McDonald’s is Missing

I take my caffeine cold.  So when a coworker and I needed help staying alert on a long road trip, we stopped at a McDonald’s for some Atlanta wine.

I haven’t thought much about whether the chain’s current rebranding effort gives them a serious shot at Starbucks, but I was interested to see one aspect of the McCafe experiment I hadn’t expected: the word “McDonald’s” had been almost completely scrubbed away.  Take a look:

It was nearly impossible to find the old logotype anywhere on the premises.  The only exceptions were an old news stand and the highway sign (see below).  The next closest remnant was the “Mickey D’s Ice Tea” dispenser.  Only the Golden Arches reminded us of the building’s sacred heritage.

There was no doubt of course, where we were. Even behind a “Play Place,” familiar shapes and colors gave it away, and I wonder if an American could possible mistake the place for something called a McCafe.

But in the few places on the planet not yet familiar with the place, I wondered what assumptions they might make. Would they wonder about the apparent rear-end collision between the hipped roof and Play Place box? Would they care about the history of the color scheme and arches? Probably not. But for USAmericans, it will be a long time before this particular architecture is anything but a McDonald’s. How long will that take?

Translate the same questions to church buildings. St. Francis of Assisi is routinely misquoted as saying something along the lines of, “Preach the Gospel and if necessary, use words,” and some buildings will always communicate their purpose, with or without signage. Others will never communicate “church” to our culture, no matter how many crosses they stick up. Does it matter to you?

How dependent is your organization on labels and symbols to communicate its purpose? How much of this load is carried by the building you inhabit? Do your facilities present an obstacle to the effective communication of your most important messages?