure that it matches up to who you truly are. If you “tell” people through your branding and marketing efforts that you are a young, exciting, and emerging church and they walk in and see the Great Depression you are going to bear some bad fruit every time.

What I want to leave you with is that there is nothing wrong with being flexible and open to change with your logo (especially if it stinks) but to be wary of trends and changing just to be all things to all people with your brand. There are new rules and ideas of value, but there are also old ones we need to remember because they are proven and are a solid foundation to build upon.

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