B’nai Jeshurun:

High Holy Days 5783/2022

Maintaining a sense of excitement and awe

I designed a suite of graphics for digital media to help them communicate with their congregants as the new year approached. My approach used existing branding plus imagery that congregants would recognize, such as patterns from the building’s stained glass windows. I leaned on the brand’s fresh green secondary color, instead of main teal, to differentiate holiday communications from other types. Meanwhile, open, airy line drawings kept the look light and not oppressively serious.

The end result was an easily adaptable graphic treatment for all communications so that it would be easy to tell at a glance that the communication was 1) from B’nai Jeshurun and 2) related to High Holy Days. These communications would get congregants excited for New Year by invoking positive associations with visual cues from a place they value.

The High Holy Days, or Jewish New Year, is a collection of holidays that together represent the busiest time of year for synagogues. To ensure a smooth and fulfilling time for all, they need to communicate a lot of logistical and other information quickly to congregants, while maintaining a sense of excitement and awe for the holidays.

Points for connection and celebration

Additionally, they wanted to celebrate the harvest festival, Sukkot, with a program around Kabbalah (Jewish mysticism), which is famously arcane and opaque to laypeople, but can be immensely rewarding to study.

I produced linocut-style digital illustrations of Kabbalistic concepts, plus graphic representations of their relationship to Kabbalah as a whole.

I used existing brand colors/typography for a unified look, and symbolic illustrations that were easily legible but still expressive. I also used lots of white space to leave room for quiet and reflection.

I also created corresponding interactive social media graphics to boost engagement.

These dramatic, eye-catching, yet inviting conversation-starters helped congregants celebrate Sukkot with intention and meaning, providing points for connection and celebration for congregants both inside and outside the synagogue.

  • Kabbalah sefirot—spheres

    Kabbalah sefirot—spheres

  • Gvurah—strength: tree with roots

    Gvurah—strength

  • Hesed—lovingkindness: gentle face and hand

    Hesed—lovingkindness

  • Yesod—foundation: old stone bridge

    Yesod—foundation

  • Hod—humility: prostration, praying

    Hod—humility

  • Malkhut—majesty: crown

    Malkhut—majesty

  • Tiferet—splendor: date palm

    Tiferet—splendor

  • Netzach—eternity: mountain

    Netzach—eternity

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