THE LITTLE COUNTRY CHURCH
THE CLIENT:
THE LITTLE COUNTRY CHURCH
TLCC is a denominational church with two locations just outside of Houston, Texas, which happens to also be my home church. In 2020, I offered to share my gifts of graphic design and web design to revamp our branding and digital presence. This was during the covid-19 pandemic, so churches were opening up to expanding their digital reach, and it was important that we create a professional looking brand and user experience.
Our church is very unique, in that we have a very down to earth, southern hospitality, kind of voice with a friendly and welcoming atmosphere. Our main campus is also located on 100 acres, “out in the country”, and our name is a bit of an oxymoron—we are a country church, but we are not little.
It was important for us to create a clean and cohesive feel between all of the various moving parts that make up the church experience. From the time you walk in the front door (see pic below), to the various printed materials and church merch, to the website and digital presence, everything is designed to make everyone feel welcomed, seen, and heard.
It was also important that we create a platform for our pastor, online. Pastor Jerry has a very specific (and incredible) personality, that you really can only describe if you’ve experienced him speak. So establishing him as the “face of the digital brand” enabled us to reach a larger audience with his dynamic and impactful messages.
There were/are over 20 ministries at TLCC, and each received its own sub-brand, web page, and private Facebook group!
All in all, this was a large project and a complete success! I’m super proud of how it turned out! And they were so pleased, they brought me on part time to run the creative department at the church!
Now I manage everything from maintaining the website, designing miscellaneous printed collateral items, managing the social media accounts and Google Business Profile, ordering church merch, designing sermon slides and announcement slides, and more!
THE PROJECT:
• BRAND DESIGN
• PRINT DESIGN
• WEB DESIGN
• DIGITAL PRESENCE JUMPSTART
• DIGITAL MARKETING
CUSTOM BRAND DESIGN
The Custom Brand Experience included the following personalized, foundational, intentionally designed brand elements: a primary logo design, multiple secondary logo designs, various custom graphics, font combinations, and a color palette.
Since our church has 2 locations, we differentiate between the two by applying different brand colors: the New Caney Campus is primarily Orange and the Crosby Campus is primarily Teal.
These strategically-designed visual details prioritize the brand’s unique offer(s), vision, and goals. Together they help establish the foundation required for creating marketing content and materials, managing ongoing marketing efforts, and business success in the years to come.
PRINTED COLLATERAL
The Custom Brand Experience included a variety of collateral designs, including a business card, brochures , rack cards, ebooks, promotional items, and more.
Applying brand elements to customized printed collateral is a simple way to round out a brand’s design and elevate a customer’s experience.
CUSTOM SQUARESPACE WEBSITE
The Custom Web Design Experience includes a one-of-a-kind Squarespace web design. By approaching web development strategically—keeping in mind the business goals, the experience of the audience or user, and basic search engine preferences—you can be sure the end result is both aesthetically pleasing and highly functional.
This was a very extensive website build. There is lots of information to education prospective visitors, new members, existing members, new believers, potential volunteers, and anyone else who is interested in learning more.
We included access to the most recent livestreamed sermon, with access to watch live, too. There’s a collection of minsitries and groups, each with their own pages. There’s a resource center with free downloads and others educational materials. One of our members writes and maintains our blog. We also included the option to give tithe and offerings online, submit prayer requests and submit praise reports! The church merch is available to purchase online. There’s an event calendar. And so much more!
Digital Announcement Slides
I also help design and maintain the digital announcements for our church activities and events. Below is an example of the slides that roll prior to church services.
DIGITAL PRESENCE JUMPSTART
The Custom Brand Design Experience included a Digital Presence Jumpstart, which consists of the setup and stylizing of a Google Business Profile, two social media accounts, two industry-specific listing site accounts, and a custom email signature design.
Creating a custom, brand-conscious aesthetic for these essential digital platforms, in addition to launching a new website, is a pivotal step in establishing a digital presence and brand awareness that will jumpstart any future marketing efforts.