Saint Andrew’s United Church Halifax

Saint Andrew's are a social justice community in the heart of Kjipuktuk Halifax, at the corner of Coburg and Robie.

Saint Andrew's sought to bring together diverse perspectives that intersect their community. A place of transformation, inclusion, safety, support, compassion, and healing.

All are welcome at Saint Andrew's. They practice active diversity and aim to be open, welcoming, and supportive of all those who enter our doors. The life and work of Saint Andrew's focuses on the expansive Church, not just Sunday morning. Community. Justice. Spirit.

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Challenge

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Exploration of social media provided a beautiful view of the church and spaces they can experience. There is a clear passion and love of space. The architectural elements of Saint Andrews is clearly embraced in mission, all its offerings and as a venue. Images of logo use collected though social media, website and provided samples showed inconsistency with overlapping typography of original logo not designed to provide easy and clear typographic description of church.

Currently the existing logo requires 12 colours to render in full colour which limits how it can be presented. Switching to black and white, the grey scale variant requires 8 levels of grey. With the reduction of colour and size the complexity of overlapping elements increases readability issues. The new design will remedy these issues as it will be a singular colour design. This will increase readability as well as an increased extensible brand to use with all backgrounds and colours.

Each symbol needs to represent aspects which combined make up the final logo. The archway is derived directly from the main architectural feature of Saint Andrew’s. Secondly, there are so many divisions/programs that Saint Andrew’s offers and the brand needs to be able to represent them all equally. It also needs to be ‘future proof’ so that as new programs are added the brand can grow with the changes. Lastly, the logo needs to represent the connectivity of all these elements. The people, the culture, and the communities it fosters.

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Solution

It's ALL Church. Saint Andrew’s is a progressive organization, wanting to move away from old-fashioned presentations of ‘church’ without the use of a literal cross. Hope that there is a nod to the existing logo is connected with the use of lines in a forward slant. Faith needs to be retained to the logotype in several ways. Suggestion of worship, through recognizable symbols within the line-work. The intersection of lines brings focus to intersectionality and by the very nature a nod to ‘Coburg & Robie’. Intersecting over lapping lines create visual cues to the other symbols, the ribbon a symbol of support, enveloping, and embracing. An angel, worshiper, open arms, and open doors.

A quick glance at the ligatures represent which a community made up of many different members of Saint Andrew’s community. Each letter form is connected to the next, inclusive, and growing as an ever-expanding mission. Focus on Saint Andrew’s as a centralized community, made stronger by everyone involved. Ligatures between letters are joined together to portrays “connection/community/intersectionality.” A revised arch has been created with geometric elements based on what is called, ‘sacred geometry’.

Sacred geometry ascribes symbolic and sacred meanings to certain geometric shapes and certain geometric proportions. It is associated with the belief that a god is the creator of the universal geometer. The geometry used in the design and construction of religious structures which in doing so has adopted as 'sacred'. The concept applies also to sacred spaces and the creation of religious and spiritual art.

A flexible design utilizing a contemporary font. Focus on Saint Andrew’s as a centralized community, made stronger by everyone involved. Ligatures between letters join together to form the whole. Progressive, moving away from old-fashioned presentations of ‘church’ without the use of literal cross. While it is a religious architectural element, the arch signifies the opening to new perspectives, a curved symmetrical structure spanning an opening and typically supports weight. A symbol of strength, of the community, the resolve of Saint Andrew’s mission.

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  • Visual identity, narrative, and brand documentation
  • Collateral creation
  • Posters and flyer concepts
  • Signage
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I was thrilled to work with Frank again! He has the unique ability to distill scope, tone, and overall direction of a project quickly and, with impeccable research, created a stunning logo and brand framework. Frank interpreted varied instructions to produce this beautiful work that captured the heart of what we were trying to communicate, indicating a deep understanding of the vision underpinning the project. I am immensely grateful and appreciative of his support and contribution to the community at Saint Andrew’s.
Thunder Shanti Narooz van Egteren ~ Operations Manager Saint Andrew's Halifax
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Frank Orlando

A senior communications professional with three decades of client experience. An instructor at Nova Scotia College of Art and Design University and lecturer of communication design, technology and illustration. Principal of Orlando Media Company, a creative practice providing strategic direction, creative vision, and human focused branding.