Centre Street Church
Website & Brand Update
Centre Street is a multi-ethnic community of faith located in Calgary, Canada. At a time when the COVID-19 pandemic limited what was possible in person, the church desired to build a new website that could be a space for people in their region to find support and connection online. What started as a website redesign expanded into an updated brand system.
Project Goals
& Challenges
During the onset of the COVID pandemic, Centre Street was one of many churches that turned to digital spaces for worship and building community. Its goal was for the new website to be an extension of the in-person experience a guest might have at one of its campuses. Yet early on in the project, we learned that there was a disconnect between the identity Centre Street used for its communications and the way it felt to actually be there in person. I proposed changes to add warmth, greater flexibility, and a sense of place that would also create continuity with the aesthetics of the church’s newer campuses.
The Design Process
We used wireframes to help the Centre Street team develop simplified, audience-driven pathways for connecting and building community, iterating many times to think through user flow and build stakeholder buy-in. I worked out the new brand system through the website design, prioritizing mobile experience for the many users who would mainly interact with it on their phones. I also created brand guidelines to help the Centre Street team adopt and implement changes across their ecosystem.
Project Impact
COVID shut-downs, staff turnover, multiple stakeholders, and a complex church management system led to an extended project timeline, but the website launched in the second half of 2023. Because of this work, Centre Street has been able to accomplish its goal of providing guests and members ways to connect and worship with greater continuity and flexibility. I’m proud of how my team was able to address both the explicit and unspoken needs of the project to support Centre Street in serving its community.