Graphic Design

Yes, we’re already a week into 2013, but it’s still not too late to look at your church communications strategy and set some goals for the upcoming year.  As you think about the upcoming year, here are five issues I think are good for you to consider.

Be visual.   It was a major point of mine last year and it’s going to be a talking point many more times in 2013.  In every piece of communication material you have, whether it’s online or on paper, find a way to add images.  Put a face to the...

It’s always interesting to look back over the past year to see what posts were the most popular on Church Juice.  But instead of just listing the most visited pages based on traffic, I thought it would be fun to group those posts into themes to get a feel for what was on your mind.  So here’s what you cared about in 2012:

#7 Christmas Planning

What?  You’re tired of thinking about Christmas now that it’s over?  Well, rest assured that this will be the only mention of Christmas on the...

Jonathan Malm writes and speaks about the creative process. He created and edits ChurchStageDesignIdeas.com and Sunday|Magazine–a free online magazine about the creative side of Sunday mornings at church. Jonathan and his wife live in Dallas, Texas. 

Captivating Presentations

• It’s not about being cool.  That draws people to you, not to Christ.  That doesn’t mean you can’t be creative.
• It’s not the graphical elements that will be memorable. Think outside of the screen and the...

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...