“It’s not often we write about a church rebrand, but this is truly one-of-a-kind. Executed with finesse by design studio Omse, the new identity for Hackney Church truly speaks to its community in London’s creative hub and beyond. After the church won a multi-million-pound restoration grant, the rector and team worked with John Pawson Architects on the building’s redesign, featuring an entrance installation by Es Devlin. With such esteemed creative collaborators already involved, the pressure was on Omse to create a brand befitting its multifaceted role in the local area.” (Jenny Brewer, It’s Nice That, 2020)
During Fall 2020, Hackney Church reopened their doors after numerous lockdowns due to COVID-19. With the warmest welcome, they opened their doors to The People of East London, bearing in mind the ongoing social distancing restrictions. Being the first church in all of London to gather in-person & safely within the government’s guidelines, it meant the entire team working on the rebrand, the Comms/Marketing team & the wider creative team needed to foster a strong attention to detail for visual communication.
We brought all social platforms, newsletters and the website to life by curating fun & visually engaging content utilising the foundation of the rebrand. In addition to our online comms, we executed physical deliverables with bold: static signage, disposable leaflets, merchandise, etc.
“For the Kids of East London program, [Omse] worked with Joseph Melhuish who designed characters based on real-life members of the church.” (Jenny Brewer, It’s Nice That, 2020)
It was such a surreal experience working with Omse, let alone Joseph Melhuish adjacent, on The Kids of East London. Specifically, during screening the designs for final delivery — I contributed by helping refine the design of one of the kids (girl on far right).