21-Ingenious-Ideas-For-Improving-Your-Church's-Graphics

21 Ingenious Ideas

s For Improving Your Church’s Graphics t

W W W. P R O V I D E O A N N O U N C E M E N T S . C O M

IDEA #1 - Justify text left/right

The majority of graphics will feature
text that is center aligned. Mix things
up by justifying your text to the left or

to the right.

IDEA #2 - Pump up the font contrast

Good design demands contrast.
Perhaps the easiest way to accomplish
this is with typography. Don’t simply
settle for a touch of contrast though,

see how far you can push the limit.

IDEA #3 - Create a uniform look with
Photoshop actions

Building a brand requires consistency.
A uniform visual tone. One easy way to

make this happen is to use a
Photoshop action to treat your photos.
Above, I’ve added a High ISO Black &

White Photoshop action to the
photograph. Simply reusing this action

on other photographs will create a
uniform visual look.

IDEA #4 - Heavy font tracking

Tracking refers to the space between
each letter in a word. Font tracking can
be adjusted to achieve a desired look.
Create a cinematic look in your image
by increasing the tracking in your one-

word headlines (see Dunkirk,
Inception, and Arrival promotional
posters for more examples of this).

IDEA #5 - Reduce contrast/saturation of
background to improve readability

If you’re working with a particurlarly
vibrant or busy background, reduce the

contrast and/or saturation of the
background layer to improve
readability.

IDEA #6 - Add a blended color layer atop
a difficult background

In the graphic above, I found a flowery
background that I really wanted to use.

But it was tremendously difficult to
work with. It was busy, vibrant, and
conflicted with the text. I added a
#88a5a9 color layer using a 50%
Difference blend mode to solve that

readability problem.

IDEA #7 - Really, really small text

Borrowing another visual technique
from cinema, the use of very small text

is an easy way to boost drama in a
graphic.

IDEA #8 - Use a shape layer to make text
stand out

Another effective way to separate a
graphic’s text from a busy background
is to create a shape layer. Just a simple

rectangle will do the job.

IDEA #9 - Use a color from background to
make shape layer blend with image

When using a shape layer to help
improve your text’s readability,
consider using an existing color from
your background as the shape’s color
to create a more unified graphic.

IDEA #10 - Experiment with black & white

Church graphics frequently suffer from
overdesign. One easy way to simplify
your visual efforts is to limit your color
palette. Experiment with a black and
white palette to create an elegant and

simplified graphic.

IDEA #11 - Use uppercase in byline and
start case in headline

Headlines in graphics are frequently
written in uppercase (every letter is
capitalized), while bylines are written
in start case (only the first letter of
each word is capitalized) or sentence
case (only the first letter in the first
word of a sentence is capitalized). Try

reversing these.

IDEA #12 - Use sentence case in headline

Give your graphic a friendly and
informal tone by using sentence case
(only capitalizing the first word in each

sentence) in the headline.

IDEA #13 - Pair a playful font with a strong
sans-serif

Anchor a playful graphic with a strong
sans-serif.

IDEA #14 - Match visual tone with textual
tone

Contrast doesn’t mean conflict. Make
sure your typography choices match
visually and emotionally with your

iconography, background,
photography, and other visual choices.

IDEA #15 - Use the overlay blend mode to
create patterned shapes

Instead of a simple white underline,
this graphic features a white underline
with an overlay blend mode of 100%.
Combined with a colorful background

this creates a visually compelling
anchor point for the graphic.

IDEA #16 - Blend heavy grain with a photo
to create a gritty cinematic look

Digital photographs don’t really
contain grain nowadays. Blending

heavy film grain with a digital
photograph will give you a vintage &
cinematic bedrock for your graphic.

IDEA #17 - Use an unconventional shape
to create a badge for text

Much can be done with simple circular
and rectangular shape layers. But when

you need something with a bit more
personality, use an unconventional
shape to create a badge for your text.

IDEA #18 - Blend a grunge texture with a
photo to create a vintage look

Blending a grunge texture by adjusting
its opacity (the grunge layer in this
graphic is set to 37% opacity) is a
simple way to create a retro look in
your graphic.

IDEA #19 - Use font ornaments to add
iconography to your graphic

Many fonts come not only with letter
figures, but ornaments (icons) as well.
This font, Maya Script, is one of them.
Instead of finding iconography for your

image, simply use your font’s
ornaments. They will already match

the font itself, and won’t cost any
additional money or searching.

IDEA #20 - Remove saturation from
background photo

Combining a colored layer with a photo
is a great way to compose a

background for your graphic. But if you
find the photo’s colors are interfering
with the chosen color of your layer,
remove all saturation from the photo to

eliminate this conflict.

IDEA #21 - Combine a colored layer with a
photo to create a branded background

Combining a photograph with a
colored layer is an easy way to create a
background for your graphic that uses

a photo while still adhering to your
church’s brand colors.