St. Joan of Arc Parish

St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church is one of the oldest churches in Mobile, Alabama, nestled in the Old Dauphin Way Historic District. However, since the closure of its elementary school, many in the area are unaware the parish was still open. With a dwindling and aging congregation, the pastor and Parish council wanted to make an effort to get the word out and attract the younger demographic that has been moving into the neighborhood over the last decade.

Client: St. Joan of Arc Parish

Scope: Brand Strategy, Visual Identity rebrand, Website Design and Promotional Campaign

Overview

St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church is one of the oldest churches in Mobile, Alabama. However, nestled within a historic neighborhood, many people remained unaware that it was open, or even there at all. The parish population has dwindled over the last few decades due to the shifting of the population of the midtown/downtown area, but a recent trend of younger families moving in to the neighborhood presents an opportunity for the parish to grow to larger numbers once again.

Challenge

St. Joan of Arc Parish lacked any logo or branding and had only a minimal, outdated online presence. This had been sufficient for the parish's older population, as they did not rely on the parish website for information, but in order to reach and appeal to the younger families that now reside within the parish's bounds, St. Joan needed a more modern brand with an attractive website highlighting the parish's assets.

Solution

For the logo, I crafted a wordmark featuring a modern, elegant serif font, incorporating a fleur-de-lis as a nod to both St. Joan's and the city of Mobile's French heritage. I also fashioned the O in Joan into a sword and shield, representative of the battle history for which St. Joan became known. When St. Joan of Arc parish included a school, its main color was emerald green, so I stayed true to that as the brand's primary color and complimented it with an array of softer colors, such as sage, celadon, rose, and silver grey. I rounded out the brand with several brand icons and patterns to be used throughout to further establish the look of St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church.

With the branding in place, I worked with copywriter Kim Cripps to develop messaging for both the website and an awareness campaign. The two launched at the same time, each driving and supporting the other. The website was a complete overhaul from the previous one, with the new branding applied and a new site map in place. In light of the awareness campaign being launched, I anticipated an influx of visitors to the site seeking information on the parish for the first time, so I created an "I'm New Here" tab to consolidate all of the information they need in one place. I also built the homepage to feature important information in an easy-to-find placement for an improved user experience over the previous site.

The awareness campaign consisted of yard signs promoting the two weekend Mass times and an invitation to the free Sunday Brunch, car decals for current parishioners, a social media push, and the pièce de résistance, a bespoke welcome kit hand-delivered to 150 neighbors in the church's surrounding streets two weeks before Easter Sunday. The welcome kit featured the campaign slogan "See You on Sunday!" and consisted of a branded prayer card and prayer candle, a St. Joan of Arc medal, and an informational piece about the parish inviting them to attend Mass and brunch at St. Joan of Arc, all packaged within a sturdy, custom-printed mailer box.

Results

The new branding was met with enthusiasm by the current parishioners, who were proud to have a brand they could identify with. They also appreciate the easy navigation on the new website and the ability to incorporate online giving, which is a feature the old website did not support. Attendance at Easter Sunday Mass following the welcome kits was the highest it had ever been, and they have sustained a 20% increase in Mass attendance in the weeks since.

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