The Sanctuary

A sanctuary, in its medieval form, granted a wrongdoer who fled to a church protection from forcible removal as well as immunity from corporal or capital punishment. The fugitive might be required to pay a fine, forfeit his goods, perform penance, or go into exile, but almost without exception his body and his life were to be preserved. The name was chosen by a church plant in South Florida to convey the idea that the Church should be a safe space for sinners. Their tagline is “a church where God’s love meets a broken world.”

Since the brand’s messaging, uniqueness, and target audience were already thought through by the client, Katiko was tasked to create the brand identity (a brand’s visual aspects).

The logo mark and logotype were inspired by the concept of a medieval sanctuary. Since the church desired to convey inclusivity and safety, a door (a symbol of entrance or barrier) was chosen. The door is slightly cracked to convey hospitable inclusion. As you can see from the picture above, the door’s shape was inspired by medieval architecture. They logotype was also inspired by the architecture of this period. The intimidating height of these ancient structures combined with the sharp exterior angles and spires led us to choose a typeface (ATC Krueger Bold) with similar features.

While The Sanctuary has a great deal of medieval inspiration, this South Florida church is a contemporary expression, not an ancient one. T-shirts and jeans, not robes and suits, are the typical attire. We needed to bring a youthful and vibrant feel to this brand identity. We achieved this contemporary aesthetic by choosing a color pallet inspired by its South Florida context.