REBRAND
When an institution has been around since 1876,
a complete rebrand raises unique challenges.
BRANDING
STRATEGY
VOICE/TONE
VIDEO
AWARENESS CAMPAIGN
ART DIRECTION
DESIGN
THE CHALLENGE
Calvin Theological Seminary, like many graduate-level schools, was facing a recognition problem.
Yes - reaching through to new audiences, but also recognition and clear identity for their alumni, donors, and supporters.
While their former logo represented their posture of learning, three barriers were increasingly apparent​​
former logo
Calvin Seminary didn't talk about Calvin Seminary.
Calvin was the only option for people entering ministry to be ordained through the parent denomination. When this changed two decades ago, the residual tradition and behavior carried on - but in recent years the narrative of who, what, and why of the Seminary was being owned by those outside the Seminary and Constituency, often incorrectly.
APPROACH
When an institution has been around for nearly 150 years, tradition runs deep.
Surveys of alumni are important, not for asking what they like or dislike about the brand, but rather what they would like from their alma mater. What part can the Seminary still play in their career and life?
From these qualitative answers we can extrapolate their desires and needs - what emotions or thoughts can we cue when they encounter Calvin Seminary? Then how do we support that ideal in both communications and visual identity?
Similarly, many qualitative conversations with the administration office, key faculty members, and the development office led to key concepts:
Place, Service, Relevancy & Belonging
COMPETITORS
Gradute level theological education is not known for it's visual creativity. And research into 'competition' reinforces that perception. Shields, crosses, Bibles, shields with crosses, crosses with Bibles, Bibles on shields, or the occasional dove or torch comprise many other seminary idenificaiton, with one or two exceptions, there isnt much that other's arent doing. Knowing our charge was to develop an icon that represents Calvin Seminary, while projecting an ideal, all while being identifiably different than other seminaries was our challenge, So we looked at the key concepts and how they interact.
DIRECTION
“Buildings at the University of Chicago, buildings at Yale — they want to impress you ... And implicitly, there’s a sense of: ‘Do I deserve to be here? Is this building for me? Am I good enough?’
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“[Calvin] is different, it ‘doesn’t suggest a kind of mastery of the surrounding landscape, ... It’s not hierarchical. It’s a very peaceful, coexisting form of architecture.’
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...whatever is going to happen on this campus, it will matter in the present, not in the past. And, implicitly, it will matter in the future.”
-Calvin Chimes, Oct 2022
The Calvin campus WAS DESIGNED FOR THE STUDENT EXPERIENCE​
The buildings “get out of the way,” and offer a beautiful, memorable space for gathering, study, worship, and reflection, welcoming all who enter. That is the design goal of Prairie Architecture: the focus isn't on the grandeur, but rather to both be in-cotext in the environment and to facilitate the community interactions within.
Architectural space has the potential to greatly influence the student and faculty experience. Space shapes the character of a community and can aid in growing a sense of belonging and formation.
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This includes distance and hybrid students as they visit for intensives, special events, and graduation. Just like the in-person student body, they come to identify with Calvin Theological Seminary as a place of holistic formation, reading students for service in the church.
NEW logo
Elegant but approachable, The icon takes design cues from the Calvin Seminary welcome center, echoing a sense of place. Students, alumni, and stakeholders are reminded of walking in the front doors and the formation they receive within the Seminary's walls - both physical and digital.
While the new logo has a completely new icon, the seal remains a part of the official marketing and style guide. It sets the Seminary apart from other theological schools as it illustrates an action rather than a concept. Because of the difficulties in scaling, the use of the seal is primarily for printed assets or as space and design allow in digital spaces. It will no longer be paired with the word mark but will be incorporated as a design element.
INSPIRATION
“Architecture is basically a container of something.
I hope they will enjoy not so
much the teacup, but the tea.”
- Yoshio Taniguchi, Architect
MORE THAN AN IMAGE REFRESH
In addition to the visual identity, we worked with key stakeholders to create voice and tone guidelines for multiple audience segments. The key for each segment was changing from 'speaking at' them to 'speaking with' them. We formed the Seminary communication from the audience's point of view, inviting them to participate in Calvin Seminary to advance their journey and calling. This is different than the features and benefits language that was primarily used earlier.
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In addition, we helped sharpen the Mission and Vision statement into a clear expression accessible to a general audience and created a value proposition statement to inspire supporters and alumni.
