Brief from Creative Inc:
Design a new identity for the Abbey Presbyterian Church in Parnell Square, including a new mark, and demonstrate how it would translate onto a promotional poster.
Following decades of steady decline in the Irish membership, the Abbey experienced an injection from the sudden immigration of the 90s. Although this is changing again with the economic downturn, the current congregation has settled to a pattern: 50% Irish (but declining) and 50% foreign national (remaining steady and representing 25 nationalities).
The new identity should be a contemporary reflection of how the Abbey communicates with its local community both today and in the future. It should carry a warm, engaging and inclusive tone and present a more positive image and hope filled message. Energy and engagement are key emotive aspects to the new image.
You are required to present an A3 poster portrait with the specific objective of promoting the church’s Coffee Morning Fridays, where parents and children of different cultures and backgrounds can come to meet and socialise. The design of this poster should be a direct realisation of the proposed identity solution.
The current building (and by extension the congregation) might be perceived as cold, closed and conservative; the proposed identity should counteract this by carrying a modern and welcoming tone.
While speaking in a contemporary language, the identity should still represent a Protestant church. It should show pride through a confident, positive identity that is a reinterpretation of tradition rather than a refusal.
The mark draws inspiration from the motifs over the church windows, which are all constructed from circular arcs. The bigger figures are based on pentagons, while smaller ones are derived from triangles and squares.
The Reuleaux triangle is a curve constructed using circular arcs from the vertices of an equilateral triangle. It is soft and sharp at the same time (tying in with the intended strategy), and its more interesting property is that it can be perfectly fitted within a square regardless of its orientation. The mark is constructed from five Reuleaux triangles representing a bond, while the negative space in between generates a star.
Each of these five elements is shown in a different colour to represent diversity, appealing to the multi-cultural character of the quarter around Parnell Square. The tones of the logo are derived from liturgical colours and produce a vibrant impression when clustered together.
The typefaces complement the symbol with a contemporary flair. The name 'Abbey Church' is set in a modified version of Aleo, a sleek typeface with semi-rounded serifs. Open Sans, a popular typeface for mobile interfaces, is proposed for all text applications.
Instead of designing a standalone poster, the project outlines an overall system that can be used to generate posters for a whole range of events.
This system is based on a symmetrical layout over a clean white background, with prominent use of text. The use of photography or illustration has been avoided; abstract motifs based on the mark evoke symbols and elements relating to the theme of the poster without depicting them explicitly.
Language is essential to the proposed design concept. The posters are dominated by the title of the event, followed by the specific details (when, where) and the text ‘Everyone welcome’ in bold type. The austere use of colour throughout the poster concentrates attention on the more vivid Abbey Church mark near the bottom.
The graphic shapes within the poster could vary in colour depending on the liturgical season. The graphic motifs would follow the symmetrical structure of the poster for the liturgical celebrations, while adopting a more dynamic composition for less formal events.
