St Mary Le Tower partners with local agency for Ipswich Minster rebrand

The big picture: The rebranding marks the next step in St Mary Le Tower's journey towards Ipswich Minster status, following its redesignation by the Bishop of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich in May.

Key details:

• Against Ordinary will create a new logo and visual signage for the church

• The agency was chosen after a competitive selection process

• Work on the rebranding project will begin in August and September

• Initial design concepts are expected to be shared in autumn

Why it matters: The rebranding effort aims to help the church better present itself to the Ipswich community as it takes on its new role as a minster.

What's a minster? The term "minster" is an honorific title given to particular churches in England. It comes from the Saxon word for "monasterium," which means community. Originally, ministers were communities of monks, but they could also be groups of priests or clergy living together devoted to Christian observance.

What they're saying:

Tom Mumford, Vicar at St Mary Le Tower: "I'm delighted that the church has this opportunity to work with Against Ordinary as we look towards a new way of presenting ourselves to the town we're here to serve."

Be Peters, Creative Director at Against Ordinary: "It's no small feat to rebrand a church, as you can imagine it's not something that comes up very often. But when we first heard about the project we instantly started to get excited about what we could do for the new Ipswich Minster."

Background: Against Ordinary is a relatively new agency founded in 2023 by Jordan Bambridge and Be Peters. It's based in Colchester, but founders Be and Jordan live in Ipswich.

The company has quickly gained recognition, recently being named a finalist for the Best New Agency 2024 award by the UK Agency Awards.

What's next: A ceremony to confirm St Mary Le Tower's new status as Ipswich Minster is planned for early 2025.