March 15, 2010

5 Tools Church Designers Need: Introduction

by Paul Armstrong, Guest Blogger

This is part one in a six-part series exploring the tools graphic designers who work for churches need to succeed.

There you are on a slow Monday morning, a freshly brewed mug of coffee, NPR playing in the background and your fingers dancing on the keyboard, composing the most stunning tweet ever put to screen, when suddenly you're interrupted.

"OK, we have the most brilliant idea ever and want you to work on the graphics for it right away. Our next series is going to be called 'Fringe: Following Christ For Outsiders,' and you'll use the same look at that TV uses. So get on this, it's gonna be amazing!"

Whether you work for a church or a corporation as a graphic designer, too often your job is perceived as a service. You are the waiter, the maid and the mailman; and while it's true that you are delivering what was ordered, you're not merely there to make sure that your "customer" is right.

Continue reading "5 Tools Church Designers Need: Introduction"

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October 26, 2009

The Branding Process: Start to Finish

Designer Von Glitschka recently shared his experience doing a branding/identity project for Northwest Church in Shoreline, Wash. He shares the many iterations the design went through as well as some insight into the final product. Don't forget to check out the video.

This is a fabulous glimpse into the creative process. Designers can learn a lot of insider tips and process, and non-designers can get a feel for what really goes into a logo project. You get out what you put into it, and that definitely shows in this case. This was originally shared in the Church Marketing Lab, another reminder that it pays to check out that creative community.

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 10:56 AM
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September 19, 2009

Follow-Up to the Rick Warren/Spec Work Debate

On Thursday evening we posted an entry trying to address the issue of spec work through the current example of Rick Warren’s book cover design contest. In less than 24 hours the post wracked up 133 comments and some heated debate.

Unfortunately, that debate turned ugly and we had to shut down the comments. We wanted to explain our decision to close the comments and clarify our original intent in addressing this issue.

Comments
We ultimately made the decision to close the comments because people on both sides of the issue couldn’t have a civil discussion. That’s something we’ve never had to do in over five years of Church Marketing Sucks blogging.

In the end, comments are not the best place for this kind of heated dialogue because we’re not confronted with the reality of the people involved. We talk differently when the debate happens face to face.

We still value comments and the way they can bring important voices to the table, give an opportunity to hear dissent, get a reality check (like we received last month) and share ideas. The openness of comments has always been critical to blogging and we hope to continue that. But the commenters themselves need to behave. That’s not too much to ask. (And for the record, we’re keeping the comments on this post closed as well so as not to reopen the closed debate.)

Why We Addressed Spec Work
We also wanted to clarify why we addressed this issue in the first place.

Continue reading "Follow-Up to the Rick Warren/Spec Work Debate"

Posted by Brad Abare at 3:09 PM

September 17, 2009

An Open Letter to Rick Warren about Spec Work

Editor's Note: We closed the comments on this post as they took a turn for the worse. We explained our reasoning for closing comments and the rationale for this post in a follow-up entry.

Dear Rick Warren,

We saw your recent contest to design the cover of your next book for the chance to win $5,000.

It sounds like a pretty sweet deal. A designer could win some major acclaim, an awesome piece in their portfolio and a nice wad of cash.

Unfortunately, it’s not such a sweet deal. For the hundreds of designers who spent hours of time on your project, it’s a total loss. These kinds of projects communicate that their work is of little value.

As a double whammy, it’s not a very sweet deal for you, Rick. The quality of work you get is going to be sub-par (take a look—yep, that’s some mediocre work). One of the reason it’s sub-par is because the designers didn’t have the benefit of a working relationship with you the client where they could be privy to all the ideas, expectations, insights and everything else that goes into making a creative project work. In a nutshell: You’re not getting the best work because you’re not valuing the worker.

The best creative work happens in partnership. Not in disconnected competition.

Another reason it’s not so good for you is that you just used your position to take advantage of hundreds of designers who were hungry for the exposure. That’s usually called oppression exploitation. The church, of all places, shouldn’t be taking advantage of people. (Ed. Note: We realize this wasn't intentional, but that doesn't make it OK.)

We realize none of this was your intention, but we wanted to take the opportunity to do some education. Artists are frequently unappreciated and undervalued in the church. No other position in the church—administrators, accountants, maintenance workers, pastors, etc.—is asked to spend hours doing hard work and then submit to a competitive lottery for the slim chance of being paid. Respect artists by putting value in their work.

Continue reading "An Open Letter to Rick Warren about Spec Work"

Posted by Michael Buckingham at 6:14 PM
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August 31, 2009

Inside the Creative Process at North Point

Many of you have heard of North Point Community Church or their lead pastor Andy Stanley. They were one of the pioneers of the attractional church model, and to this day, not many churches do it better.

A big part of that is top-notch design. And recently, they explained their creative process for the media of one of their series. You might not have the funds they have or the manpower, but you can certainly learn something from their process.

They do a great job going from their starting point with a magazine image, through their promotional videos and title packages, all the way to their final graphics. Make sure to either check their process out yourself or share it with the creatives working at your church.

Posted by Joshua Cody at 6:41 AM
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April 20, 2009

3 Tips for Getting Better Freelance Design (A Parable)

by Hal Thomas, Guest Blogger

I walked into my local coffee shop, excited to be meeting with a prospective client who had contacted me only days before. I introduced myself to Jill (not her real name); we ordered lattes and sat down to talk.

Jill told me about a new company she was launching. She said she would need a logo, business cards, a brochure and a web site with e-commerce features and a registered user section. And she needed it all in four weeks.

After Jill gave me a few more of the project details I asked her, “What it your budget for this project?”

Jill seemed flabbergasted. After hemming and hawing for a few minutes, she finally responded to my question with a question of her own: “What is your hourly rate?”

Me: “I prefer to quote projects based on a price for the total job rather than by the hour. I’ve found it usually works out better for both me and my clients that way.”

Jill: “But if you had to charge by the hour, what would you charge?”

Me: “No less than $100 an hour. Maybe more for the web site coding. Depends on who is available to slice and code it on such a tight deadline.”

Jill: “You mean you don’t do all the web design yourself?”

Me: “No ma’am. Have you seen my portfolio or been to my web site?”

Jill: “I’ve been meaning to. I’ve been so busy I just haven’t had a chance yet.”

---

As a result of the current economic challenges, we are all looking for places to save money, and using a freelance designer versus having a full-time staff person is now a serious consideration for many churches. Contracting freelance design can seem like an intimidating process to the uninitiated, but it doesn’t have to be.

Churches can learn from Jill’s mistakes, as they are the same ones churches often make when they contract freelance design, as evidenced by my own experience and a number of the projects listed in the Freelance Lab. Follow these three tips the next time you have to outsource a design project and you’ll already be ahead of the curve.

Continue reading "3 Tips for Getting Better Freelance Design (A Parable)"

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April 1, 2009

Seth Godin Says: Learn Some Design!

All right church marketing professionals, Seth Godin is calling out you and your secular brethren. He makes this argument:

Ten years ago, you had a wide range of excuses for being a lousy visuals person. Starting with no talent, leading to no skill and going from there.

But now, in a world where it is expected that professionals will be able to make beautiful powerpoint slides, handsome business cards, clever bio photos and a decent website, it's as important as driving. And easier to learn and do, and requiring less talent.

We've been talking about this in the Church Marketing Lab, and our own Michael Buckingham argues that Godin gets it wrong.

Initially, I thought that for sure Godin missed the boat here as well. But I think he just suffered from some noise in his communication. His article's title reads, Why aren't you (really) good at graphic design?

Continue reading "Seth Godin Says: Learn Some Design!"

Posted by Joshua Cody at 8:23 AM
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March 13, 2009

Why Criticism Is A Good Thing

One of the challenges to working with the church is some of the very opinionated feedback you receive from the pastor, committee, etc. When you get criticism what do you do? Do you get defensive, put up walls? Or do you embrace it in a way that results in great design?

Sitepoint has a great post that every designer working with the church should read. Excellent post. In fact, go read it and come back. I'll wait ...

See? Good stuff.

What did you think of the question posed at the end of the post? Is there ever a time when you don’t readily take feedback from a client and try to incorporate it into the project?

Continue reading "Why Criticism Is A Good Thing"

Posted by Michael Buckingham at 10:09 AM
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February 12, 2009

Thinking Before Clicking: Returning to Graphic Design Basics

The New York Times offers a reflection on what graphic design looked like 30 years ago. It was all T-squares, X-Acto knives and rubber cement. You had to do it by hand, like a skilled craftsman.

That all changed with computers, but it's not always a good thing:

"The technology we have at our disposal is dazzling, and our efficiency is such that clients expect fast solutions and nearly instantaneous updates. We are proud to deliver them. Still, I wonder if we haven’t lost something in the process: the deliberation that comes with a slower pace, the attention to detail required when mistakes can’t be undone with the click of a mouse. Younger designers hearing me talk this way react as if I’m getting sentimental about the days when we all used to churn our own butter.

Computers can do amazing things for design, but sometimes we need to slow down and step back. I always remember the advice of our own Michael Buckingham: Before you turn on a computer, pick up a pencil.

Putting solid thinking into design shouldn't be an archaic concept like churning your own butter. Your work will be better for it, and your church will thank you. (link via kottke.org)

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 8:10 AM
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January 15, 2009

Sitepoint on Design in Modern Church Marketing

Recently, the online media organization Sitepoint (a secular organization) tackled the issue of design in modern church marketing. They hit heavily on topics of the overuse of grunge-style design, the difficulty of communicating identity and recent church branding conversations we've been having here. It's a great read, and I think in a few places, they really hit the nail on the head:

"Church designers seem to face a massive challenge: make beautiful, polished interactive experiences that retain humility and communicate spirituality, all without appearing contrived. Reducing the role of the ego is standard practice in nearly all religions, yet ironically many of today’s churches need to promote themselves more than ever as they seek greater numbers and visibility. Do church designers feel conflicted, trying to convey core values while wrapping them in slick, expensive designs?"

Posted by Joshua Cody at 6:43 AM
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September 8, 2008

Quit Stealing Designs

by James Polits, Guest Blogger

Yesterday, I received in the mail an event advertisement from a rather large youth ministry organization. On the cover, I recognized a tutorial from PSDTUTS.com. You might think, "Oh, that's nice." However, there were several aspects of the work that made me angry; and I'll list them for you.

1. The entire design was copied from the tutorial (background, the main elements, and even a little of the color scheme).
2. The designer did nothing to improve upon the tutorial design nor did they do anything to make it original.
3. They didn't even take the time to execute the tutorial effects with excellence!

Now, understand that I don't have a problem with using tutorial-inspired effects. I often use them myself. But the goal of a tutorial is teach a skill or how to accomplish a look, not to give you a design. Designers, be fair to tutorial writers and don't steal their designs for you to make a quick profit. Give your client what they deserve: your own product!

Posted by Guest Blogger at 7:01 AM
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June 26, 2008

Note to Boss: Stop Asking For Comps

Last week I wrote a note to designers and creatives about how they should stop providing multiple design comps. Today I direct the same message to the other side--the people that are paying for them.

To Bosses, Clients, Marketing Managers, et al: Try with all of your might to hire freelancers and firms that do not provide comps. Working with someone that provides multiple design comps is like buying from a knife salesmen. If the Ginsu 2000 is the knife that beats all other knives, why do I need to buy all your other knives too?

When you support the bad habit that creatives have about providing multiple comps, you're training them to doubt their expertise. You're also presuming on them that you actually know better than they do about what works.

Stop already.

If you're going to play creative director then design it yourself. If you don't like the colors or the font or the motion graphics or the bumper music, perhaps you need to do a better job communicating your expectations up front.

Continue reading "Note to Boss: Stop Asking For Comps"

Posted by Brad Abare at 7:46 AM
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June 19, 2008

Note to Creatives: Stop Providing Comps

Graphic Designers: If you haven't kicked the habit already, stop giving two to three design comps (or more) when you present key art ideas to your client or boss. Not only does it suggest that you lack confidence in your ability to accomplish the goals set out by the project initially, it also says you're not convinced enough to present one strong idea. This in turn helps to protect your ego so that in case one idea is not a clear winner, there are a few others to talk about. "Hello Client, here are a couple ideas to get something on the table. I look forward to talking these over with you and seeing what fits best, or maybe a hybrid of the two." Sound familiar?

Stop already.

I was talking to my art director at Foursquare yesterday. He has a really strong background in corporate design and branding, and does stellar work. He has a solid portfolio of real world work, including training at one of the best art schools around. Shortly after he joined my team, I gave him my "no more comp" spiel. "But that's not the way you're supposed to do it!"

Stop already.

Continue reading "Note to Creatives: Stop Providing Comps"

Posted by Brad Abare at 3:12 PM
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November 5, 2007

Lessons In Not Sucking, Communication In Print

This is part two in a series on Lessons In Not Sucking. Today we discuss communication in print. This is all in the context of marketing so it's important to filter my comments through that lens.

1. Print adds legitimacy to your message
Whenever something is put in print--whether it be proper or propaganda, it adds some legitimacy to what you're saying. It's nice to see and hear. When you can touch or take away something it makes the message stick a little more and creates a reference point.

2. The call to action: what and where
Just as I said with communicating online, you've got to remember to have a call to action. When someone gets your printed piece (postcard, bulletin, invitation, etc.), what do you want them to do? Call? Register? Tell someone else? If the call to action isn't clear, don't expect much in return.

3. Remember “the who”
They're not just a band, the "who" is also your audience. And if you don't have them in mind every second you're creating printed pieces, you're wasting time. When you put things in print, this is not the time to think about you, it's the time to think about them.

Continue reading "Lessons In Not Sucking, Communication In Print"

Posted by Brad Abare at 7:31 AM
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September 17, 2007

The Art of the Critique

Sometimes there's something that's just so good in the Church Marketing Lab that it needs to migrate to our front page here. This is one of those occasions.

User "wiseacre photo" has written up a piece called "The Art of the Critique." It aims to be a guide for churches hiring designers to critique their work in its early stages. It succeeds at being much more. It can expand from graphic design to employee reviews to volunteer encouragement to pastoral critique. And beyond. Here's a taste of what he says, but you can read the whole article in our Church Marketing Lab.

Continue reading "The Art of the Critique"

Posted by Joshua Cody at 5:34 AM
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March 16, 2007

Design Matters: Creating Powerful Imagery for Worship

by Greg Atkinson, Guest Blogger

For anyone involved in the world of church design, marketing and branding (whether new or a seasoned pro), I'd like to recommend a book for you to check out called Design Matters: Creating Powerful Imagery for Worship by Len Wilson and Jason Moore of Midnight Oil Productions. In my class at MinistryCOM last year, I talked about "leading up" and being proactive to pass on good reads to your pastors so they can better appreciate what you do. This book is well written resource for designers, but also great for a pastor to more fully understand and appreciate design, designers and the work that goes into what you do.

Continue reading "Design Matters: Creating Powerful Imagery for Worship"

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March 5, 2007

Cute, Clever and Cool

One of my daily blog reads is Signal vs. Noise from the folks behind 37signals. Not only do I use a few of their products (personally and professionally), I really appreciate their perspective as it relates to significant simplicity.

One of their posts today was about being cute, clever and cool as it relates to design. The idea is to make sure that these 3 C's should be viewed as ingredients to our design, not as ends of themselves. Pow!

It's the difference between driving toward the three C's, and bringing the three C's along for the journey. The next time I start a project, I want to season in the three C's, not attempt to accomplish or conquer them.

Posted by Brad Abare at 2:49 PM
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February 26, 2007

Amarillo Church Wins Addy Award

An Amarillo, Texas church snagged a best in show (registration requried) at the Addy Awards for the second year in a row. Trinity Fellowship Church won the local division of the highly respected awards competition for creative marketing and advertising, beating out mainstream corporations and organizations in Amarillo.

"Usually what you see is that churches are behind the mark of what the world and other businesses in town are doing. We are doing our best to reach people just as much as Coca-Cola is. Marketing and advertising is the modern language we all speak. It's our outlet to speak the hope of Jesus Christ through a language that everyone understands." -Patrick Kemp, associate pastor of creative ministries

Nice. Keep this up and we'll have to change our name.

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 7:34 AM
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August 1, 2006

Lessons from Seth Godin

Marketing guru Seth Godin recently offered up two gems for designers, I Love Typefaces and How to Live Happily with a Great Designer.

The typefaces entry features seven tips for using typefaces well. My favorite bit of advice: "A font is a tool, not an amusement park ride."

The piece on living happily with a designer is some great wisdom for how to communicate on design projects. So often that communication process is just ugly. Perhaps the best advice is the retort, "You can't tell me you'll know it when you see it." More often than not most problems with design projects could be avoided by better and more thorough communication up front.

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 5:34 PM
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MinistryCom Awards: Deadline August 15

We mentioned the MinistryCom Awards a while back, and it's worth another mention. The deadline has been extended to August 15, so if you were thinking about entering and never got around to it you have a second chance.

Awards for excellence in church communication will be presented at the MinistryCom conference in September (though you don't have to be present to win).

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 5:18 PM
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July 11, 2006

5 Lists for Graphic Designers

Everybody loves lists! So we present our own list of lists to help graphic designers.

1. 50 Ways to Become a Better Designer - Loads of ideas, best practices and general creative stuff straight from the mouths of fellow designers. (via)

2. 10 Things They Never Taught Me in Design School - Start with what you know, then tackle the unknowns. Don't over-think the problem. Learn to give some hierarchy to the details and the big picture. (FYI, the list includes a few profanities)

3. 10 Strangest Desks and Tables - OK, this one has little to do with design, but sometimes you need some funky inspiration, especially when you're thinking about decorating the usually boring church space.

4. 4 Principles that Make for Great Logo Design - Simple and basic stuff, but sometimes that's exactly what you need. Complete with thumbs up and thumbs down examples.

5. 7 Ways to Improve Your Logo - OK, so they don't pitch it in a numbered list format, but we'll make it work. Good thoughts on how to polish an existing logo, including examples from Microsoft and Apple.

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 5:55 AM
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May 30, 2006

Stock Photography Sucks

In the Church Marketing Lab I'm always applauding people for using original photography. This is why.

Jason Kottke points us to some of the drawbacks of stock photography. Like the same girl who has feminine hygiene issues also wants to learn about Java design patterns.

Or how about the college girl pitching computers for Dell and Gateway, cameras for Samsung, tax advice from H&R Block, shoes for Avia, needs a boost from Vivarin and wants to be an actuary? And she can pitch whatever you like for the low, low price of $135.

Continue reading "Stock Photography Sucks"

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 2:08 PM
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May 24, 2006

Non-Profit Pricing from Adobe

When it comes to graphic design software, Adobe's Creative Suite is pretty much the industry standard. But it doesn't come cheap ($900 list price).

So ChurchMedia.net has started a petition asking Adobe to offer religious non-profit pricing. (link via DJ Chuang)

Update: It seems Adobe is already exploring the non-profit options. There's a new non-profit Adobe blog, a PDF about the Open Options Nonprofit Licensing Program and a list of non-profit authorized resellers. So I think that means you can now score some non-profit pricing on Adobe products.

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 7:34 AM
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May 19, 2006

MinistryCom Awards

This year's MinistryCom conference will also include the first ever Excellence in Communications Awards. It's a chance for churches to be recognized for creating marketing that doesn't suck.

Categories include outreach events, identity development and web site design and will be broken into classes based on church size (under 1000, 1,001-3,000, 3,001-5,000 and 5,000 and up).

Entries must be submitted online by July 14, 2006 and pay a $50 fee per entry. Winners will receive a MinstryCom award presented at the MinistryCom conference (you don't have to be present to win) and finalists will receive an award certificate.

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 7:22 AM
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October 27, 2005

Realigning vs. Redesigning

Speaking of improving web sites, we were sent a link today about the difference between redesigning a site and realigning it. The main point is that massive redesigns where you toss out everything and start over don't need to be the order of the day. Instead designers should seek to improve what's already there, making subtle changes and tweaks to retain the ideas but improve the experience. The result is usually better and often cheaper than starting from scratch.

Good call.

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 1:37 PM
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Getting Feedback on Church Marketing

We've been offering our peer review since July as a way to help churches help each other. In that time we've done 14 reviews and have hopefully offered good feedback and suggestions to those who submitted designs, and maybe given ideas and encouragement to those quietly lurking as well.

Of course we can't review everything. And with that in mind it's cool to see someone like Sam Decker offer "lightning round" web site reviews. He actually gives the feedback himself instead of letting the community do it like we do, but it's still feedback. Yesterday he reviewed RiverPointe Church in Richmond, Texas and recruited Terry Storch to help him out.

The fun thing about reviews like this is that you can apply the basic lessons to your own work and everybody can get something out of it.

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 1:19 PM
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October 26, 2005

Less is More: Before and After at Granger Community Church

Earlier this month Kem Meyer, a guest blogger here at Church Marketing Sucks and the Communications Director at Granger Community Church in Granger, Ind., shared some design lessons on her blog. She talked about removing the clutter in design and as a result increasing the importance of each element. To prove her point she shared some before and after designs from Granger.

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 7:48 AM
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October 20, 2005

Faith-Based Design Submissions

GIA Publications is considering the possible publication of a book on faith-based graphic design. The submission guidelines say that "communications media from any organized worship tradition or denomination are eligible." The deadline for submission is February 1, 2006 and there is a $75 entry fee for up to three items.

In more graphic design submission news, Blank is accepting submissions for their Designs That Touch the Heart show. They're accepting just about any work from just about any one. There's no entry fee and the deadline is January 1, 2006. They hope to have an online show in the spring of 2006.

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 8:32 AM
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October 6, 2005

Nuns with Guns

I just about died when I saw this flier. It comes from The Refuse, a Colorado Springs church that submitted their web site for this week's peer review, and it sounds like they inherited the flier from their parent church, Scum of the Earth. At any rate, I can't remember a funnier bit of church advertising.

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 7:53 AM
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September 27, 2005

Christians Aren't the Only Immitators

We're not the only ones. Today I opened my Time magazine and saw this "Islam Inside" T-shirt. It reminded me of an entry I wrote a while back lamenting the flood of imitation designs among churches. Apparently Christians aren't the only ones producing copycat designs.

(And I realize a ton of parody logos exist, but there's a big difference between turning a corporate logo into a bathroom, drug, or sex reference and turning a logo into a religious reference.)

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 12:49 PM
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July 27, 2005

The Christian Imitation

Have you ever seen a "got pepsi?" T-shirt?

No.

Do you know why? Because Pepsi—and any other company and organization worth their salt—is smart enough to come up with something original. They don't "borrow" ideas from other campaigns and insert their own name. They don't make look-alike logos.

Once in a great while they may spoof another company's commercial or tag line, but usually only the very clever can pull it off.

So why does the church constantly imitate what's already been done?

Continue reading "The Christian Imitation"

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 8:00 PM
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May 27, 2005

Graphic Design Resources

Nick Ciske over at Creative Church has been posting tons of free resources for designers:

• Briar Press - A collection of free wood cuts and initial caps to add a touch of style to your next project.
• Blue Vertigo - A site that offers links to tons of free stock photography and font sites.
• Beginner's Guide to Creative Arts - A PDF guide to creating a full and artistic worship service. It's not strictly for graphic designers, but anyone designing a church service should check it out.

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 7:33 AM
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March 11, 2005

Easter Advertising

Easter is the one day out of the year when people who never go to church actually think about going. What are you doing to make sure people pick your church?

Ben Bell shared this design for an Easter card for St. Stephen’s Church in London (you may remember Ben’s Christmas card). The back reads:

jesus on trial

despised? rejected? betrayed? let down? traumatised? friendless? innocent? son of god?

(link via Knightopia)

Meanwhile Jesse Bennett-Chamberlain e-mailed us these designs for past Easter ads for Lakemount Worship Centre in Ontario, Canada.

It's nice to see something other than grassy fields and sunrises.

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 1:22 PM
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December 16, 2004

The Church Christmas Card

Ben Bell designed this Christmas card for his church, St. Stephen's Church in Islington, London. Every year the church sends out a card to households, shops and offices in their parish. The back of the card has service times.

I'm impressed with the simplicity and attention-grabbing nature of the card. They're taking advantage of the holiday season to remind people about church, but doing so in a very non-traditional way. It grabs your attention. Nice job. (link via Brian Baute)

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 11:26 AM
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August 31, 2004

Comic Sans is NOT Okay

Trust me on this one. Neither is using any other crazy font to spice up your flyers, newsletter or anything you print. Typography is an art, and if you're no artist you better tread lightly. Thanks to the computer, fonts have spread like chicken pox in kindergarten. Every computer comes preloaded with more fonts than you'll ever use, and a cheap CD can offer a different font for every member of your church. But that doesn't mean it's okay to use them all.

A little font restraint can add a healthy dose of class and style to whatever you're producing.

Continue reading "Comic Sans is NOT Okay"

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 9:54 AM
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