Dear Church Designer – Part 2

If you haven’t read Dear Church Designer – Part 1 – you should probably read it (along with all the comments) before you read part 2.

This is a tongue-in-cheek piece, so my point is not to offend anyone, I’m just having a little observation fun here.

Photoshop by hook, crook, or legit means is in the hands of most church designers. The one thing that hastens to me to write this post is the onslaught and might I say slaughter of the layer effects palette. I’m not against using the native effects in Photoshop. In fact, I find them very valuable to create really nice looking designs. The key is moderation and most of the time, sparsity.

If you’ve ever done anything remotely similar to the following -> You’re an Effects Abuser.

Bevel is one of the most overused effects in the history of Photoshop. The use of bevel should be used sparingly and with caution. A slight, soft bevel can be good for your design. Too much bevel and you’ve bloated your text to typographical obesity.

WHOA THERE MR. GRADIENT. You’re hurting my eyes! If you’re going to use gradients, please take a look at color theory before mixing two colors together. There is a science behind color that reflects in human behavior. When two adjacent colors are mixed in a gradient, it’s not so good to the eyes or the attitude. I’m a big fan of gradients, when used with care. Gradients can make your designs go from good to great, but they must be ever so unobtrusive that the audience doesn’t even notice them.

Our earth is filled with gradients, but they are not harsh. The sky is a beautifully simple gradient that reflects many shades of blue. We’re used to subtle gradients in nature, and we can please the eye of the audience by using subtle gradients in design.

Too much stroke (outline) can murder a good design. If you are trying to make text pop from a similar colored background, chances are you should rethink your design or text color. If you have to use the smallest stroke possible or the slightest drop shadow to pop out your text. If you’re shooting for a bold design, it’s OK to outline your text, just keep the rule of moderation in mind.

Shadows, shadows, shadows, how I love thee and loath thee. The most awkward thing about shadows in design is they usually do not follow the physics of reality. The shadow is supposed to appear opposite the direction of the light source. If you create a beveled text with a light source from the top, and put your shadow to the left, it defies our subconscious understanding of light. It creates a subliminal confusion in the mind of the viewer. They can’t put their finger as to why this doesn’t look right, but they just know it doesn’t.

When using drop shadows to create depth in your design, manage your light source across the entire design. Also, look outside and see how shadows actually work.  Shadows are stretched and elongated even more the closer the light source is to the objects baseline. If you’re doing a design that requires shadows, do some extra work to make the shadows actually look real by creating a second layer underneath and stretch and smudge that layer for added effect.  Proper shadowing doesn’t come from simply checking the drop shadow box.

If you’ve ever used all the effects at once, you’re definitely an EFFECT ABUSER! Three words I must now write on your forehead, “Less is more.”

Using Default Settings Can Be Toxic To Your Design

If you are determined to create designs with the effects palette, please alter the default settings. By using the default settings you are not only being lazy, but you are killing your design. Photoshop effects either develop or destroy your design.

Homework For Effect Abusers

1. Create a design with no effects whatsoever
2. Create a design with no effects whatsoever
3. Create a design with no effects whatsoever
4. Repeat Assignment #1

If You Have Missed The Point

I’m not trying to demean anyone with this post, but I am trying to awaken some good sleeping and lazy designers. The “Dear Church Designer” series is a way to shake people trapped in the rut of the normal and get them to do great things with their talent. You have all the educational materials at your fingertips to learn how to properly use the above effects. Here are some suggestions to take you to the next level:

• Look at popular websites like Apple to see how they use gradients
• Google “Photoshop tutorials” to get a better grasp on how to control the effects palette
• Go to Barnes and Nobles or any other chain book store, sit down and READ READ READ for free
• Check out books at the library
• Study famous designers and their works
• Analyze designs that please your eye and see how they have/haven’t incorporated effects
• Study minimalism and see how it can increase the impact of your message exponentially