Capitol Hill Church Banner

OVERVIEW

Challenge

The Capitol Hill Church asked me to design a banner that would commemorate their 50th anniversary. They wanted something that could highlight the growth of their church in the last 50 years and that could be pointed to during sermons.

Goal

The goals of this project were:

• Highlight the brand that the church has been establishing for 5 decades.
• Not be distracting if it is put up while the paster is preaching.
• Be engaging for both regular members and newcomers to the church.

Role

I was the graphic designer and consultant for the Capitol Hill Seventh-day Adventist Church.

⁰¹ Research & Empathise

Company Research

For this project, I looked at the Capitol Hill Church website. In order to get an understanding of the image that they have built for themselves.

⁰² Define the Problem

The problem was that they need a retractable banner that is visually impactful but also doesn’t draw attention from who is using it Another problem that arises later in the process, and that will be addressed in more detail, is the fact that they also needed someone to connect them to a printer or printing service.

⁰³ Ideation

Initial Thoughts

To get ideas flowing, I sketched out possible designs that would suit their needs based on banner designs that I had researched. After that, I was able to look through them all and see which ones I would continue with and eventually show to the client as drafts.

Banner Sketches: Thought Generation Exercise

Visual Research: Colour

The colours I chose were meant to highlight the church’s brand colours. I added some neutral browns as a base, however, as the design progressed I chose to black over brown where a neutral colour was needed.

Colour Style Guide

Visual Research: Typography

Mundail is used throughout the entire design. Its is the font that I believe most closely matched their website font while also giving me access to a variety of weights.

Visual Design

Using the colour pallet I initially created, I worked on the first draft of the banner. As you go through the client mainly chose to use the blue colour in their brand. In the final version the pallet uses a darker version of that blue, gold and white. The design also creates emphasis through changing font weights and slight drop shadows.

Capitol Hill Church Banner Drafts

⁰⁴ What’s Next

The client had to find a way to get this design printed. My job in this was looking at a few options and picking the one that suited the client best. As a result I chose Venmo because of their accessibility and ease to use since I have used them on other projects I have done in the past. As a designer it is important to guide your client through the sometimes hectic printing process.

CONCLUSION

Summary

Outcome & Lessons Learned
The final result is a banner that is low key but still engaging. What I learned through this was to not be rigid in your plans. Every designer knows that you need to switch gears from time to time but we also tend to treat each design like our first born child and are loath to change them. however as you can see, the positions of elements, colours and sizing all changed throughout the process – and that’s a good thing.

Final Thoughts
Designing this banner was a rewarding experience. It tested my use of hierarchy, colour and layout in a way that yielded a marvelous outcome.