Introduction:

Replicate Ministries exists to equip, educate, and empower the local church to make disciples through sound Biblical methods for training and replicating disciples. The methods have proven to effectively develop mature followers when implemented in the local church.

 

Replicate ministries needed a refresh when President/Founder Robby Gallaty became Senior Pastor at Long Hollow Baptist Church in Hendersonville, TN.

Process:

Eric Murrell, Communications Director at Long Hollow reached out to me over email to see if I could help with the project. In our initial emails we discussed the ministry needs for the logo refresh, project scope, and the project timeline. We got a contract underway and work began right away to meet the requested deadline. All materials necessary to the project’s success were sent ahead of time.

 

I extensively sketched and researched to explore all possibilities. Not all of my 80+ sketches were viable candidates, but the creation and iteration was necessary to confidently arrive at the final concept that was shown to the client. The final sketch was sent to the client in pencil, then confirmed as the direction.

The logo was digitally mocked up for client review, and final adjustments were made. The digital versions were mocked up in both print and digital contexts to determine viability, making sure the logo worked in all sizes and formats. Replicate Ministries had their own team to implement the logo and determine brand standards, so I did not create usage guidelines for this project. Once final approval was given on the logo and final payment was made, I sent all vector formats of the logo to the client (color, grayscale, reversed).

Goals:

  • Rebrand to just “Replicate,” and either make the “ministries” portion of the logo small, or leave it off entirely.
  • Keep brand colors as-is
  • Much of the ministry, books, and resources center around the concept of growth, so related imagery would be ideal.

 

Challenges:

  • This was a tight turnaround for a typical logo project, but because of the responsiveness and good direction from the client the timeline was not an issue.
  • Creating a simple, memorable icon can be difficult, especially when there is a request to incorporate other imagery, in this case growth. I found myself getting caught up in arrows and repeated forms but eventually found my way to the final iteration.

 

Reception:

The ministry was successfully relaunched and the brand transition felt seamless. You can see the new logo in action at https://replicate.org/

 

What I learned:

  • Researching and iterating by hand may not be the most refined way, but it is the most efficient. Being able to draw out concept after concept in my sketchbook too much less time than it would have on a computer, and I now have a physical log of ideas to reference and save for later.
  • Tight turnaround projects are not all bad if the client communicates effectively. Not all clients will understand the amount and timeliness of communication for tight turnaround projects, so it’s important to know whether or not your client will be this way before you accept the project.