Okay. So you have an event coming up. A talk series for young adults, a semester kick off for your teen group, or even just a fun bowling night planned. There’s not anything different about this new event necessarily, but there IS something that separates you from the other things happening in your audience’s life: You want to talk to them about their life, challenges, triumphs and struggles. You want to talk to them about Jesus and the Church and THAT is a great thing. The not-so-great thing? You may have very little idea how to communicate these things through your church bulletin, a poster, a picture, a website, or social media profile. How can you design materials that are eye-catching and relevant if your best tool is Paint or Microsoft Word? You might even be lucky enough to have some Adobe products (Photoshop/Illustrator/InDesign), but have no idea what interface is used for.
Here’s the good news: Everyone has strengths and weaknesses as a minister. I know that when I was directly involved in youth ministry and as I am still involved in young adult ministry, there are things I am great at and excited to do, and there are other things I shy away from at all costs. Need a poster designed? I’d love to! You want me to give a talk? I’ll respectfully pass, thank you. I think it’s a safe bet however, to say that for most of us, we hope and pray for volunteers and people with skill sets that help offset our weaknesses. For many of us, this means finding people who can create exciting things – whether they are dynamic talks, powerful worship, or well-made artwork and multimedia.
It has taken me several years to learn and grow in my abilities as a designer. It stemmed from a love for the arts and pop culture. Beyond that, it was a labor of love – learning Photoshop, Illustrator, etc. and really, how to be relevant and up to date in my artwork. To say I am anywhere near completed in my studies or development as a designer would be foolish and shortsighted, but I do want to provide any insights, help, suggestions, or connections possible in the pursuit of helping the greater Church reach her goals.
So for now, consider me your newest volunteer. That guy that shows up to help who happens to know how to create promotional ads and posters. That guy who is willing to offer advice on printing your next conference or retreat shirts. That guy who can help point you in the right direction, offer his services, or simply be another eye in the design and development process.
Over the next several posts we’ll take a look at the use of artwork in ministry: the good, the bad, and the ugly. Much like Matt will do when reviewing ministry websites, we’ll look at artwork and its use for the promotion of events or the communication of ideas/beliefs. Art has outlasted the ages and continues to evoke emotions and feelings in those that participate in it. We’ll explore how your ministry can utilize art and design to evoke emotions and feelings from your congregation and how relevant design can communicate a sense of understanding and trust to your audience.
Over the next several months, I will begin to incorporate tutorials to my blog. We’ll learn how to use brushes in Photoshop or vector images in Illustrator. We’ll learn about gradients, textures, and colors. We’ll learn how to edit previously created images in our work to create recognizable, but fresh concepts. And I’ll post links and suggestions to some of my favorite fonts and font sites. I need your help though. What would you like to learn? Give me some ideas and we’ll move forward together in learning and developing our design aesthetics.
