It’s ridiculous to think of buying a pristine vehicle that looks pretty, but isn’t going anywhere.

Now suppress all those bad car shopping memories for a couple more minutes, while we shift gears on this illustration. Graphic design without good typography is like a car without tires. It’s non-negotiable. Dare I say, it’s where the rubber meets the road?

Graphic design is visual communication. Every design has a specific message to convey, and almost without exception that message will be found in type.

Well-executed type can carry a design on its own, without the need for photography or illustration. The form of the letters, their spacing and placement all have tremendous potential to add emotional meaning to a page.

Designers wrestle with fonts and software to create visual harmony between the very literal message of the words themselves and the subjective emotional message of the design. And when it works, it’s a beautiful thing.

Recently, we had the privilege of designing a flyer for Grace Bible Church of Menifee, California for an upcoming sermon series. What I love about this piece is that there are no images (unless you count the logo shapes). Big, bold letters and intense colors get right to the point and focus the viewer’s attention on the sayings of Jesus.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this very brief introduction to typographic design and its power to communicate thoughts and emotion. Until next time!

Once we finished passing it around the office and chuckling, we sobered up enough to proofread our own work a bit more carefully.

I kept it around as a humorous reminder that there’s no substitute for proofreading. Spell check won’t warn you if you use the wrong word. And typos have a sneaky way of showing up right after you print something.

So double check your spellng, everone!

And a very Mary Christmas.

A cutout image can take a dull or average design and give it that extra something special. It can increase your visual impact by giving viewers one clear point of entry for their eyes, simplifying the amount of information they must take in at once.

Overlapping elements on a page can also add depth and dimension.

Here's an example.

You can see in these side by side images how removing the background of the subject reduces the visual noise, simplifies the design, and makes it feel more unified. Overlapping the child on top of the letters gives it some depth, and adds more pop!

Here’s another example of how you might use this on the web, to break of out of the box.

So next time you need some more pop (and you’re not thirsty), a cutout image might be just the thing.

*For readers outside the Midwest United States, the word “Pop” loosely refers to soft drinks and can be used synonymously with “coke” and “soda.” Here’s a post about this fact if you’re interested or in need of a laugh.

One of our less ordinary tasks recently was to recreate da Vinci’s historic “Last Supper” as a theatre backdrop. It was used in the latest production of God’s Masterpiece at Bethel. This passion play is likely the biggest event that our church does each year.

The process involved painting over the original image in Photoshop and recreating some of the outdoor scene though the doors and windows. The final piece was about 30 feet wide and 9 feet tall and printed on white fabric.

Here’s a few photos of what it looked like in place. Special thanks to Francisco Montes for sharing these shots.

Remember, the designs we post are intended to serve as “idea starters.” We can customize any of them into banners, welcome cards, bulletin covers, or anythings else you might need. Give us a call—we are ready to help.

See the new Easter designs here.

The administrators selected a model that features a video monitor mounted onto a modern, metal frame. The frame also neatly hides all the monitor wires, creating a clutter-free presentation.

Our designers strove for a look that communicated the school’s strong forward vision and passion for excellence. Oh, and did we mention the school color is orange?

The final result is a unique blend of technology and eye-catching design that will, we trust, send a strong message to both potential teachers and prospective school families.

As we brainstormed on ways that get across the idea of always prepared, we finally landed on a pocket knife, and did a little graphic wizardry to give it a funny twist.

Graphic Design is about conveying a specific message to a targeted audience. Of course, clarity of that message should be paramount; but beyond clarity, designers aspire to communicate the message in a memorable way. Doing something out of the ordinary (or even shocking!) can be a great way to make the message stick.

Hope this piece put a smile on your face—I know it did for me.

The cards are printed on heavy stock for a solid, quality feel. The back of the card has a QR-code that people can use for easy-access to SermonAudio’s mobile apps.

In addition, we will be featuring a variety of products at reduced prices on the SermonAudio website throughout the year. Watch for our banner ad the next time you visit Sermonaudio.com!

Remember, the designs we post are intended to serve as “idea starters.” We can customize any of them into banners, welcome cards, bulletin covers, or anythings else you might need. Give us a call, we are ready to help.

See all our Christmas designs here.

P.S. If you aren’t ready to get in the Christmas spirit, don’t visit this link until after Thanksgiving. ::grin::

I personally am fascinated by this time in history, not only because of the rich meaning it has for Protestants, but also because of the role the printing press played in the spread of Luther’s ideas. There is no doubt that printing technology of the day, had a profound effect on the Reformation.

Instead of having a scribe painstakingly copy a book letter by letter, documents could be reproduced quickly and with comparative ease. I wouldn’t exactly call working with metal or wooden type a piece of cake, but compared to the alternative, movable type probably felt like a copy machine.

Not only could Luther’s ideas be spread, but the scripture could be printed and put into the hands of the common people. A thrilling and fascinating time to be sure.

Roughly 500 years later, I can’t help but feel that I’m watching history unfold in a similar way, as technology continues to change how we communicate. Now, with the near ubiquity of instant publishing, online and offline, ideas can spread even faster than before. Finding a medium to express your ideas is no longer a challenge, but finding an audience for your ideas might be.

There are a some thorough articles on Wikipedia, for those interested. Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

• Reformation Day
• Johannes Gutenberg