Easter—when Christ died and came back to life 3 days later—is hard to communicate visually. The specifics of a cross and a tomb represent the factual elements, but how do you portray the abstract ideas of hope and possibility, new life and victory, forgiveness and restoration… Add to that, this church’s intention to discuss topics like fear, pain and grief.

The solution was to use color and texture to depict the vitality and life that can explode out of darkness. Christ overcame the weight and despair of the world’s sin, giving everyone the option of beginning life anew.

client MissionWay Community Church, Ponte Vedra, FL

Items produced:

• 3″x2.5″ personal invite card
• 8.5″x5.5″ direct mail postcard
• 11″x8.5″ bulletin shell
• 4:3 in-service graphics
• Five 24″x18″ road-edge signs
• Web and e-mail graphics

software Illustrator, PhotoShop, InDesign

imagery stock and original

fonts Victor

Here’s an assignment I don’t get everyday: “Brand a retreat for East African pastors that will be held in Dubai.” That meant lots of research into both African and Arabic art and colors. Both cultures utilize geometry in their native art forms. Drawing from the basket weavings of Africa and intricate mosaics of the Middle East, we put together a mark that depicts radiating, a strong center, transformation. It uses green (a dominant African color) to indicate a subtle cross, and subtly is important given the geographic location of the conference and the pastor’s communities.

client MissionWay Community Church, Ponte Vedra, FL

software Illustrator

fonts P22 Yule Klein Heavy

The book of James in the Bible is a discussion about what spiritual faith looks like. How does one demonstrate his or her faith. How does faith inform our responses to challenges. This church is going to talk about Perseverance, Integrity, Self-Control, Humility and Surrender. It’s not a “soft” series.

The metaphor of a gear or group of gears seemed appropriate for this “one foot in front of the other” series. The challenge was to not convey a sense of callousness or dehumanization. Lighting, layering and delicate arrows all worked to soften the hard edges of the gears.

client MissionWay Community Church, Ponte Vedra, FL

Items produced:

• 3″x2.5″ personal invite card
• 11″x8.5″ bulletin shell
• 4:3 in-service graphics
• Five 24″x18″ road-edge signs
• Web and e-mail graphics

software Illustrator, PhotoShop, InDesign

imagery stock and original

fonts Victor

High-quality golf plus high-impact charities—that’s the foundation for the Butch Harmon Charity Invitational. This inaugural event is designed for serious golfers, so the logo needed to be professional yet distinct from the thousands of crests, golf balls and golfer-in-motion silhouettes that crowd the filed of golf and charity golf logos.

The almost-abstract outline of the head of a driver has enough visual weight and distinctive shape to get noticed. It also reinforces the tag line, which was important to the client.

The fresh green is an a-typical color, but when combined with the dominant black shape and bar, doesn’t appear weak.

The stationary package uses a black and green argyle pattern to connect with golf’s history, while still maintaining a modern edge with the color scheme.

A WordPress Website also was created for the event: www.driventomakeadifference.org

client Butch Harmon Charity Invitational, Ponte Vedra, FL

software Illustrator

fonts Futura Md

The Summer Camp brochure is the primary marketing tool for SON-Life Camp & Retreat Center’s main program. It gets distributed to more than 10,000 local children. It needs to get noticed and set the tone for the summer to come.

This year’s brochure took its layout directly from the identity. The rounded cornered boxes and photos are an echo of the rounded corner buttons on most phone buttons. The color palette is both current and throw-back—neon is in (If you’re older than 30 and don’t believe me, just Google it)! Most of all it’s in your face, right where we want this brochure to be.

Despite being designed around the tastes of kids, the camp is getting feedback from parents that the brochure is very well laid out and digesting the information is especially easy this year!

client SON-Life Camp & Retreat Center, Wayland, Michigan

software PhotoShop, Illustrator, InDesign

images stock and provided

type Myriad family,

form 25.5″x11″ trifold newsletter

paper 80# text, coated

Most people would agree that each person is different, “unique.” Yet some believe that following Jesus means we all become the same (and that “same” is often boring and other-worldly minded). This series contends that we’re each marked with a purpose and that purpose is here and now.

The visuals for this series acknowledge our individual differences, our capacity for making a difference and the power of a group of people with a purpose.

Items produced:

• 11″x17″ poster
• 11″x8.5″ program shell
• 16:9 in-service graphics
• Web  graphics
• CD label

client Journey, Union, KY

software Illustrator, PhotoShop, InDesign

imagery stock and original

type Genuine (and more than 100 others)

All of the holiday marketing tells us that Christmas is a time for laughing with family, beautiful people and cashmere sweaters. But the holidays can be more complicated; they can bring up difficult issues. And that’s OK. This church used The Beatles’ music to help ask some big questions and then looked to Scripture for the answers.

The visual branding for this series tied several themes together—Christmas, music, vintage and The Beatles.

client MissionWay Community Church, Ponte Vedra, FL

Items produced:

• 3″x2.5″ personal invite card
• 11″x8.5″ bulletin shell
• 4:3 in-service graphics
• Web and e-mail graphics

software Illustrator, PhotoShop, InDesign

imagery stock

fonts Bootle, Eurostile

When Son-Life Camp said they were orienting their Summer Camp around the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19) and wanted to brand it “Called,” I was in. Sure, we could have built the brand around a megaphone or tin cans and string, but tweens these days use one device for calling—their cell phone.

Yes, yes, many have slider phones with full keypads, but IMHO, the number keys are enough to make the connection between the daily activity of calling/texting and God’s call to be a daily witness.

TTFN

client SON-Life Camp & Retreat Center

I had the privilege of working with fellow designers to put on a weekend retreat for creatives working in the church and ministry field. T-shirts were one of the branded SWAG items.

The pattern on the shirt is a continuation of the brand developed for all retreat marketing.

client Asterisk*, Grand Rapids, Mi

software Illustrator

screen printer Ambrose

There’s a kind of identity theft that goes far beyond our financial records. It’s the kind that impoverishes our souls and keeps us from experiencing the kind of life God intends for us. That’s the form of identity theft this church wanted to talk about.

The fingerprint metaphor is one that everyone is familiar with. The dusting power is popular, thanks to all of the crime and forensic shows we love to watch.

Items produced:

• 8.5″x5.5″ direct mail postcard
• 11″x8.5″ program shell
• 16:9 in-service graphics
• Web  graphics
• CD label

client Journey, Union, KY

software Illustrator, PhotoShop, InDesign

imagery stock and original

type Rockwell, Futura Md

date Fall 2009