Choosing Paint Colors For Your Church Interiors
We began a series on branding your building last month, and today’s blog is a continuation of that. If you haven’t checked out the first part of this series, I encourage you to do so! In Part 1, I break down what branding is and why it is essential to your church and provide examples of churches that do it well in their physical spaces. Here, in Part 2, we will get down to the nitty-gritty - how do you brand your building, on a practical level?
What Branding Is and Is Not
Let’s start with what branding your building is not. It is not going to Pinterest, finding a photo you like, and replicating it in your church space. Don’t get me wrong; I love Pinterest for inspiration. But anyone can replicate what they see in a photo found on the internet. If you do this, your building will tell some other church’s story to the people who walk in. We want your building to tell your church’s story - that’s what branding is. Your building should connect people to your mission, vision, and purpose, not someone else’s!
How Do You Know What Paint Colors to Choose
So how do you create a uniquely branded church space? First, let’s strip everything back and start with the basics - your paint scheme. If you have a logo, you have a paint scheme. If that statement gives you pause, you might want to ask yourself if it is time for a logo refresh (I recommend my friends at Word Revolution if you’re looking to refresh your brand).
Color-Match Your Logo
If you love your logo and are ready to move forward, the first step is to color-match the colors in your logo. I googled “Generic Church Logo,” and this was a graphic that came up. For this church, I would incorporate the yellow-green of the cross and gray from the circle in the logo as accent colors. I would also use black and white in their spaces since they serve as neutrals.
For the purposes of this blog post, we will use a church I am currently working with as an example and in the following mockups you see. Their logo is black and white, but they utilize bright blue as an accent color on their website, signage, and other messaging.
Selecting a Black and a White Paint Color
Black works well for most churches because it coordinates with almost any other color. My favorite black to use is Tricorn Black by Sherwin Williams. It is a true black that is just a touch softer than plain black.
Here is my best tip for picking a white color. When you go to the paint chip aisle, there are countless choices of white paint colors. BUT, they all have an undertone. So, unless you want a creamy white, beige-white, or blue-white, skip the paint chip aisle altogether and go directly to where the paint cans are stored. Each of these paint cans is pure white. There will be no undertone, and they will give a fresh, crisp look to your space. Then, all you have to do is pick a finish (flat, satin, semi-gloss, etc.) and you’ll be ready to paint! And don’t forget your ceilings. A fresh-painted white ceiling goes a long way to making a space feel open, clean, and bright!
Strategizing Your Accent Color Placement
Use your accent colors strategically throughout your building. Add the color where you want to direct the eye, where you’d like to add emphasis, and where you might add messaging. But don’t put it everywhere; put it where it will note something important.
You can go a bit bolder for kids’ spaces and have fun with your color choices. For example, I used the blue accent wall to draw attention to the kids’ check-in in this project. As the plan develops more, we will also add messaging or a graphic here. Since this area is also shared with older children, I utilized the children’s ministry logo as my inspiration, then added a tint of each of their kids' logo colors. This allows us to stay on brand but have a deeper color palette for the older kids and a lighter color palette for the little kids. The colors are different, but they all live together in harmony!
We are using the blue again around the Next Gen door to say, “This is important! Look here!”
Whatever accent colors you select, be mindful and intentional about their placement. When used wisely and with strategy, they can help to communicate the message you want your guests and attendees to hear!
READY TO TAKE THE NEXT STEP?
If you’re contemplating a church remodel and you don’t know where to start, schedule a 15-minute discovery call with me and let’s talk about how I can help you!
