A field guide for 2Rivers Kids — what we share with the parent, the splash mark we own, and the decisions that make a piece feel like Sunday morning in the Kids hallway.
Kids is a sibling, not a stranger. The mission, the eight values, 2RC blue — all parent. The splash logo, Knewave, primaries, sticker energy — that's how we say it on a Sunday morning.
2Rivers Kids should feel like 2Rivers — just through the eyes of a kid.
The parent brand is simple, authentically positive, and lives in the tension of grace & truth. That doesn't change for Kids — it just gets louder and warmer.
If a parent could imagine their five-year-old wearing it on a t-shirt or singing it at dinner, we've nailed Kids. If it could appear unchanged in a corporate report, we've drifted back to the parent. Push.
Every Kids piece carries these. They're how a visiting parent recognizes us as 2Rivers before they read a word.
Where the parent is quiet, Kids gets loud. Where the parent is editorial, Kids gets to be primary-school art class.
The parent guide states the eight values for adults. Kids ministry restates them with a vocabulary a five-year-old would use — same truth, fewer syllables, more wonder.
Jesus is our favorite person to talk about. He's the best!
We sing and dance because Jesus makes our hearts so happy!
We need friends to help us grow. Jesus wants us to stick together!
We don't just take — we help! Everyone can love others like Jesus.
God loves kids! Every kid matters and belongs here.
We see people who are hurting and we try to help — just like Jesus did.
No matter what happens, Jesus wins — and we're on His team!
We tell the truth in love. Jesus is full of grace — and so are we.
Every value is restated through three filters: a kid-sized phrase, a visual color cue, and an invitation that opens a door rather than closes a box.
Under 8 words. Uses "we" and "you." No theological jargon. Should land like a call-and-response chant in a room of 2nd graders. If a kindergartner can repeat it, you're close.
Each value is paired consistently with one accent color and one motif from the palette. Repeated across slides, signage, and curriculum, kids begin to associate the color with the value — before they can read the word.
Every value closes with a question or a send — not a rule. We're inviting kids into a story, not grading them on compliance. Frame it as a discovery, not a command.
The Kids voice is the parent brand cranked up. Same gospel, same values — but said by a trusted older friend who genuinely loves being in a room full of five-year-olds.
Kids smell fake from a mile away. Write like you're actually excited about Sunday. No corporate language, no forced enthusiasm. Real warmth reads instantly.
One idea per slide. One message per sign. The loudest voice in the room isn't the one saying the most — it's the one saying one thing perfectly.
Every game, every activity, every announcement points back to Jesus. The branding is playful so the gospel can land clearly. Never let the fun become the point.
Not a teacher reading from a script. Not a hype man trying too hard. A 22-year-old who loves Jesus and genuinely lights up when kids walk in. That's the voice. Warm, clear, honest — and just a little bit loud.
The 2Rivers Kids mark is a circular badge — clean and scalable. "2RIVERS" in white Archivo Black caps rings the top; "KIDS" in large white Knewave fills the bottom half. The interior carries a radial gradient from near-white through vivid mint (#A0FFE2) to sky blue (#65DAFF).
A circular badge with a mint-to-sky radial gradient — like sunlight through water. "2RIVERS" arcs in Archivo Black caps at the top ring; "KIDS" fills the lower half in big Knewave bubble script.
The circular form is clean and scalable — works as a social avatar, room badge, print sticker, or t-shirt graphic. Brush-paint swatches appear at the corners of any composition that features the mark.
The actual logo colors are brighter than you'd expect — vivid mint and bright sky, not pastels. The logo palette anchors everything; accent colors support and add energy.
Three core fonts, one optional. Knewave is the personality. Archivo Black is the shout. Fredoka is the warmth. CMG Sans is the bonus when you need massive, legible signage fast.
The Kids design vocabulary is built around soft geometry, bold color fields, and hand-crafted motifs. Every piece should feel like it was made for the room — not adapted from the adult brand.
Kids brand applications live on slides, room signs, check-in screens, name tags, and social posts. Each format has a job — design for that job first.
"Jesus said, Let the little children come to me."
Kids branding evolves to stay culturally current while keeping the DNA. These are the directions we're leaning into for the upcoming season — things worth being intentional about now.
Move toward bold flat vector graphics and illustrated elements rather than always reaching for stock textures. A small 2-color icon set — stars, hands, hearts, arrows — that the team can remix quickly in Canva becomes a recognizable visual language.
Knewave is the Kids voice — but it's currently mostly confined to logos. Push it into room signage, slide headlines, and social captions. When the first word a kid reads in a room is in Knewave, the space immediately says "you're in the right place."
CMG Sans is already in the Canva kit. Use it intentionally on large-format room signs, stage backdrops, and banner graphics where maximum legibility at 30 feet matters more than personality. Reserve Knewave for the close-contact, kid-facing moments.
The palette is strong — but compositions sometimes use too many accent colors at once. For 2026-2027, aim for "one hero accent per piece." Pick sky, or sun, or pink — then use the others as supporting whispers. Fewer colors, bolder statement.
Prioritize candid, in-the-moment shots over posed groups. The best Kids photo is a kid mid-laugh, mid-discovery, or mid-worship — not looking at the camera. Invest in one good Sunday morning photo session per semester with these standards.
The brush-paint swatches at the corners of the logo are a signature that can extend beyond the mark itself. Use them to anchor corners of slides, frames on social content, and section breaks in print. They signal "this is Kids" instantly.