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When I began as Director of Communications back in December, I had no plans to change the Conference logo. My initial focus was ensuring a cohesive approach to communications – establishing a clear identity, voice, and tone for our Conference. I spent time in conversations with key leaders, both staff and committee chairs, and then began developing brand guidelines through a series of focus groups that engaged both clergy and laity.

As those conversations unfolded, something surprising emerged. It became clear that our current logo wasn’t resonating with people. Many shared that outside of Pennsylvania, very few people know where the Susquehanna River is. By contrast, when you say Florida Conference of New England Conference, people can immediately locate those regions. For many, they didn’t believe the name “Susquehanna” carried the same recognition. That inside opened the door to exploring new ideas for our Conference logo – and ultimately brought us here.

The design process began with our brand identity as the foundation. I worked with our graphic designer, Stacy Eckert, to create word clouds that highlighted central themes and visual cues. Several ideas consistently emerged: our Methodist identity, our location in Pennsylvania, the Susquehanna River, and the importance of a design that feels both professional and welcoming.

With those themes in mind, we developed nearly 30 initial logo concepts. As a team, we evaluated, refined, and combined elements, narrowing from 30 to roughly 5, then to 2, and ultimately to the final design. Along the way, we adjusted details such as spacing, composition, and font size, while adding and removing symbols to ensure clarity and resonance.

The result is a logo that honors who we are and points us toward where we are going.

Key Design Elements

  • Cross & Flame – clearly identifies us as United Methodists
  • Pennsylvania State Outline – highlights our identity as a Pennsylvania-based Conference.
  • S-Shaped River – represents the Susquehanna River, which nourishes our Districts and connects our Conference, while also nodding to our name.

Color Palette
Our word cloud analysis surfaced earth tones as a resonant theme. We selected two main colors:

  • Blue – symbolizing the movement and depth of the river
  • Green – reflecting growth, renewal, and vitality.

Together, these elements ground the logo in our geography, our faith, and our identity – designed to unify, inspire, and carry us forward.