You may notice our brand is updated, including a new website, logo, mission, vision and colors. The RS staff, in conjunction with our communication team, Morse Brown Creative, have been laboring for months to craft what you now see. I hope you love it as much as we do!
In reworking the RS communication elements I knew that we needed a mark and online presence that was an extension of our real work and vision of veneration (read about Veneration and the work of RS in my previous blog post).
Choosing the color and style for the website, especially the new patterns required much thought and prayer. The new brand had to honor our history and founders Fr. Alexii, his wife, Matushka Michaela, Mother Nicole and others (read more about our founding here). The brand needed to feel indigenous to our community and clients so it could be 'theirs' also; it needed to cast a vision for the future while incorporating the aesthetic of the historic buildings and peoples around 31st and Troost and it had to reflect the Orthodox Christian faith that is the heart of our work. The vibrancy of the cultures around us and the strength of our clients, as well as the history of racism and struggle for dignity all played a role in shaping the visual language of our brand.
Crafting a new mark for RS was really fun. As a logo it emphasizes RS, rather than our full name, as that is how we are known on Troost (friends from long, long ago in the community still lovingly call us "the bookstore" from time to time too, remember when Desert Wisdom Bookstore used to be in main lobby instead of on the side). The new RS logo emphasizes our mission; revealing something hidden - the strength of those we serve and the work of reconciliation. It also was influenced by the iconography of Eastern Orthodoxy.
This website is less about RS than it is a gallery of living icons; people who have found strength within themselves and healing at RS. I hope you will take time to read their stories and celebrate with us each month the miraculous taking place in our community. Get to know our friends and neighbors at RS right here on RS3101.org. Thank you for your continued prayer and support.
Fr Justin