Before Bethlehem is a pregnancy, birth, and parenting resource for Catholic families with the hopes of expanding to all Christian denominations in the future.
Before Bethlehem 1) consults Catholic parishes on how to set up every parishioner touchpoint to feel welcoming for young families, 2) curates the best resources out there, both practical and spiritual, Christian and secular, for parents to explore online, and ) offers in-person birth formation classes for parents to grow spiritually and connect with other young families in their parishes.
I worked with Before Bethlehem's founder, Christina Gebel, to design a brand and website that speaks to all Catholics (and eventually all Christians as they expand) who are looking for practical and spiritual help.
To design a distinctive brand identity that didn't isolate potential current and future users of the resource, we were careful to avoid Catholic, Christian, birth, pregnancy, and parenting design cliches. This way, Before Bethlehem had the freedom to expand beyond Catholics in the future and stand out among all other parenting resources in the market (both Christian and secular).
Additionally, it became apparent to us early on through competitive analysis that the Before Bethlehem brand had an excellent opportunity to disrupt the market by speaking to and reaching fathers. We found that almost every parenting resource brand was designed exclusively for mothers.
Finally, by working with illustrator Yana Strunina, out of Ukraine, we were able to conceptualize a distinctive illustration style and consistent brand characters to act as adaptable and flexible Distinctive Brand Assets for the brand. As a result, regardless of whether or not the logo is visible or the name is verbally mentioned throughout any video advertising, distracted consumers can still process the Before Bethlehem brand with shallow levels of mental involvement with repeated exposure to these assets.
Before Bethlehem compiles trusted resources for Catholic parents, help for parishes supporting families, and ways for Catholic families to find community, all in one place.