In certain restaurants, all the waitstaff wear white shirts, black pants, and nametags. Or maybe they all wear a certain color or style of shirt. Or hats. Likewise, all the employees of your favorite grocery store may wear the same color shirts or aprons when they’re working. And, of course, they wear nametags displaying the store’s and their own names.
It’s also likely that your local plumber, electrician, or other tradesperson wears a shirt with his or her own name and the business name or logo embroidered or pinned on it.
This apparel is a form of branding. It communicates to customers. “Simply put, your brand is your promise to your customer. It tells them what they can expect from your products and services, and it differentiates your offering from your competitors’. Your brand is derived from who you are, who you want to be and who people perceive you to be” (John Williams, “The Basics of Branding”).
Why not do something similar for your VBS? Wear special clothing that identifies the VBS team and communicates your “brand.”
You can purchase the Big Fish Bay Logo & Print License to take to a local vendor for professionally applied logos. This may even allow you to meet someone you might not otherwise meet and to invite that person’s kids or grandkids to your VBS! Consider wearing different colors or styles of shirts to distinguish between the directors, teachers, and workers. Or make your own Big Fish Bay shirts with iron-ons. Either way, with the Big Fish Bay logo on your shirts, you are making a statement to your community: Something unique and fun is happening in our VBS.
Wearing shirts with the Big Fish Bay logo will also let students and parents distinguish between your VBS team and other adults. When you add lanyards or nametags, everyone will know how to address individual members of your team.
You can use other apparel to distinguish further between members of your VBS team. Perhaps the games director could wear the Happy Crabbie Hat, helpers could wear Bayside Bandanas, and the crafts or snacks team could wear Claw Bopper Headbands, while teachers and other leaders wear Captain’s Hats.
Wearing theme apparel sets your VBS apart and communicates that your church is a welcoming, thoughtful place that’s “Hooked on God’s Mercy”!
