October 1, 2013
Branding a religion is a delicate business! Our studio was blessed to win the contract with the Perth Anglican Diocese this past year. And what a formidable challenge! Roland was guided by Hamish Milne, Director of Diocesan Services & Diocesan Registrar, to consolidate and modernize the Anglican Diocese brand and its 100 plus parishes around W.A. Of course, what a delight for Roland to meet Perth’s Archbishop Roger Herft as part of the process.
Graphic Design appears everywhere in our every day lives. Whether it’s to sell us a chocolate bar, buy a car or tell us what direction to go on a Freeway. We don’t think of our local parishes and churches as needing a brand to reach out to their audience. Searching for spiritual insight is a timeless thing, but institutions need to keep up with the evolving demands that society has on its people: sparking an interest, staying relevant and being accessible to all. Religions must stay relevant to their people in our dynamic and complicated society, as our needs, circumstances and views constantly evolve. The identity of the Church needs to convey its relevance to the community.
“The Anglican Church Diocese of Perth approached Roland Butcher Design in February 2010 to advise the Diocese about creating a consistent visual identity that reflected a fresh, modern Church,” Mr Milne said. “Over the next few months, Roland met with the Bishops and Senior Management team to present ideas and concepts. Over time an image emerged that reflected the aspirations of the Diocese while retaining the key elements of the existing Diocesan coat of arms. The new ‘diocesan logo’ was adopted in October 2010.”
Of the Anglican Diocese’s experience with the branding, Hamish Milne added: “Since launching the new logo, Roland Butcher Design has assisted with the development of a visual identity standards document and has been very responsive to requests for assistance with implementation. Roland has been an invaluable resource to our organisation throughout the entire project.”
Our studio continues to assist the Diocese with applications of the branding, and we are very lucky to be working with such a terrific team. Of working with Hamish and his team, Roland said: “It’s interesting to find that the organisational structure has many similarities to other businesses. I found that discussions on symbolism were very interesting and naturally there was a great deal of sensitivity in that area. I found that the group were very eloquent and clear and cohesive about the different qualities they represented. It helps when everyone is working in unison and pulling in the same direction on a project. It was fun, and they were open to concepts which were contemporary, playful and modern.”