SOLUTION: I was engaged by Discovery Church to provide a full suite of creative direction services aimed at reinforcing their brand name, creating cohesive and consistent messaging, while revitalizing their digital presence. Over the course of four years, from 2020 to 2024, I worked closely with their team to develop and execute a branding strategy that would not only serve the church's immediate needs but also set them up for long-term growth and engagement.

 

Brand Message Redirect & Storybrand Development: I began by establishing a clear reprioritization of their brand messaging that would reflect both the church's core values and its outreach aspirations.

 

Using the StoryBrand framework, I refined the church’s messaging to ensure it captured the essence of 'discovery,' while placing the audience as the hero of their own story, keeping the language easy to connect with.

 

This approach involved identifying the church’s primary and tertiary audiences, defining their key problems, and positioning Discovery Church as a friendly guide to help them discover their story, experience Jesus, and live to rescue.

 

By frontloading the message with 'Stay curious, friends...', I shifted the missional language internally, lowering the guard of a community skeptical of religion and offering them permission to discover their story and experience Jesus without pressure.

 

Creative Direction & Graphic Design: With the brand messaging in place, I matched the creative and somewhat winsome messaging with a visual elasticity that could connect with both the de-churched and unchurched, while refining visual assets such as logo lock-ups, social media templates, and marketing materials accordingly. This revised design language was applied across both digital and print collateral, ensuring that Discovery's communication was unified across all platforms for optimal outreach.

 

Website Redesign: Recognizing the need for an updated, more user-friendly, story-driven online experience that served as the face and the voice of the brand before future guests would walk through the door, I completely redesigned the church’s website to reflect this new expression of Discovery. The updated site was optimized with special attention for mobile users, featuring content layout that made it easier for visitors to access key information, stream services, and engage with the church’s ministries.

Sermon Branding & Messaging: Since 1996, I have specialized in sermon branding, creating the first-ever sermon graphics portal to hit the market in 1998. I brought over two decades of that expertise to Discovery, with each sermon series being conceptualized in collaboration with the pastoral staff. This provided a unique, well-crafted message and identity that deeply reflected the pastor's vision for communication, heart for the people, and theological imperatives. This process included designing series graphics and motion elements for use across social media, print, and digital channels, as well as collaborating with the lighting engineers to create environmental impact.

 

Social Media Content Creation: To expand their digital reach, I developed a content strategy that leveraged social media platforms, not only creating the graphics but also writing content that was relevant to the cultural issues of the time. This strategy proved so impactful that we had a variety of guests visit as a result of how the social content connected powerfully with the website and onsite experience. 

 

'Discovery Anywhere' Covid At-Home Brand: When the COVID-19 pandemic forced in-person services to move online, I created a COVID-considerate 'At-Home' brand called 'Discovery Anywhere.' This included branding elements for virtual services, online engagement campaigns, and resources that allowed the church to maintain connection with its congregation during the shutdowns. The brand was designed to provide a sense of hope during a time of isolation, while also reinforcing the church’s commitment to its mission to reach the outer parts of the earth.

 

Study Guide Direction & Podcast Name + Concept: In addition to sermon branding, I helped prepare the church’s study guide content for small groups, ensuring each guide was visually appealing, on-message, and easy to follow. I also assisted in developing a podcast name and concept designed to expand the church's reach through fresh and relevant audio and video content that went beyond the weekend offering. This podcast enabled the church to engage members in a new format while providing biblical perspectives on a wider range of topics and reaching broader audiences.

 

RESULTS: The rebranding efforts resulted in a significant increase in online engagement and a recapturing of a portion of physical attendance. The church’s new website saw a 47% increase in unique visitors, a 33% increase in returning guests, and their social media channels gained a 28% boost in followers. The branding transformation helped Discovery Church connect with new visitors while maintaining a strong relationship with existing members. The "Discovery Anywhere" brand became a key tool in keeping the community engaged during the pandemic, while the podcast and study guides allowed for deeper discipleship and connection beyond Sunday services.