Identity & Voice Reference
The ParadoxChurch
Official Branding Guide
Before You Begin
How to Use This Guide
Brand consistency builds value and trust in everyone who encounters The Paradox Church — ultimately as a medium to deliver the Gospel and saturate Fort Worth with the glory and grace of Jesus. The instructions on the following pages are not suggestions. Only officially commissioned branding assets should be used at any level of church departments, ministries, and publications.
01
Don't Alter
Do not alter, recolor, or reconstruct any element provided in our branding assets — logos, icons, colors, or type treatments.
02
Don't Stretch
Never stretch, skew, or distort any graphic in the Branding Assets library, in any direction.
03
Don't Omit
Never drop "The" or "Church" from a full logo lockup. Only the Shorthand lockup is approved to appear without them.
04
Don't Substitute Color
Use only the colors represented in this guide. No alternate tints, brand-adjacent colors, or off-palette substitutions.
05
Don't Use Degraded Art
If a provided asset appears pixelated, blurry, or compressed at your intended size, do not use it — request a clean file instead.
06
"Prdx" Shorthand
In written shorthand, use "Prdx" — never all-caps "PRDX." All caps is reserved for the designed Shorthand Logo graphic only.
02 — Vision & Mission
We exist to saturate greater Fort Worth with the glory and grace of Jesus… and beyond.
Strategies flex with purpose, people, place, and time — but everything we make must be anchored to who God has called us to be as a local church, and what he's called us to do as part of the global church.
Where We're Anchored
The Mission
Four movements carry the mission. Every campaign, series, and piece of communication should be traceable to at least one of them.
01 — First Things First
We Pray Heaven Down
Prayer is not the warm-up to the work. It is the work that makes everything else possible.
02 — The Central Act
We Preach the Gospel
The Gospel is the center of gravity — clearly, faithfully, and without apology.
03 — Multiplication
We Plant Churches
Health multiplies. We send our best so that more people in more places meet Jesus.
04 — The Battle
We Push Back Darkness
We contend for our city with the truth, beauty, and goodness of Jesus.
Sunday Gatherings · Prayer · City Groups · Evangelism. These four are the load-bearing ministries of the church. When priorities compete, these win.
Identity
Values & Worship Culture
Five convictions and three postures shape everything we communicate — from a Sunday slide to a partner email. When in doubt, write and design from here.
We Treasure Jesus
Joyful worshippers who enjoy God as a way of life, not just on Sundays — practiced through Scripture, prayer, fasting, sabbath, silence & solitude, and generosity.
We Honor Each Other
Brothers and sisters who outdo one another in showing honor, encouraging each other toward the glory that is ours in Christ, in a world that tears people down.
We Shepherd First
Gospel-centered servants who believe every moment is a shepherding moment. We don't use people to get tasks done — we use tasks to get people done.
We Fight for Kingdom Moments
A community of light that pushes back darkness with the truth, beauty, and goodness of Jesus.
We Dream Big
Children of the King who fear nothing, for the glory of God and the good of our people — seen in church planting, multiplying City Groups, and new ministry.
We worship, are transformed, and encourage others to worship by the Spirit's power (Spirit-led). We're compelled by God's word and work to worship him and testify about him (Gospel-driven). Our joy is expectant, experiential, and expressive — not manufactured positivity, but rooted in the fullness of joy found in his presence (Joy-filled).
There is no such thing as an ordinary Sunday — God is actively singing over and working in and through his people as they gather. Sundays aren't primarily for the individual; they're where God unites his people as one body.
Our liturgy follows the gospel pattern of Isaiah 6: Adoration → Confession → Assurance → Sending. Write about Sunday Gatherings from this frame — it's an invitation into God's story, not a pitch to fill a room.
04 — Communications
Every piece we make should excite, encourage, equip, or evangelize.
01
Excite
02
Encourage
03
Equip
04
Evangelize
Communications
Voice & Tone
Our chief responsibility as a Communications team is to intentionally and effectively communicate our Vision, Mission, and Values so that "all may sing."
Excite
Bring the Energy
Bring a "dream big" mindset. Build genuine anticipation — good news should read like good news.
Encourage
Speak Pastorally
Warm, affirming. Speak like someone who's for the reader — reminding people they're seen and cared for.
Equip
Make It Usable
Practical and clear. Give the reader something usable — a next step, a resource, a way to grow.
Evangelize
Write for the Outsider
Gospel clear and accessible, free of insider jargon, inviting rather than assuming prior belief.
- Casual and direct — never stiff, academic, or corporate.
- Theologically grounded but accessible — never preachy.
- Jargon-light. Skip insider church language unless the context calls for it.
- Action-oriented CTAs, phrased like a human: "Save My Spot," "I'm In" — not "Register Now" or "Submit."
- Sparing emoji — only when it feels natural, never decorative.
- "Prdx" is fine shorthand for casual formats. Use the full name in emails, registration pages, and one-pagers. Never "TPC."
- Lead with real, specific numbers and stories over vague spiritual claims.
- Write in first person from a leader's voice when appropriate — "I need your help," not "the church needs your help."
- Make direct, humble asks: name the action and why it matters, then get out of the way.
- Weave Scripture in to make a point, not decorate one — always cited.
- Use collective "we/us" over "you should."
- Include concrete logistics — times, minutes required, childcare specifics. Precision builds trust.
- Vague spiritual platitudes ("God is doing something amazing," "It's going to be a great time").
- Manufactured urgency or false scarcity.
- A preachy tone that talks at the reader instead of with them.
- Stacking more than one CTA in a single piece.
- Opening with a question as a hook — overused.
- Pious babble — stringing spiritual-sounding words together without saying anything concrete.
- Church-communication clichés (e.g. "Hey, Fam").
- "There is so much Kingdom ground still to take" — not language Paradox uses.
- "Something Good Is Coming" — generic, says nothing specific.
- "We want to invest back into you" — wrongly implies we don't already invest in our teams.
- "Save your spot — we want every seat filled" — most of what we do isn't limited capacity; don't manufacture scarcity that isn't real.
Format awareness. An email, a reel caption, and a one-pager should never sound the same. Adjust structure to fit the platform; keep the voice.
Applied
Voice in Action
Illustrative templates only — swap in real specifics before use. Each shows the voice principles at work in a different format.
Partner Email
Encourage + EquipSubject: I need your help this week
We've [baptized X people / walked through Y book together / seen Z saved on our trip]. The Lord has been so good. What might he do in the second half of the year?
Hey — I need your help. We have some big decisions in front of us as we prayerfully consider how to steward the mission Jesus has for us. Will you help?
Fill out this form. It'll take you 3 minutes and serve us greatly. [Give Me 3 Minutes →]
Instagram Caption
EvangelizeThere's no such thing as an ordinary Sunday. No such thing as an ordinary gathering of God's people.
God is calling us together — turning our eyes from the lesser joys of this world to the greatest joy in Jesus.
Come as you are. 10 & 11:30am. #noordinarysundays
Registration Page Hook
ExciteWe're kicking off a new season of ministry together, and that means it's time for [Event Name].
As a Partner of Paradox, you play a vital role in the mission of God through this church. There's so much God wants to do in and through us — register here for a time of prayer, encouragement, and vision for what lies ahead. [Save My Spot →]
06 — Identity Marks
Six lockups. One identity.
Every mark is drawn from the same system. Pull from source at theparadoxchurch.com/branding — never screenshot, never recreate.
Identity Marks
Logo System
Six approved lockup families, each tied to a specific layout and use case. Full-color source files on the site are named Navy, Beige, Gold, and Black — those names predate the current Color System and refer to the file, not a design token. They map to Slate 700, Limestone 500, Brass 600, and Black 900. Every lockup here is shown in black only, to keep the reference sheet consistent.
The Complete
Primary lockup family. Use for most official, formal, and print-facing applications.
Classic · Title · Shorthand Classic · Shorthand Title
The Justified
Vertical, left-justified stacked lockup. Best for high-contrast, editorial, or documentary-style placements.
Classic · Title
The Horizon
Single-line horizontal wordmark. Ideal for wide banner formats, letterheads, and signage headers.
Classic · Title
The Stacked
Compact, centered vertical stack. Use for square formats — profile photos, app icons, merchandise.
Classic · Title
The Icon
Icon-only mark, transparent background. Use for favicons, avatars, watermarks, and space-constrained placements.
Transparent
The Shorthand
The only approved lockup that drops "The" and "Church" — reads "Prdx." Reserve for casual, social-first, and merchandise contexts.
Classic · Title
Palette
Color System
Seven tonal families across two tiers. Starred stops are base tokens — the single official value for that family; use those first. Everything in this guide draws exclusively from these swatches. No other colors.
Primary Palette — Base Tokens
Slate
700 · #2E3840
Brass
600 · #BB922E
Limestone
500 · #DDD0C0
Black
900 · #131312
Secondary Palette — Base Tokens
Honey Oak
500 · #C9A05A
Saddle Leather
500 · #B07840
Woven
500 · #6B6E68
Full Ramps — Primary
Paradox Slate
900
#0D1215
800
#18242A
700*
#2E3840
600
#4A5A65
500
#6D828F
400
#9AB0B9
300
#C4D3D8
100
#E8EEF0
Paradox Brass
900
#3D2E08
800
#7A5C10
700
#A37A1C
600*
#BB922E
500
#CCAC58
400
#DDCB80
300
#E9E0AE
100
#F8F3E2
Paradox Limestone
900
#5A5344
800
#767260
700
#A98980
600
#C4B49A
500*
#DDD0C0
400
#E8E2D4
300
#F0ECE3
100
#F8F6F2
Paradox Black
True
#000000
900*
#131312
800
#222220
700
#363634
600
#4E4E4E
400
#767674
200
#ADADA8
100
#E4E4E3
Full Ramps — Secondary
Paradox Honey Oak
900
#3D2C0E
800
#6B4A18
700
#996828
600
#B58440
500*
#C9A05A
400
#E0D8C4
300
#EAD8B0
100
#F6F0E2
Paradox Saddle Leather
900
#2E1A0E
800
#5A3412
700
#764E20
600
#9A6430
500*
#B07840
400
#CB9068
300
#DFC098
100
#F4E8D6
Paradox Woven
900
#202220
800
#383A38
700
#4E5050
600
#5C5E5D
500*
#6B6E68
400
#8E9190
300
#B4B6B4
100
#E0E2E0
900–600 — text and dark UI.
400–100 — tints, backgrounds, and hover states.
Starred stops are the official brand value for each family. All other values should be used sparingly outside of digital context.
The circle is our core shape — perfect, scalable, and gentle, or all-encompassing. Let it recur across layouts, icons, and graphic motifs.
08 — Typography
Two systems. Two jobs.
Futura carries the official identity. Copernicus carries the story. Neither substitutes for the other.
Typography
Type System
The Identity System is the official, licensed brand typeface. The Mission Patch System is the approved secondary treatment for storytelling, campaigns, and vision communications — never a substitute for the Identity System in formal or official documents.
Identity System — Official
Futura Bold
Headlines, wordmarks, and titling across all official Paradox materials. Live via Adobe Fonts (Futura PT Bold).
Identity System — Body
Futura Medium — for body copy in print and formal documents.
Real, licensed Futura PT loads via an Adobe Fonts kit serving Regular (400), Medium (500), and Bold (700) — the sample above renders in true Futura Medium. Where Futura isn't available at all (some third-party tools, Office docs without the font installed), Century Gothic remains the approved fallback.
Mission Patch System — Storytelling & Campaigns
Copernicus
Display headlines for vision, story, and campaign pieces — the retro-futurist "mission patch" voice, as used in the Prdx Vision & Story microsite. Full family loaded: Book, Medium, Semibold, Bold, Extrabold, and Heavy, each with italics — regular (non-condensed) cuts only. Labels, eyebrows, and body copy in Mission Patch pieces share the Identity System's Futura; there is no separate mono or body typeface in this system.
Editorial Pairing — Futura + Copernicus
No Ordinary Sundays
There is no such thing as an ordinary Sunday.
God is actively singing over and working in and through his people as they gather. Sundays aren't primarily for the individual — they're where God unites his people as one body, turning our eyes from the lesser joys of this world to the greatest joy in Jesus.
Headline — Copernicus Extrabold · Eyebrow & body — Futura PT
Print Application — Copernicus as Body Text
The one sanctioned exception to "Futura carries body copy": long-form print pieces — devotionals, annual reports, printed liturgies — may set running text in Copernicus Book for a warmer, more literary reading experience across a full page or spread.
We are joyful worshippers who enjoy God as a way of life — not only on Sundays. Treasuring Jesus is practiced through Scripture, prayer, fasting, sabbath, silence and solitude, and generosity.
We are a people who honor one another, who shepherd first, and who dream big for the glory of God and the good of our city. Every gathering is an invitation into his story.
Set in Copernicus Book, justified, as it would run across an open print spread
Shorthand Rule
Write "Prdx," never "PRDX," in any running text — in either type system. All-caps is reserved for the designed Shorthand Logo graphic, which uses custom spacing and weight adjustments a font setting can't replicate.
Ministry Marks
Ministry Icon System
A unified set of circular ministry icons, each with an outline and filled version, covering every department and ministry under the Paradox umbrella. Use these instead of stock icons or ad-hoc symbols in any ministry-facing material.
Global Engagement · City Engagement · The Church · Prdx Students · Prdx Kids · Music & Arts · Care Ministries · Prdx College · Prdx Residency · City Groups · Discipleship Ministries · Redemption Groups · Women's Ministry · Men's Ministry
On light backgrounds — use the outline version: navy or black stroke on beige, white, or cream.
On dark backgrounds — use the filled/solid version: beige or white glyph on navy or black.
Clear · Consistent · Congruent
So that all may sing.
Every logo, color, word, and channel in this guide exists for one purpose: to communicate the Vision, Mission, and Values of The Paradox Church so clearly that nothing gets in the way of the Gospel.
Resources
Templates & Contact
Document Creation
Use the Prdx Document Template 3.0 for ministry documents, vision casts, and teaching outlines — it keeps formatting consistent and easy to share.
Asset Downloads
Full logo library (digital & print) — theparadoxchurch.com/brandingMinistry icon suite — Communications Department