Context
Freelance Project
Freelance Project
Roles
Creative Director | Project Manager | Visual Designer | Interaction Designer
Creative Director | Project Manager | Visual Designer | Interaction Designer
Timeframe
6 Months
6 Months
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Brief
Congregation Or Hadash is a dynamic, egalitarian, Conservative synagogue offering a warm, inclusive, spiritual Jewish environment. The synagogue needed a compelling and accessible new brand identity and web presence, which speaks to the Jewish values, learning, and welcoming community they have fostered over time.
How might we reimagine the Or Hadash identity and digital presence to best facilitate meaningful, personal connections to Jewish life for their users?
01
Brand Discovery
Stakeholder Input
We kicked off the project with a stakeholder intake workshop to assess the internal goals of the new brand and website with an emphasis on understanding Or Hadash’s values and vision for the future from leadership. We also conducted an in-depth interview with the head Rabbi of the congregation.
Community Input
We then spoke to members of the community in 1-1 interviews, and sent a survey out to the wider congregation to better understand what the users most needed and expected from a new website.
02
Identifying Themes
As a team we believe the research phase of the design process is incredibly important. Through research we sought to extract an essence and a voice for Or Hadash directly from the people who comprise the community. The interview data informed not just our visual design choices, but also a framework for talking about and expressing the essence of the organization.
Or Hadash operates from the roots up.
Or Hadash is theologically Conservative and takes pride in enabling spirituality through a tradition that is alive and flourishing, yet distinctly warm and human. Additionally, we listen for the voices of both the wisest elders and the youngest minds to enrich our practice and deepen our understanding of our faith.
Or Hadash welcomes you as you are.
Whether you come in jeans or your best Friday night outfit, with a new curiosity for Judaism or a background that is steeped in tradition, Or Hadash welcomes you. We foster a welcoming, judgement-free space that enables us to find value and meaning in you, as you are today.
Co-creation is the foundation of the Or Hadash community.
Or Hadash is a congregant-driven community of teachers and learners, where individual voices, talents, and wisdom come together to create a collective. This diversity in perspective nourishes the soul and mind alike.
03
Logo Concepts
Logo Selection & Iterations
After the initial logo design review, our stakeholders selected logo idea one for us to hone in on. We provided two more rounds of iterations focusing on the shape and feeling of the icon as well as color. The team happily landed on a final version of logo idea one which they felt truly spoke to the authentically Jewish, yet ever evolving nature of their community. A design which speaks to who they have been and who they are becoming.
04
Brand Definition
The outcomes of our research themes were distilled into the final brand guidelines document as a starting point to build out Or Hadash's communications, marketing material, and digital presence.
05
Website Redesign
Or Hadash needed a compelling and accessible web presence, which speaks to the Jewish values, learning, and welcoming community they have fostered on the ground and in person.
The website redesign consisted of re-examining the information architecture, re-envisioning the visual design and layout, and implementing the changes into a new host website. Fidelity of deliverables were scoped based on project budget.
Phase 1: Design Architecture
Phase 2: Design Look & Feel
Phase 3: Implementation
