Just Launched

We have just launched a site that we created for EastLake Church based in Chula Vista, CA. I am pretty happy with how this turned out, and pray that God will use this site to break down barriers people have of church. Check out the site and let me know what you think.

Anything You Can Do, I Can Do Better

Most creative types are plagued with the severe visual disorder called I-can-improve-that-itus. We look at something, examine it from top to bottom and decide there’s a better way to do it, and we have the answer. It’s part of our life and we’ve come to accept that.

If you suffer from I-can-improve-that-itus, and are lucky enough to work as a designer then you know there is no shortage of clients out there desperately needing and wanting a visual makeover, especially in the church/ministry world.

Check out this post on 50 Stunning Examples of Great Redesigns. These are some top notch redesigns on everything from logos to automobiles. Go and be inspired »

Pray without ceasing

Last week I read a letter that touched me. It reminded me that I am apart of a family that stretches across the globe. I have family that are being abused and killed. My prayers should be with them daily, my heart should be breaking for them. Here is the letter from Eric Ortlund.

Dear Friends -

I find I far too often tell people I’ll pray for them and then forget about it. I’m asking you not to be like me after reading this post. I’m sure some of you have heard about the persecution in India, in the northern province of Orissa - about 50,000 Christians have had to flee their homes under persecution by extreme Hindus. Churches have been burned and Christians have been tortured and martyred for their faith in Jesus. I’m asking everyone who reads this to pray frequently for these Christians, with whom we’ll be spending the rest of eternity - and to pray for their persecutors, that, like Paul, they’d see the light.

No corner of the Internet is really private, and one has to be careful about what one says; but the situation in India is no secret, so I think it’s OK to talk about it here. The sitaution in Mosul, a city in Northern Iraq across the Euphrates from Ninevah, is no secret either - 1300 Christians have been forced to flee, often entire families, under persecution. Christians have been martyred here as well. See this article: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7671609.stm

I got an email through the grapevine from an Iraqi pastor who talked about how families were sleeping in their cars, who had had relatives kidnapped and executed. I don’t want to be ashamed before him in Heaven by having to admit that I never prayed for him. Let’s not fail to pray for peace in this area, and even more deeply for Jesus to shine his light through his people.

Art is how I communicate, it is how I can express what my hearty is feeling. When I read this I felt not only saddness but an urgency to pray without ceasing. Paul’s words in 1 Thes. 5:16-18 amaze me. I need to pray without ceasing for my brothers and sisters in Christ. Please pass this story and art to anyone you know who needs to be encouraged by the Lord.

DOWNLOAD & SHARE

Video(no game) Friday

Sorry, no video games today. But how about watching colorful creatures make some poppy music? It will make you happy.

Minilogue - Animals from ljudbilden on Vimeo.

How I Design.

I always like to see how other people work. Some dive right in, some people take their time with research, and others like to look through books and magazines for inspiration. I think I have done all of these at some point, but have now refined it to fit me. So here is a look into how I approach a project.

1) I make sure I have a firm grasp of the project. This is the most important part for me, even more important than the art itself. I tend to look at marketing as telling stories, and I need to make sure I understand what the story is. What is the main theme, who are the characters, and what should the ending look like? I need to understand this story so well that I can see every part of it. I need to understand how not only the author sees it, but how the reader will see it, and what emotions it will cause. To me if the viewer feels nothing, I have failed. OK, I think you get the point.

2) Now that I have figured out the story and what the reaction should be, I can gather my materials. Depending on the project I will use a mix of photos, illustration and typography. I tend to hit up istock the most, but also look at getty and veer. I would do more custom illustration, but to be honest I suck at that. I will gather as many photos and illustration that I think will fit, then narrow them down to what will work. So now I have all my materials. Time to paint!

3) OK, it is design time. This part comes pretty fast for me. Before I do the art I tend to have a layout in my head, so now I just put it together. I first do a rough drawing of the layout to make sure all info will fit. Then I start putting them together. I tend to tweak it some to make sure it looks right, and then I stare at it. I will stare at my screen and move things up 1 pixel, left 2 pixels until I feel comfortable with it. Then I print it out and stare some more.

4) And here is the last part, the creative team. I am blessed to work with a amazing team, all who I respect for different reasons. I will send them a pdf of the project and ask for their advice. Some times I take it, and sometimes I don’t, but I am always glad I ask. Now it is time to send to the client, and they will change everything I did. Only half kidding.

So with all that said, how do you work? Share your ideas with us, and who knows, I might start a new system.

Saying What You Mean

File this one under not-so-clear-communication! Whether or not this sign is actually real, it’s good for a solid laugh and a face palm. The sad thing is there are a whole lot of websites, brochures, and information design out there with about as much clarity as this sign. As designers it’s our job to make sure we communicate clearly first (and make things look pretty second)!

Consider this post a friendly reminder to make sure you’re communicating in the most clear and concise way possible! By the way, our business hours are…

Blog Action Day 2008: World Poverty

The Big Issue

It’s no secret that Jesus had a special place in his heart for the poor and marginalized. In fact, both the old and new testament are littered with God’s instructions to his people for generously loving their neighbor, and making certain that there are no poor amongst them.

In Deuteronomy (15:4-11) God’s speaks through Moses and explains “there should be no poor among you,” because God himself has blessed his people and creation with all that they need to sustain themselves. It then goes on to say “do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward your poor brother. Rather be openhanded and freely lend him whatever he needs.”

When it comes to the issue of global poverty there are a lot of different social, political, ethical, and moral factors that come into play. Putting most of that aside, I think we can all agree that as followers of Christ we can’t ignore this injustice. We must respond with love, compassion, and action. As the Apostle John wrote, “let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.”

As part of the 2008 Blog Action Day conversation, here are the two big questions we want to kick around:

• What should we (the church) do?
• What can you (as a christ follower) do?

Here are some Bible passages to get you thinking:

• Psalm 113:5-8
• Proverbs 14:21, 19:17
• Matthew 25:31-46
• Mark 10:17-24
• Luke 14:12-14

Some First Steps

The hardest part is knowing what you can really do. But, in reality it’s very simple. Here are some easy steps that you can take to help fight this problem.

1) Read about the homeless community and statistics. Let this information sink in and then pray. Pray that God will not only help those in need, but that he will also give you a heart to serve others.

2) Google homeless shelters in your local area. I am sure you will be surprised how many ways there are to help in your community. Read through the websites and find an organization that you feel comfortable with and contact them.

3) Educate your community, church, small group and family. To help you, we’ve created a series of posters (see bottom of post) that are designed to engage and challenge the viewer. Art is a powerful medium that can have an immeasurable impact on the masses.

Here is how the posters work:

1. Print them out at your local Kinko’s or home printer
2. Write or print your local shelter/ministry info in the provided white box
3. Hang these posters at your local coffee shop or any place with high traffic

We want to encourage you to be bold with this! People want to help, so allow them to do so. Ask local business, churches and coffee shops to help with your message. Ask them to take it to the next step by helping to raise money for local shelters. Be bold with your faith and know that God came to save the lost.

Our Commitment

We will donate $2 for every person who participates in this campaign. Email us (corey [at] jaghq.com or kyle [at] jaghq.com) a picture of the posters in use and $2 will be donated to our local shelter The Lighthouse Mission. Pass this along to as many people as you know, lets make a difference in peoples lives.

We Want to Hear From You

We desperately want you to join in on this conversation! What are some steps we can take together as a church, and as individuals to solve this issue of global poverty? Share your thoughts and ideas. This is our chance to start a dialogue that could change the world.

Click on the images below to download a full-sized printer ready PDF:

But Times are Hard

I came across this postcard (designed by Because Studio) last night, and thought it was worth sharing with everyone. The irony and humor of this piece definitely made me laugh, but it also reminded me of the responsibility that we have as designers working in the church/ministry realm to promote smart financial stewardship when it comes to producing our marketing materials.

In economic times like these I think it’s especially important that we make smart decisions with how our churches and ministries disburse their money. Although that newly designed four-color, full bleed, custom die cut mailer may look like a million bucks, it might not be that wise to drop $5,000 to get them printed, cut and mailed out. A better solution might be to do an equally-fly looking HTML email blast and accompanying micro-website. The leftover budget could be used to financially bless and support some struggling church or community members.

Besides, there’s few better ways to stretch yourself as a designer then by creating a killer tri-fold brochure using no bleeds, and only one color! Give it a shot, I promise you’ll bang your head on the desk at least once.

Free Buttons for a Verse

We have 15 extra buttons packs from the art show, and we want you to have them. Here is all you have to do.

1. Leave a comment with a bible verse that is meaningful to you and why.
2. Make sure you leave your email address.
3. Cross your fingers.

We will randomly pick 15 people from the comments and send you one of these packs. Lets make this great folks.I want these comments to not only be an inspiration to us, but to everyone who reads them.

The comments will be closed next Monday, so get to it!

My Confession To You.

For the past couple months I have been working hard on various projects. There 2 projects in the works right now for the blog, and we just finished up Not Art. Gospel. Now these are great for me to work on, but they have become consuming to me. It has taken my focus away from God and His Word.

My daily reading has been replaced with looking at art for inspiration, and reading about better communication. My prayer has been replaced by sketching and thinking of concepts. Now those things are not bad, but they have become sin in my life by putting them before God.

I am praying that God will give me a renew heart for His Word, and that might fuel all that I do. Thank you all for reading and participating in this blog. I am excited for this renewed passion from God and what that will look like in this blog and through art.

—Corey