LogoLounge 5

LogoLounge 5

44

What is a church? Is it simply an organization? A building? A shelter or

concept?

These are questions that church organizers wrestle with all of the time.

For the staff of Grace Cathedral, a 100-year-old Gothic cathedral that sits,

solemn and imposing, on San Francisco’s landmark Nob Hill, the answers

were not exactly what they wanted. The building itself is a magnifi cent city

icon, but its historic architecture did not exactly present a welcoming face.

In fact, the structure presented just the sort of scowly, stiff, somehow judg-

mental face that many city residents moved to San Francisco to escape.

But behind the cathedral doors, the picture is much different. The church

is progressive and active in the city community. Its staff works hard to

involve all peoples and to create a place of discussion. In short, they want

to change the paradigm of what a church is: not a fortress, but a comfort-

able haven where all are welcome and nurtured.

Still, there’s the issue of the actual architecture—beautiful, but potentially

off-putting. Even the church’s centenarian status carried some stodgy

baggage: How relevant could a 100-year-old church be?

But the celebration of the landmark’s anniversary and the press it would

generate also offered the opportunity for a positive change in direction.

Church organizers decided that a contemporary anniversary logo, one that

could have life after the actual event, might help people better understand

that the organization is a living organism, not a museum.

“It’s not just a castle,” says Ty Mattson of Mattson Creative. He became

involved with the project through the now-defunct fi rm Templin Brink.

Mattson was intrigued with how the identity project bridged faith and cul-

ture. The church did have an existing logo—a modern representation of a

Gothic cathedral—but Mattson describes it as menacing. “It was the kind

of mark that had all of the stigma of a closed-door sort of church. Which

is not what they desired to communicate. They wanted to represent their

open-door policy and how they reach out to the community. The new logo

The new logo and identity that Mattson Creative developed for

Grace Cathedral in San Francisco delivers a progressive, welcom-

ing message that the building’s architecture might not. While the

landmark might be imposing, the church’s organizers wanted

everyone to know that it is a friendly, caring place.

Project

Client

Design Firm

Logo Design

Grace Cathedral, San Francisco

Mattson Creative

The church wanted to represent its open-door

policy and how it reaches out to the community.

TEXT

Black

(Provision RP) Logo Lounge 5

CD309-61 / 4255 2nd proof2nd proof

LL5 044-057_NC_.indd 44 LL5 044-057_NC_.indd 44 3/13/09 7:36:21 AM3/13/09 7:36:21 AM