For my capstone project, I created Renewed Catholic Stationery.
This is a company that creates Catholic stationery and specifically an academic planner. I created the branding, designed a planner, stickers, and a meal planner. I have also created a small business around this project and sell the stationery on Etsy, locally, and at several Catholic conferences.
I was inspired to create this project because I have always loved stationery and planners, and can never find one with everything I want. I also find my faith very important and wanted to design a way for students to easily focus on faith and school.
The Planner
I designed the entire planner which includes everything a Catholic student would need: feast days, daily mass readings, weekly bible verses, a Lent planner, common prayers, a daily schedule, a homework planner, and a space for notes and gratitude. The flowers throughout the planner were drawn, carved out of linoleum, and then printed myself using a print-making technique called linocut.
The planner is a way for students to effectively integrate their faith into their daily lives, renewing their ordinary life to reflect Christ's.
I also worked with a printer to get the planners printed with tabs, gold spiral binding, high quality paper and a belly band on the cover to display the features and logo.
Faith, school, and the rest of your life don't have to be separate.
Live with Christ, live for Christ, live Renewed in Christ.
Each Monthly spread includes:
- A border of that month's flower. December's flower is the Castilion rose for Our Lady of Guadalupe.
- Reference dates in the top right corner.
- All of the feast days for the month are on each day with the Renewed star signifying more important feasts or solemnities.
- To do, prayer requests, and the month's goals on the right side.
- The month's dedication in the bottom right corner.
- JMJ (Jesus, Mary, Joseph) and AMDG (latin meaning for the Greater Glory of God) on the top and bottom of each page of the planner.
- A border of that month's flower. December's flower is the Castilion rose for Our Lady of Guadalupe.
- Reference dates in the top right corner.
- All of the feast days for the month are on each day with the Renewed star signifying more important feasts or solemnities.
- To do, prayer requests, and the month's goals on the right side.
- The month's dedication in the bottom right corner.
- JMJ (Jesus, Mary, Joseph) and AMDG (latin meaning for the Greater Glory of God) on the top and bottom of each page of the planner.
Each Weekly spread includes:
- A box for homework.
- Each day's daily mass readings.
- Each day's feast day if there is one.
- A box for each day with schedule, homework, and to-do. There is also a place to write what time you will pray
- A version of the planner completed after this photo also includes a bible verse above Thursday for each week pulled from one of the readings from the week.
- JMJ (Jesus, Mary, Joseph) and AMDG (latin meaning for the Greater Glory of God) on the top and bottom of each page of the planner.
- A box for homework.
- Each day's daily mass readings.
- Each day's feast day if there is one.
- A box for each day with schedule, homework, and to-do. There is also a place to write what time you will pray
- A version of the planner completed after this photo also includes a bible verse above Thursday for each week pulled from one of the readings from the week.
- JMJ (Jesus, Mary, Joseph) and AMDG (latin meaning for the Greater Glory of God) on the top and bottom of each page of the planner.
Additional pages:
Spread explaining the significance of each flower
The Planner Belongs To:
A spread teaching how to integrate your school life with your faith life.
September Monthly Spread
Lent Spread
Planner Cover
The Branding
I chose the name Renewed because we are all Renewed in Christ and it is a common theme throughout the Bible. When we are baptized, when we choose each day to follow Christ, we have a renewal of our hearts and minds in Him.
The words that the branding emulates are bright, clean, and inviting which you can see next to the moodboard.
The logo was created to reflect the star present at Christ's birth and when it became possible for us all to be renewed in Him.
I also created a supporting brand element of a dove to represent the Holy Spirit.
2 Cor 5:17- "So whoever is in Christ is a new creation: the old things have passed away; behold, new things have come."
Isaiah 41:10- "fear not, for I am with you, be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my victorious right hand."
The Meal Planner
I designed this meal planner notepad to help students who have apartments organize another aspect of their lives: cooking and eating well. It includes a food-themed bible verse on each week's sheet. I also worked with a printer to get these printed as notepads with 52 sheets (one for each week of the year!)
The Planner Stickers
I designed and printed 3 planner sticker sheets. This helps to decorate the planner and add in reminders for class, holidays, and faith life. It is also a product you can purchase if you already own a different planner but want it to be more Catholic.
All 3 sticker sheets
School sticker sheet
Faith sticker sheet
Faith holidays + extras sticker sheet
Two stand-alone stickers I designed of the Sacred Heart and the Eucharist to sell separately and promote
the brand.
The Social Media
I created an Instagram page to promote my products. I also created a Linktree based on the brand guidelines to link to my Etsy store.
I have been posting on this account since last spring, but less consistently over the last few months.
I ran a few different smaller campaigns within it: a sticker giveaway, a "Renewed Planner Day" event for the day the planner started, and a some reflective and informational carousels. I have also created many reels for the page. You can click the Instagram link above!
Examples of posts:
The Etsy Store
This is the Etsy store for Renewed Catholic Stationery. I designed the header to reflect brand guidelines. I have sold sticker sheets, planners, stand-alone stickers, and meal planners on Etsy. Click the button below to view the site!
What people have said about Renewed on Etsy:
" This is a great planner and the materials are very high quality."
"I am a converting Catholic and homeschool mom. This has so many features and is beautiful."
"Love this simple meal planner with shopping list."
Bachelor of Fine Arts Exhibition, May 2024
Renewed Catholic Stationery was my capstone design project, so it was a part of the Bachelor of Fine Arts Exhibition in Krannert Art Museum on the University of Illinois' campus.
I designed the display for the planner in the museum, including the posters and signs, as well as the way the items were displayed on the pedestal. The posters behind the pedestal are inspired by stained glass found in Catholic churches. The shape of the posters is specifically inspired by the Santa Maria Novella Church in Florence.
Conferences
Renewed Catholic Stationery has been sold at many major Catholic Conferences, including Seek25, the National Eucharistic Congress, and the Good News Conference.
The images below are from Seek25.
The Process: Logo Design
Sketches and previous logo versions I came up with while designing the branding.
The Process: Making the Flowers
I drew all of the flowers, carved them from linoleum, and then printed them. I then put them in Adobe Illustrator to manipulate the colors and create patterns.
Background Research
I did preliminary research, including creating personas, a SWOT analysis, comparing competitors, and I sent out a survey, which got 55 responses.
