# The Creek Brand Guidelines

## Voice & Tone

### Who We Are

The Creek communicates the way Jesus communicated — with warmth, clarity, and an open invitation. Our voice is informal and relational, not polished and institutional. We speak the language of everyday people, not church insiders. Every word we write should feel like it came from a real conversation, not a committee.

We keep things clear and concise because busy people don't have time to decode churchy language. We use fewer words with more weight. And everything we say should feel like an invitation — to a relationship, to a community, to something worth showing up for.

### Tone Descriptors

**Informal.** We have conversations, not announcements. Write the way you'd talk to someone you just met at church.

**Warm.** People should feel welcomed by our words before they ever walk through the door. Gracious, not stiff.

**Clear.** The fewer words you use and the clearer your call to action, the easier it is for people to respond. Say what you mean.

**Invitational.** We're not selling. We're inviting. Everything we write should call people toward something — a next step, a relationship, a moment worth experiencing.

### We Sound Like

- A trusted friend who happens to know a lot about faith
- Someone who's genuinely excited to see you
- Clear, direct, and easy to understand on the first read

### We Don't Sound Like

- A formal institution or nonprofit
- A press release
- A theological textbook
- Someone trying too hard to be cool

---

## Logo Usage

### Combination Mark (Horizontal — Preferred)

The horizontal combination mark is the primary logo for The Creek and should be used in all external marketing — anything seen outside the walls of the church. When in doubt, use this version.

### Combination Mark (Stacked)

Use the stacked version when horizontal space is limited. It is never the default — only a space-driven alternative.

### Logo Mark

The icon-only submark is for avatars, favicons, app icons, and contexts where the full wordmark would be too small to read or where The Creek brand is already established in the surrounding design.

### Clearspace

Maintain clear space around every logo. No other graphic elements, text, or images should crowd the logo.

### Logo Color

Logos must only be used in black or white — no exceptions, no recoloring. Use the **black (dark) logo** on light or white backgrounds. Use the **white (light) logo** on dark or black backgrounds. Choose whichever provides better contrast.

### Ministry Logos

Each ministry has its own logo that extends The Creek brand.

- For **external-facing materials** (mailers, email marketing, handouts, non-volunteer shirts): use the ministry logo with The Creek logo mark.
- For **internal communications** (volunteer emails, environment-specific shirts): the ministry logo may be used with or without The Creek logo mark.
- **When in doubt, include The Creek logo mark.**

All logo files are located in the `logos/` and `ministries/` directories. For the complete structured reference including all file paths and variants, see `brand-kit.json`.

---

## Color System

Black and white are the primary brand colors. Every design starts here. Secondary and accent colors exist to support — never to replace — the black and white foundation.

**Black** `#231F20` — Main brand color. Default for all text, logos, and graphic elements.

**White** `#FFFFFF` — Co-primary. Used for logo reversal, backgrounds, and negative space.

**Dark Gray** `#6D6E71` *(Pantone 424 C)* — Supporting neutral.

**Medium Gray** `#A7A9AC` *(Pantone 7543 C)* — Supporting neutral.

**Accent colors** — Used sparingly to add warmth or color to a design, always secondary to black and white: Nepal `#95B1C1`, Solid Pink `#984445`, Patina `#598D7F`, Tan Hide `#F79A70`.

Each ministry has a unique accent color that pairs with black and white in ministry-specific designs. See `brand-kit.json` for full color values (hex, RGB, CMYK, Pantone).

---

## Typography

**Gotham Bold** — Primary. Used for the logo wordmark, headlines, and CTAs. Upper/lowercase or all caps depending on context.

**Bebas Neue Pro** — Secondary. Used for subheadings. Upper/lowercase or all caps depending on context.

**Avenir** — Body. Used for all body copy. Upper/lowercase only — never all caps.

**Portrait Script** — Accent. Used decoratively to add character to a design. Never use for readable copy. Never all caps.

Font files are located in the `fonts/` directory. See `brand-kit.json` for the complete typography reference.

---

## Writing Guidelines

### Formatting

**Dates** — Write dates in full, without abbreviation. Drop the year when context makes it obvious.
> Do: Tuesday, March 9, 2026
> Don't: Tues., Mar. 9 or 3/9/2026

**Times** — Use lowercase, no spaces, no leading zeros.
> Do: 6pm, 7–8:30pm, 11am–Noon
> Don't: 6:00 PM, 7:00–8:30p.m.

**Phone numbers** — 10-digit with dots, no hyphens.
> 317.862.6430

**URLs** — No www, no sentence capitalization.
> Do: thecreek.org
> Don't: TheCreek.org or www.thecreek.org

**Email** — No hyphen. All lowercase for addresses.
> Do: email, danhamel@thecreek.org
> Don't: e-mail, DanHamel@TheCreek.org

**Email signature format:**
> Name
> Title
> The Creek | thecreek.org | 317.862.6430

---

### Capitalization

**Capitalize:** Bible, Scripture, He/Him/His/You/Your when referring to God or Jesus, Christmas, Easter.

**Lowercase:** biblical, scriptural, gospel, church, kingdom, godly, heaven, elder, pastor, spring, winter.

**All caps:** Avoid within body copy — it reads as yelling. Acceptable sparingly in titles and design contexts.

**Proper nouns only:** Don't capitalize random words for emphasis.

---

### Punctuation

**Exclamation points** — Use sparingly. No more than one per seven sentences. Never double up (!!, ?!).

**Oxford comma** — Always use a comma before *and* or *or* in a list of three or more.
> The event will feature games, food, and prizes.

**Em dash (—)** — No spaces on either side when used as a break in thought.
> Do: ...fully dependent on God—even for our next meal.
> Don't: ...fully dependent on God — even for our next meal.

**Periods and commas** — Always go inside quotation marks.

**Apostrophes** — Not used for plurals.
> FAQs, 30s, Life Groups

**Suffixes** — Use th/rd/st for grade levels only, not in dates.
> Do: 1st Grade, January 20
> Don't: January 20th

**Colons** — Only follow a complete sentence.

**Spacing** — One space after a period, not two.

---

### Scripture

**Book names** — Write in full, never abbreviated.
> Do: Galatians, Ephesians
> Don't: Gal., Eph.

**Partial quotations** — Use an ellipsis when not quoting a complete verse.
> For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son…John 3:16

---

## Terminology

Use language that's accessible to everyone — people who've been at The Creek for years and people walking in for the first time.

### Preferred Terms

| Instead of… | Use… |
|---|---|
| Small group | Life Group |
| Ministry | Community |
| Visitor / unchurched | Guest |
| Ministry Fair | Volunteer Expo |
| Go deeper | Next steps |
| Recruit | Invite |
| Need to help | Opportunity |
| Attend | Experience |
| Commit | Explore |
| Maturity | Growth |
| Intimacy | Connection |
| Fellowship | Volunteer |

### Avoid

- Insider church jargon without context
- Language that assumes familiarity with faith or church culture
- Formal or institutional tone
- Corporate buzzwords
- Anything that feels like it requires a theological dictionary to understand