Temple Israel
Project Summary
The client, Temple Israel, asked for a complete rebrand of their visual identity and branding system. The new identity system would be applied across all of their platforms and materials. The first stage of the process involved extensive research. Through a series of discussions with the Temple Israel clergy and staff, I began to understand who Temple Israel is as an institution, where they see themselves going in the future, and what they want to communicate to the community. I determined that Temple Israel’s previous brand identity felt outdated and that there was a disconnect between the design and the messaging.
For my process, I began by exploring various logo iterations, typefaces, and color combinations, and I then moved into applying my design to the various branches of the congregation. The design changes that I proposed would allow Temple Israel to embody a greater sense of modernity and elegance while still retaining a connection to their traditions and heritage. At the forefront of my design will be the core values of community, evolution, unity, and inclusivity.
The previous Temple Israel logo and tagline, which I did not find successful. In particular, I found the overlay of the text on the Star of David distracting and it made the logo look crowded and unintentional.
Historical Background
Temple Israel is a large, Reform congregation in West Bloomfield, Michigan. Temple Israel was established by Rabbi Fram in 1941 as a Zionist leaning temple during a critical time for Jewish life in America. As World War II was raging and the Jewish people across the globe faced persecution, discrimination, and genocide, Temple Israel offered a home for Jews and opened its doors to the community.
At its founding, Temple Israel had only 600 members. It is now the largest Reform congregation in the United States, with a membership of 3,000 families, or around 10,000 individuals. Temple Israel has demonstrated a commitment to constant evolution, growth, and revival of Jewish traditions. They were the first Reform congregation in the Metro-Detroit area to introduce a cantor to services, the first to restore the tradition of bar mitzvah, and the first to give girls a bat mitzvah in the 1950s. At the end of the 1970s, the temple bought land in West Bloomfield and moved into the location that would become the new home for the Temple Israel.
Logo Iterations
For all of my sketches, I knew that I wanted the Star of David to feature prominently in the logo due to its significance in the Jewish faith and its status as the most recognizable symbol of Judaism.
Final Logo
I decided to connect all of the elements in the logo - both words and the Star of David symbol - in order to represent the interconnectedness of each member within the congregation and the sense of community created by Temple Israel. Furthermore, the negative space created between the text and symbol creates an arrow-like form, representing how Temple Israel is always moving forward and constantly evolving. While the modernity present in this logo is a departure from Temple Israel’s old version, I kept a similar blue and white color theme in order to allow for change without completely abandoning the history and heritage of Temple Israel. Finally, I created a series of repeating triangle forms that mirror each other in both the Star of David symbol and the letterforms to create a sense of unity and balance.
Stationery
The stationery consists of a letterhead, business cards, envelope, and notebook.
Web Design
The web layout is a clean, modern, and inviting design that highlights both Temple Israel’s progressiveness and inclusivity. The word “welcome” features prominently on the page, making a clear statement to everybody who visits the site that they will be made to feel welcome within the Temple Israel community.
Assets
These logos and color pairings are to be used to create distinct identities for these individual assets within Temple Israel.
Posters
I began by focusing on the triangle shapes present in the logo to experiment with repeating shapes to create a mosaic-inspired pattern. I wanted to represent the idea that despite all the triangles being different sizes, colors, and orientations, they all fit together to create a cohesive whole, just as the members of Temple Israel come together within the congregation to form a welcoming and diverse community.
Covid Care Package
To demonstrate their commitment to public health, Temple Israel will give out masks and hand sanitizers at the socially distanced events held throughout the summer. They will also be part of a care package given out in conjunction with the vaccination program.
Merchandise
All of the merchandise is based upon the primary colors of Temple Israel to create a cohesive brand and foster a sense of unity among the various products.
Signage
The Temple Israel signage is bold, clear, and striking- making it visible and easily legible even at a distance.
Closing
Throughout this design process, I was truly able to develop a deep understanding of the history, ethos, and future goals of Temple Israel. Temple Israel is a congregation that strives to make a difference, that prides itself on diversity, community, and inclusivity. It is critical for the Temple’s brand identity to measure equally in excellence to the Temple itself in order to be able to foster the community and draw in more people to the congregation.