Graphic Design

There’s plenty of discussion about stock photography.  Love it or hate it, searching for the right pictures and spending money for them is a part of most designers’ lives.  Whether we’re amateurs or pros in putting together pieces for our communication materials, we need to think about why we’re using stock images. 

This post isn’t about saying “yes” or “no” to using stock photography.  Instead we want to help you think through why you’re using stock stuff and when you might want to avoid...

Talking about graphic design is a tough topic; different people have different opinions in what they like.  We each see things online or in print that give us a ‘wow’ moment.  We’re amazed by what we see.  We wish we could design something like that.  Yet, the things I admire might be far less appealing to you. 

Despite this difficulty in discussing what good design looks like, design in the church world is important.  And here are a few things to consider then thinking about design at your...

My wife noticed it right away.  There it sat.  Right near the front door of a church we visited.  A bright yellow brochure with the big heading “Just Try It” positioned above…the trademarked Nike logo.  Like a scene from a church-communications action film where a bomb was armed to blow, we looked at each other wide-eyed, mouths open as we shook our heads in slow motion—all the while silently yelling, “Noooooo!”

Okay, it wasn’t that dramatic.  Our reaction was probably more of just subdued...

Sometimes when it comes to design, we make decisions based on wanting something to look cool.  In fact many times we may judge design solely on it looking good without taking into effect how it communicates something or how it can better help our organizations connect with people.

Fast Co. Design had an interesting article recently that looked at what good design can do for a business.  As I read through the list, I couldn’t help but think there are some good principles for churches to...

God blesses the church that puts personal preferences aside for the sake of the Gospel.  Those are the words (as best as I can remember them) from Pastor Scott Nichols at Crossroads Community Church in Carol Stream, Illinois.  My wife and I were there visiting this past weekend which happened to be the church’s 10-year anniversary weekend. As Pastor Scott reflected on the past, this idea of putting personal preferences aside was one of the things he believes has helped the church successfully...

Certain events can become a catalyst for change for churches.  At Life Baptist Church in Las Vegas, it was a move to a new building.  It was a chance for the church of nearly 300 people to start with a clean branding slate to better present their message.  It was time to clean up the inconsistent messaging and branding they had in the past.

“I can't overhype the importance of branding. Don't be afraid of it,” says Creative Arts Guy Matt Phillips “The truth is that you are already sending a...

Good conferences like Echo can leave you with a little bit of information overload.  While I shared some notes from most of the sessions I went to, I want to share some of my personal takeaways.  Consider it a tasty tidbit from each presentation.

• What is your social media mission?  When we start using a tool, we need to ask why we’re doing this and what we hope will come of it.  Get more focused than just a digital extension of your organizational statement.  If we don’t know where we’re...

Graphic designer Paul Nielsen wrote a really interesting piece about church graphic design.  Nielsen says churches often find themselves in one of two camps.  They either aren’t thinking about design at all or they’re way overthinking it.

I always say everything a church does communicates something, so why not intentionally think about it.  And that’s really the philosophy Nielsen follows when looking at churches who don’t put much thought into their signs, brochures, worship folders, etc. ...

As the new year closes in, I’ve been thinking about what you could (and should) do in 2011 to help your church focus on a clear vision and communicate more effectively.  Here are my top five thoughts:

Stop investing in the yellow pages.  I know churches that spend thousands of dollars on yellow page ads, but refuse to invest in a good website.  The yellow pages (printed on paper) are dead.  Some phone companies aren’t even printing them anymore.  It’s good to be listed, but you don’t need an ad...

The Church Juice Branding Process case study is now available.  It’s a follow up to the blog series we did in the Fall where we took a look at how Church Juice came to be.  All of those posts have been collected into this case study as well as a few tips we found helpful along the way.  It’s a free download that follows our visioning process, name selection and logo creation.  Hopefully it’s helpful for you if you’re looking at branding a new program or re-visioning your church.    ...