StarFish: How Life in Messiah Got Its Logo
“Major companies like Coca Cola and IBM spend millions of dollars on branding. But for you, I could probably create something for five or ten thousand dollars.”
The speaker was Don, a graphic designer in suburban Chicago. In the early 1980s one of our interns, Sara Herndon, had asked her small group at church for prayer for her writing project. Upon hearing this, Don had volunteered to help with the design – at no charge. Three beautiful four-color gospel tracts were the result.
Bill Currie, the director of Life in Messiah at that time, had taken Sara and me over to Don’s office to say thank you and treat him to lunch. Seeing the array of graphic images on display high on the office walls, I inquired, “What are these?”
“Company logos I designed,” was Don’s reply, with well-merited pride in his excellent work.
Instantly, he had my attention. When I joined the ministry in 1975, then known as American Messianic Fellowship (AMF),[1] the logo consisted of our initials in stylized “balloon letters” popular in posters of the day. A curved extension wrapped up and over the A. The small Star of David inside a circle above the A indicated our connection to Jewish ministry. But the curved extended “scimitar,” historically associated with Islam, created cognitive dissonance (to my thinking, at least).
The idea of a new logo was appealing. But when Don estimated “five or ten thousand dollars,” my heart sank. The reality at that point was we couldn’t afford to print four-color tracts in quantity; Sara’s broadsides would be produced in black ink on colored paper. In some months “give us this day our daily bread” took on real meaning when payroll had to be delayed for lack of funds.
“I’m sure a great brand is well worth investing in,” Bill offered. “But we’re not in a position to do that right now.” We thanked Don again for his pro bono contribution to Sara’s project and left.
In 1986 the AMF headquarters building in Rogers Park was sold. Our century of having a Chicago address was ending. The new facility in south suburban Lynwood had a backlit commercial sign near the road, visible from two directions. Thankfully, the plexiglass panels were replaceable at a relatively low cost. But what would we put on the new signs?
AMF’s mission statement at that time was “Building bridges of understanding between the Jewish and Christian communities since 1887.” Obviously, that was too long to put on a sign. But was it time to update our logo?
Craig Dresang, who was doing his internship for Moody Bible Institute with us, had a creative bent. “Could you draw a bridge with a Star of David at one end and a fish[2] at the other?” I asked.
“I think so.” Craig set to work and in short order came back with a sketch of a suspension bridge linking the two symbols. With Bill Currie’s permission, Craig hand-painted both panels with the new design under “American Messianic Fellowship.”
But we had a challenge. At large scale, the three elements of the design were easily distinguishable. When shrunk down to fit a business card or letterhead, however, the Star of David and stylized fish were harder to identify. We liked the new design but it didn’t work well at smaller scale.
In 1992, our family needed to renew our passports. Perry Straw, a friend from our Chicago church who was a ready resource,[3] suggested we ask his buddy Ray Harling to take the photos needed when submitting passport forms. When we called, Ray graciously offered to take the pictures – without charge – if we could come to his home where his equipment was.
During the photo shoot, Ray told us he worked at the headquarters of the Baptist General Conference (BGC) in Arlington Heights, Illinois.[4] Among other responsibilities, he did design and layout for their publications. He invited us to come meet his colleagues and pick up the printed photos when processed.
On the appointed day, Ray gave us a tour of the BGC offices and introduced us to his coworkers. We thanked him again for the skilled photographic work and asked for his business card. On it was a stylized drawing of a fowl’s head.
“What’s up with the rooster?” I asked. It wasn’t a typical BGC logo.
“Oh, that’s my personal design for my stationery,” Ray replied. “I’ve always had a problem with pride. When I look at the rooster I’m reminded of Jesus’ words about the rooster crowing when Peter said he would never deny the Lord.”
I knew I liked this guy! I thought. Creatively gifted, and humble. The thought sprang, unbidden. “Hey, have you ever designed a logo, Ray?”
“No,” he hesitated, “but I probably could.”
“What would the cost be?” I asked, remembering the earlier “five or ten grand” estimate.
“Oh, for a ministry I wouldn’t charge anything. It’s for the Lord’s work.”
I showed him my business card. “We really like this concept, but as you see the bridge takes up most of the design, making the star and fish difficult to see at small scale. Would you be able to do something with just those two symbols, without the bridge?”
“Let me play with some ideas and I’ll get back to you.”
A week or so later a package showed up bearing Ray’s return address. I tore it open and spilled out the contents: three variations of “star-fish” designs on heavy card stock. Any of the three would have worked, but one in particular stood out. All three were presented to AMF’s board in January 1993, and there was ready agreement: “This is a great symbol for Jewish ministry.”
“Better get it trademarked,” was their counsel. So we did.
And we were able to send a small check to Ray with a note of heartfelt gratitude. “Aw, you didn’t have to do that,” was his response. “I was just happy to help.”
Over the years, we often hear people comment, “I love your logo!” And I love to tell the story of how we got it.
Humble Ray Harling is with the Lord now, enjoying the reward of faithful, generous stewardship of his God-given talent. He would want the praise to go only to his Savior, which we are happy to do. But we also want to give “honor to whom honor is due.”
Ray typifies many thousands of believers who for more than a century have prayed and voluntarily contributed of their time, talent, and treasure to advance the work of Chicago Hebrew Mission/American Messianic Fellowship/Life in Messiah International. We are grateful!
Soli Deo gloria – to God alone be the glory.
Written by Wes, Life in Messiah Global Ambassador
Can you recall times when God provided a needed resource in an unexpected way?
Do you recount those incidents to others to encourage their hearts and give God glory?
What talent or treasure is the Lord prompting you to use for advance of the gospel? Many churches and ministries like Life in Messiah are looking for eager volunteers!
Are you a “connector”? Who in your sphere of influence would like to hear about God’s heart for the Jewish people and the ministries of Life in Messiah? (For an easy introduction, point them to www.lifeinmessiah.org.)
Endnotes:
[1] Founded in 1887, the ministry was incorporated as Chicago Hebrew Mission. In 1953 the name was changed to American Messianic Fellowship to reflect the spread of the work beyond Chicago. Those familiar with America’s oldest independent outreach to the Jewish people referred to it by our initials, AMF. In 1993, the corporate name was changed to AMF International; since 2008, Life in Messiah International has been our DBA (doing business as) name.
[2] The fish is an ancient symbol used by early believers to identify one another. Often associated with Yeshua’s “miracle of the loaves and fishes,” the symbol is also connected to the Greek word for fish: ΙΧΘΥΣ (ichthus). The five letters stand for Iesous Christos Theos Uios Soter (Jesus Christ God Son Savior).
[3] For many years, Perry headed up the Broadcasting Services team at Moody Bible Institute and was a great “connector.” Among his many helpful contributions over the years, in the early ‘80s Perry introduced me to computing with the gift of a Radio Shack TRS-80 which stored data on cassette tapes.
[4] The BGC subsequently rebranded to Converge and moved to Orlando, Florida.