Catholic Counselors Brand
Logo & Branding | 2019
As Catholic Counselors celebrated its 20th anniversary of providing thousands of hours of telephone-based psychotherapy to Christians around the globe, I knew it was time to take the brand in a dynamically different direction. Having watched the growth of the company from the inside (my dad founded the company when I was 6), and having begun working for Catholic Counselors as a licensed psychotherapist in 2018, this project was exceedingly important to me.
After significant contemplation, I developed a new logo combining two symbols that create one unified mark: the rising sun and the silhouettes of Jesus with Simon of Cyrene. The sun, depicted as cresting over the horizon, gives the impression of hope--no matter how dark the night may seem, the sun will always rise. This message of hope is central to the mission of Catholic Counselors. The religious imagery, on the other hand, is inspired by the Fifth Station of the Cross (when Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus carry his cross) as depicted in the Chapel of Simon of Cyrene on the Via Dolorosa, a processional route in the Old City of Jerusalem. The presence of these figures represent not only the faith-filled orientation of the company, but also the manner by which they serve their clients: by helping them carry the crosses of life, one step at a time, towards the hope and wholeness that Christ promises.
The primary colors—gold and a deep teal—are inspired by the aforementioned sun themes and the colors of natural growth, botanicals and water. Similarly, the central pattern and associated illustrative details hint at the psychological as well as the religious. Although the sun at the center of the pattern is clearly drawn from the logo, it is surrounded by polygons that represent the cellular structure of serotonin, the “happiness” neurotransmitter. Finally, the sun is fully risen, representing the completion of the therapeutic process.
