Every time a church talks about redesigning their logo, I can’t help but groan. Granted I’m a writer and not a designer, so I don’t feel the pain of a poor logo quite as intensely. But sometimes I think churches have bigger problems. If it ain’t broke (or doesn’t suck too badly), don’t fix it.
Of course many church logos do suck. But redesigning isn’t always a win. So many major brands have fallen victim to crappy logo redesigns lately.
I think I might have a solution: 5ive Minute Logos.
For $5 they’ll spend five minutes creating a logo and deliver it within 24 hours.
This is a joke, right? Sort of.
What Is 5ive Minute Logos?
It’s the brainchild of Von Glitschka, a top-notch designer and no stranger to church logos.
“This is a tongue in cheek approach to the logo design process,” Von Glitschka says on the 5ive Minute Logo site. “[It’s] all about creativity under a purposely absurd time line and budget. A perpetual creative exercise that funds my coffee habit if you will.” He goes into more detail on his blog.
So yes, it is a joke and absurdly funny. Just check out the copy on the site.
But no, it is not a joke in that you can actually get a logo designed in five minutes for $5. Send in your money through PayPal and you’ll get a logo within 24 hours. Try it, it works! I did and now my back-burner project Billyspot has a shiny new logo. Just remember that you get what you pay for.
Of course some people don’t get the joke, accusing Von Glitschka of devaluing the industry. Oh boy.
What About Church Logos?
Right. So what does this have to do with church logos?
If your church is thinking about a logo redesign maybe you could use the kind of creative refresher that Von Glitschka is offering. I’m not proposing any churches buy a 5ive Minute Logo and actually use it (well, for some that might be a big step up). But the idea of getting a fresh perspective on your logo design is worth a lot more than $5. It’s merely a creative exercise for Von Glitschka, but I’d wager doing something similar would offer the same kinds of benefits for you.
Try cranking out some five minute logos of your own for your next logo redesign project. Explore some creative, even ludicrous options and see what happens. You might just tap into something curious (in 2009 Von Glitschka spoke at MinistryCOM about living a creatively curious life). It seems like that’s one path to a better logo.
More on Church Logos:
- Notes from Michael Buckingham’s 2012 Create Conference talk on creating delicious logos.
- Logo lessons for churches from Gap’s 2010 logo redesign.
- Our classic post on how to design a church logo.
Paul Clifford (@PodcastinChurch)
January 9, 2013
Too many church logos look like a coat of arms, without the cool retro design, filled with colors and symbols that a few people understand, but that make them impossible to put on a shirt or render in black and white.
matthew
January 11, 2013
Great review! Funny some of his work is actually pretty good!
Kevin D. Hendricks
January 12, 2013
Pretty good? I think some of it is amazing. Granted they’re not refined logos, but for five minutes?! Come on!
It’s funny that five minutes from an expert like Von Glitschka is often better than hours and hours a novice could put in. (or days and days from a complete nondesigner like me, which is why I used his five minute logo on my Billyspot site!)
hope
January 14, 2013
I love the ‘Design Monkey’ logo on the home page. It makes me smile! I have no idea why. It just does. The Facebook page is awesome! I’m a fan now.
MJ
January 17, 2013
I have my logo designed on fiverr.com for $5.00 best $$ I ever spent. I would rather see a church spend $5.00 and use left over fund to help change peoples lives. Stop putting your crappy logo on coffee cups and women’s retreat swag bags and do something that would make Jesus proud of his children.