Conference of the United Methodist Church Brand Standards Guide
Who We Are
POSITIONING STATEMENT
Our unique position within the marketplace.
The Oklahoma Conference of the United Methodist Church (OKUMC) is a connectional body that equips, unites and strengthens United Methodist churches across Oklahoma. Rooted in Wesleyan tradition and anchored in faith, OKUMC serves as a bridge — connecting churches not only to one another but also to their neighbors. Through guidance, resources and leadership, we empower churches to thrive in their communities, building relationships that reflect God’s love. With collective wisdom and a bold vision for the future, we are called by the Spirit to equip clergy, laity and congregations to make disciples of Jesus Christ for transformation the world — one church and one neighborhood at a time.
VALUE PROPOSITION
The value we offer the consumer.
OKUMC provides leadership, connection and resources to equip churches and leaders for their ministries. Fueled by faith, we serve as a bridge — connecting churches to one another, to essential support and to a shared vision for the future. Through training, financial support and strategic guidance, we help churches navigate challenges, embrace innovation and confidently live out their missions. As a Conference, we are committed to strengthening and uplifting pastors, congregations and communities, ensuring they are spiritually and practically empowered to be the hands and feet of God.
ELEVATOR PITCH
Who we are and what we do .
Rooted in Christ and anchored in faith, United Methodists in Oklahoma are called to serve together to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. The Oklahoma Conference of the United Methodist Church equips, connects and empowers church leaders and congregations across the state. Guided by God’s grace, we bridge the gap between churches and the support they need — removing barriers, fostering connection and helping them thrive. We walk alongside people, ministries and movements as they plant and nurture Christ’s love in their communities and bring pockets of heaven wherever they love and serve on earth.
Brand Pillars
ANCHORED IN FAITH
Faith holds us steady. It doesn’t mean having all the answers — it means trusting God enough to ask hard questions, study Scripture and remain open to growth. Anchored in Christ, we stand firm in who we are and walk in grace, trusting that God is always at work in us and through us.
DEEPLY ROOTED
We are rooted in Christ and strengthened together. Like deep roots that ground and sustain a tree, our foundational faith and Wesleyan connection bind us together and give us strength. Through every season – growth, challenge, celebration or sorrow — we remain committed to each other, our communities and our Savior.
BRAVELY BRIDGING
We are bridge builders. We listen, we show up and we do the rewarding work of bringing God’s people together. Real connection takes courage — it means removing barriers and creating spaces where all are welcome to have honest dialogue, even when it’s uncomfortable. With faith and conviction, we invite, grow and make disciples by opening doors and widening tables, knowing that God’s love leaves no one out.
BOLDLY SENT
We don’t stand still. Called by the Spirit, we go where love is needed to serve our communities, seek justice and transform an anxious and broken world. As a connected people, we support and strengthen one another to take action and make a difference — turning faith into something real, something seen, something lived. God’s love moves. So do we.
God’s love moves...
So do we.
Primary Logo
The Oklahoma Conference brand reflects a commitment to honoring sacred tradition while stepping boldly into the future. It carries a deep-rooted, historic faith and pairs it with a vibrant, contemporary visual language that signals strength, movement and vitality. The design embraces a spirit of being boldly sent — energized by purpose, anchored in spiritual heritage and awake to the needs and opportunities of today’s world.
The primary logo, seen here, is the version of the logo used most often and most prominently. The following pages provide instruction and guidance for using variations of this logo and brand system.
The Mark
The logo mark features the shape of Oklahoma built from colorful segments representing the rich diversity of people and places that make up the Conference. Subtle visual nods to stained glass and patchwork reflect a Church that is human, communal and grounded in its physical context. At the center, United Methodist cross and flame affirms a proud connection to the larger denomination — promintently featured, clearly recognized and woven into the OKUMC identity with intention.
OKLAHOMA
Proudly and uniquely Oklahoma’s conference of the worldwide United Methodist Church.
THE UNITED METHODIST CROSS & FLAME
Featured prominently and unchanged at the center of the logo, establishing context, identity and pride.
A WHOLE OF PARTS
Though not literal districts, visually distinct sections make up the shape of Oklahoma, representing unity across a diverse Conference.
VIBRANT COLORS
Lively colors symbolize energy, vibrancy and a faith alive in every corner of Oklahoma.
Logo Color Versions
FULL COLOR
The primary logo features five brand colors. The full-color version should be used whenever possible as it conveys the full expression of the brand’s energy and identity. Use only on backgrounds that provide strong contrast and preserve visibility across all color areas.
TWO-COLOR
This version supports scenarios with limited color flexibility while keeping the recognizable red flame intact. Retaining red preserves the logo’s strong visual connection to the United Methodist Church.
ONE-COLOR
The one-color version simplifies the logo for use in black-and-white printing, embroidery or production methods with limited color capability. Line work is used to maintain the logo’s integrity and recognizability.
Logo Mark
The full primary logo should be used in most cases, especially when building brand recognition. The logo mark may appear on its own when brand context is clearly established, but only if the full name appears elsewhere on the page or screen.
The mark is available in full-color, two-color and one-color versions for use on light, dark and midtone backgrounds as appropriate.
Safe space guidelines should follow the standards outlined on page 11, and the mark should follow these minimum size guidelines for optimal visibility.
Secondary Logo
A secondary, stacked version of the logo is available for situations where horizontal space is limited. This version follows the same color variations as the primary logo, including options for light and dark backgrounds.
The primary logo should be used whenever possible, with the stacked version reserved for cases where the horizontal layout is not possible.
SIZE & SPACING
The “safe area” around the OKUMC logo is defined as equal to the height and width of the logo mark. While each logo should always be left with as much surrounding “white space" as possible, this minimum requirement should be kept at all times.
The vertical spacing between the two wordmark elements — both in the primary and stacked versions — matches the height of the secondary logo text.
The spacing between the logo mark and the wordmark is defined in relation to the “O” shapes in “Oklahoma” — using the lowercase and capital forms as reference points.
When printed, the logo must be at least 1.75” wide in order to be legible. When displayed digitally, the logo must be at least 125 pixels wide in order to be legible.
Co-Branded Logo Lockups
When representing a partnership between the Oklahoma Conference and another organization, a co-branded logo may be used separated by a vertical line — as shown here with Circle of Care, for example.
The space on either side of the divider line is defined by the width of two, side-by-side, lowercase "o's" from "Oklahoma." The weight of the vertical divider line is equal to that of the cross in the UMC logo.
Optically pairing different logos can be nuanced. Aim to align the visual weight of each logo or wordmark so they appear balanced and horizontally justified in height.
Departmental Logos
In some instances, Conference ministry teams, or departments may use a version of the logo that includes their group name. This treatment helps distinguish communications related to specific areas of work.
This treatment is best suited for internal audiences, event materials or documents where the ministry’s identity is relevant and already understood.
When communicating with external audiences — or in broader Conference communications — the primary logo should be used to maintain unity and brand clarity.
RESPONSE
DISASTER
SIZE & SPACING
The “safe area” around all OKUMC logos is defined as equal to the height and width of the logo mark as shown previously on page 11. While each logo should always be left with as much “white space” as possible surrounding it, this minimum requirement should be kept.
The department or ministry name, typed in sentence-case, uses Pennypacker Medium Italic text at 1 point larger than the "The United Methodist Church" logo subtext.
The space between the word mark and department bar is equal to the height of the secondary text. The margin around the department name within the color bar is 3 pixels on top, 4 pixels on bottom and 5 pixels on each side at this size.
When printed, the logo with the departmental logo ust be at least 2.75” wide in order to be legible. When displayed digitally, the logo must be at least 200 pixels wide in order to be legible.
in One-Color Logo Version
Shown
Logo Icons
SOCIAL ICONS
Social icons are best when they are simple and yet identifiably unique. Filling the available space for profile images shows up best in the various uses across social media accounts.
For social media platforms with circular profile images, the profile image should include ample margin to fill the circle completely while leaving comfortable spacing around the logo.
WEB FAVICONS
The favicon is for web use to mark your unique website url.
Do’s & Don’ts
Do not stretch the logo. Always keep the ratio of the original file.
Do not make the file larger than it imports into your application or it may become pixelated.
Do not use the white version of the logos on light backgrounds.
Don't place the color logo on background colors used within the logo itself, or on low-contrast midtone colors, as parts of the mark will be lost. Use another logo version, or choose a different background — never add a box behind the logo (see example at right).
Do not add a shadow, outlines or other additional effects to the logo. There are versions to help your logo stand out in any usage.
For polished layouts, Avoid placing the logo in a white or colored box. Do not use a JPG version of the logo when a transparent background is needed. Choose transparent PNG, EPS or PDF files. Do not rotate or turn the logo.
Do not use other colors in the logo, whether brand colors or otherwise.
Typefaces & Styling
Pennypacker is the primary family of typefaces for OKUMC and should be used for display, headline and body copy treatments. Pennypacker is available via Adobe Fonts and comes with several styles and widths that are utilized for a varied, yet cohesive hierarchy of brand type styles.
Large, sentence-case headlines should be in Pennypacker Compressed. All-caps subheadings use the "regular" width version of Pennypacker.
Tracking should be set at 10 for headlines to match the OKUMC word mark. Tracking for the loosely spaced, all-caps subheadings should be set at 200. Body copy is modeled as seen in this paragraph and settings are defined on the following page.
HEADING
PENNYPACKER
COMPRESSED
MEDIUM OR LIGHT
30PT FONT SIZE
32PT LEADING
10 TRACKING
Headlines look like this or headlines can look like this
SUBHEAD
PENNYPACKER
MEDIUM
ALL CAPS
10PT FONT SIZE
17PT LEADING
200 TRACKING
BODY
PENNYPACKER
CONDENSED
REGULAR
09PT FONT SIZE
12PT LEADING
20 TRACKING
SUBHEADINGS LOOK LIKE THIS
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur
adipiscing elit. Curabitur pretium dolor sed nulla varius facilisis. Ut eleifend magna ac est dapibus consequat aliquam tempus odio viverra. Ut wisi enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exerci tation ullamcorper suscipit lobortis nisl ut.
Curabitur pretium dolor sed nulla varius facilisis. Ut eleifend magna ac est dapibus consequat aliquam tempus odio viverra.
TYPEFACES & STYLING
Headlines look like this or headlines can look like this
SUBHEADINGS LIKE THIS
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Curabitur pretium dolor sed nulla varius facilisis. Ut eleifend magna ac est dapibus consequat aliquam tempus odio viverra. Ut wisi enim ad minim veniam, quis
nostrud exerci tation ullamcorper suscipit lobortis nisl ut.
Curabitur pretium dolor sed nulla varius facilisis. Ut eleifend magna ac est dapibus consequat aliquam tempus odio viverra.
We strongly advise using Pennypacker whenever possible. However, in the event that the brand typefaces are not available, the free Google font Archivo Narrow may be used. If neither are available, the Windows system font, Aptos Narrow, can be used as an alternative.
Photography & Layout Design
People are at the heart of the Oklahoma Conference. Prioritize real photos of ministries, churches and individuals. If stock is needed, carefully curate images that feel authentic and candid — not overly posed or commercial.
When taking a photograph of a group, find individual or cluster to focus on. Use high-quality images: 300 dpi for print, 72 dpi minimum for web.
The human emphasis of the OKUMC brand lends itself to moments of brand color overlays and artistic texture. Use these effects with discernment, so textural designs lean creative, not messy. Pair textural, overlapping elements with clean layouts and text for polished layouts with balance and room to breathe.
Brand Colors
UMC White #FFFFFF
RGB 255, 255, 255
CMYK 0, 0, 0, 0
UMC Black #231F20
RGB 35, 31, 32
CMYK 0, 0, 0, 100 PANTONE Black 3 C
Open Orange #FF8F4E
RGB 255, 143, 78
CMYK 0, 54, 74, 0
PANTONE 3588 C
Positive Pink #F763C2
RGB 247, 99, 194
CMYK 7, 73, 0, 0 PANTONE 224 C
Vivid Violet #F874FF
RGB 248, 116, 255
CMYK 19, 58, 0, 0 PANTONE 252 C
Loving Lavender #C998FD
RGB 201, 152, 253
CMYK 28, 41, 0, 0 PANTONE 2577 C
Deep Red #6D0F23
RGB 109, 15, 35
CMYK 33, 99, 77, 46
PANTONE 1815 C
UMC Red #E4002B
RGB 228, 0, 43
CMYK 4, 100, 92, 0 PANTONE 1795 C
Brave Blue #232571
RGB 35, 37, 113
CMYK 100, 100, 25, 11 PANTONE 2756 C
Azure Blue #4DB2C6
RGB 77, 178, 198
CMYK 65, 11, 20, 0 PANTONE 631 C
Rooted Green #1A4734
RGB 26, 71, 52
CMYK 84, 46, 78, 49
PANTONE 343 C
COLOR COMBINATIONS
The energetic brand colors lean proudly on the UMC red and black while infusing fresh vitality and boldness through an expanded palette — emphasizing a lively, active vision for the future of the Oklahoma Conference.
When selecting a color combination, keep in mind the purpose of your design. If readability is key, then a high or mid-contrast color scheme is needed. According to Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, large test is defined as ≥ 18 point type, or ≥ 14 point bold type.
Low-contrast color combinations can be used for decorative or non-essential design elements. Keep in mind that legal accessibility standards are updated regularly, so reference applicable standards to ensure usages of important design elements remain compliant with the most current accessibility requirements. If the design elements are more textural or artistic in nature (non-essential copy or information), lower contrast color combinations may be appropriate.
High-Contrast Combinations — Appropriate for All Contexts
Mid-Contrast Combinations — Large Text Only
Low-Contrast Combination Examples — Decorative, Non-Essential Graphics Only
Brand Voice
1. ANCHORED IN FAITH
In written word this means... We write in a way that reflects trust in God — not with rigid certainty, but with grace-filled openness. Our tone is calm, humble and grounded, inviting others to explore faith with honesty and safety. The language we use honors the journey — embracing both questions and convictions as sacred steps in a deeper walk with Christ.
2. DEEPLY ROOTED
In written word this means... Our tone is steady, warm and communal. We write in a way that reflects strength drawn from Scripture and our shared history as a connected people. Our words should feel like coming home — dependable, nurturing and deeply connected to who we are and where we’ve been.
3. BRAVELY BRIDGING
In written word this means... Our language leans into unity, inclusion and reconciliation — building trust with words that invite rather than divide. With a tone that is courageous, empathetic and relational, we write in a way that is curious and open-hearted, creating space for honest dialogue and honoring diverse perspectives.
4. BOLDLY SENT
In written word this means... Our tone is active, hopeful and missiondriven. We write in a way that sparks movement and reflects our calling to embody faith in action. Our language is forward-looking, filled with urgency and purpose, encouraging others to join God’s transformational work in the world.
Messaging Writing Style
The language and content used to convey a brand’s value proposition and personality. Language that conveys your brand’s value proposition would include:
• We are grounded in faith and guided by grace.
• We don’t just speak love — we live it, in our communities and around the world.
• We lead with compassion and build bridges in the face of uncertainty and doubt.
• We walk into discomfort to foster real connection and unity.
• We show up — in crisis, in celebration and in everyday ministry.
• We are sent people, moving boldly in response to God’s call.
• We are Oklahoma United Methodists — resilient, faithful and filled with hope.
The specific writing style and guidelines used to maintain consistency and convey a brand’s personality and messaging.
DON’T
• Use passive voice.
• Overcomplicate with unnecessary words.
• Bury the main point.
• Use insider buzzwords, jargon or “churchy” language. DO
• Use active voice.
• Choose common, direct language.
• Be bold and concise.
• Write with purpose — know why you’re writing and who you’re writing for.
