New Look, New Website!
The Northwestern Ohio Synod will unveil it’s new look and website at the 2011 Synod Assembly! The Synod worked with freelance graphic designer and web developer Erik Teichmann to create a new identity, and to create a new website.
The Logo
The new brand mark for the Northwestern Ohio Synod represents exactly what our synod is — a collection of congregations, all unique, journeying together, strengthening, challenging, and supporting one another in a life centered on the Cross of Christ. The blue color scheme recalls the waters of baptism, reminding us of our calling to have a part in God’s mission to the world. The varying colored squares invoke the image of a traditional stained glass window. And of course, the cross created by our mosaic of congregations is centered in the Northwest portion of the mark.
The logotype accompanying the mark is a combination of different styles. The letterforms are traditional, but shed the serifs of old-fashioned typefaces, giving us a friendly and modern feel, while retaining the beauty of traditional typography.
The Website
The new nwos-elca.org is based on cutting edge technology, incorporating brand new custom features specifically geared toward the needs of the leaders, congregations, members and communities of this synod.
Foremost among these is the Congregational Directory, coming online next week. This feature will provide a “micro-site” for each congregation of the Northwestern Ohio Synod, with the ability to add text describing a congregation, contact information, service times and programs, a church photo, and interactive maps. Visitors to the site can search congregations by name, text, or location, including a large “church finder” interactive map, where users can simply enter their address or zip code and be pointed to the nearest congregation.
Other features include a staff and rostered leader directory, download repository, prayer requests, blogs, synod calendar, and social media integration, as well as our most wanted item, search!
With our new look and functionality, we are also endeavoring to better organize our content. Over the coming weeks, content from our old website will be reworked and organized into the new format. For the time being, the old site is still available at archive.nwos-elca.org. If you’re having trouble finding something, please be sure to let us know.
Best of all, our new site is running on a Content Management System (CMS), which will enable our staff to more easily post new information and keep older content up-to-date.
Thanks for reading, and come back often to see our progress!
2 Comments
Thanks everybody for the opportunity to work with you! This has been such a fun project to work on!
The site looks wonderful! Great work, Erik!
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