How this toolbox works:

This book is only full of tools that will

help guide your own creativity. Using
these tools will help create an efective
message. There are no templates
or direct how-tos in here. This book
is like playground instructions. The
instructions are safety guidelines
but not a list of ways to use your
imagination. The more you practice
the more fun it is. So have fun and be
creative.
Start Here.
Written and Designed
by Laura Matteson
www. designsbylama.com
Spring 2012
LAMA SAYS,
Throught the
book there are
quotes from
well-known
designers and
from yours truly.

Dont be afraid of taking pencil to paper. You dont

have to be an artist to be able to sketch what you
want. Use shapes to symbolize different images
you want if thats more comfortable. Having a
paper next to you with the basic layout will help
your project run faster and will help you organize
your thoughts.
Work out all of your ideas and gather your information before
you start designing. Our irst ideas are often too cliche. A good
design will effectively communicate a message. Designers call
this inding the solution. To do this you need time, research
and basic skill. The following pages will help guide to you
towards that solution.
SKETCH AND TRANSLATE
LAMA SAYS,
You dont have
to be an artist to
be able to sketch
what you want.

WHY GOOD DESIGN MATTERS

Everything in graphic design has the sole purpose of communication and aesthetics. Paul Rand,
a well respected graphic designer said it best, I have two goals, irst is that everything I do as a
designer must have an idea: it cannot just look nice. The second is that it has to look nice. Everyone
who is trying to communicate a message in a way that others will take notice needs graphic design.
I ind that many churches and not-for-proits fall into two categories: 1. They are scared that design
is too business like or modernizing and therefore not necessary or 2. They try too hard to make
something look eye-catching without giving thought to the message presented. In his paper on the
role of graphic design in the church, Paul Neison said, The Christian community seems to choose
one of two approaches with it comes to appearances. They either dont give it much attention
at all, or they give it too much consideration. This booklet addresses and gives helpful hints for
harmonizing communication with a good looking inished product.
You may need a designer if ...
You need a logo or company branding
The

project

is

going

to

be

something

in

multiple

locations

over

a

longer

period

of

time
You are selling merchandise as a fundraiser
If what you need designed needs to be unique OR any project
that needs to visually solve a problem for your church/org.
pick color
and theme
gather info on
your project
r
e
s
e
a
r
c
h
l
i
k
e

p
r
o
j
e
c
t
s
s
k
e
t
c
h

o
u
t
y
o
u
r

i
d
e
a
s
pick color
and theme
p
i
c
k

f
o
n
t
a
n
d

i
m
a
g
e
r
y
Design Process
a
r
r
a
n
g
e

i
n
f
o
a
n
d

i
m
a
g
e
r
y
r
e
v
i
e
w

a
n
d

e
d
i
t
your project
s
k
e
t
c
h
o
u
t
r
i
d
e
a
s
pick color
p
i
c
k
f
o
n
t
a
n
d
i
m
a
r
e
v
i
e
w
a
n
d

e
d
i
t
v
i
e
w
a
n
d

e
d
i
t
s
k
The Christian community seems to
choose one of two approaches
when it comes to appearances.
They either dont give it much attention at all,
or they give it too much consideration.
-Paul Nieson
Wrong Font Too Cluttered/Busy
Copy-cat Design
Its easy to make common
design mistakes without
realizing it. Some of the most
common are: using a font
that doesnt match the theme,
putting too much cluttered
information and colors on one
page, copying well-known
designs too closely, not taking
into account who will be
reading or seeing the designs
(the audience).
Ignore Audience
YOUTH CONCERT
Friday Night April 6th @ 7pm
Tickets are free! Bring a friend
the event goes until 10pm.
When picking a background image
it is a good idea to make sure that it
does not disturb the text. For a song
lyric projection, for example, having a
plain color behind the text will help the
viewers read the words more clearly
(which is the point when youre singing a
song right)?
When people sit down to design they can often become discouraged
thinking they are not creative enough to design. Sometimes this results
in not caring or making mistakes that will hinder the response to your
message. This page contains images with some of the mistakes that are
most common. After reading this book you will know the basics of design
and your creativity (everyone has it, some just dont take the time to move
past the irst few bad ideas) will shine through because you will know
that you can design. Take a look at these mistakes and make a promise
to yourself that you will not make them. Keep reading to ind out more
speciics on how to avoid the common mistakes.
YOU ARE CREATIVE
The flowers of
the field will sing
your praises
Lord we praise
you Lord we
praise you
The flowers of the
field will sing your
praises
Lord we praise you
Lord we praise you
LAMA SAYS,
After reading this
book you will know
the basics of design
and your creativity
will shine through
because you will
know that you can
design.

Research is part of the design process that

many people forget about. Good designers
never skip this part of the process, its very
important. If you want to get a message
across to someone you have to know their
background. When someone gives you a
project the irst question you want to ask is:
Who are you targeting? Is it a teen concert?
Senior adult lunch? College volunteers? Once
you choose who your audience go out and
ask them what they love, look on the internet,
look through magazines. Just like anything
else in life, you want to stay informed on what
different audiences like or dislike. Figure out
the main target audiences of your church or
organization. Make a list of those and keep
them where you can see them. Take a little
time each week to see what is going on in their
world. This will help speed up the process
when you have to design something for
them. On the next page I have a case study to
illustrate this step.
RESEARCH: PEOPLE WILL KNOW IF YOU DIDNT
QUESTIONS TO ASK ABOUT AUDIENCE
GENDER
can help determine color/font/imagery.
1.
2.
3.
AGE
GROUP
LIKES/DISLIKES
4.
5.
6.
SOCIO-ECONOMIC
VISIBILITY
decides dificulty of words, images, etc. will help you choose imagery and theme.
who are they afiliated/associated with? eyesight, direction (up/down), distance
what attracts their eye, whats offensive?
The message is: Eat Broccoli.
KIDS: bold words, colorful &
cluttered. (They love seeing
their favorite character too
but I dont have the copyright
for it).
FAMILY: main audience: mom,
togetherness emphasized
SENIOR ADULTS: remem-
berance. Anything that will
remind them of the Good ol
days. Try to use bigger fonts
too so no one has to squint.
TEENS: same as kids but
colors are more subdued and
anything that is currently in
style comes into play (grunge,
vintage, pop, etc.) Catering
to their self-esteem or ego
doesnt hurt either.
A
A
A
A

Serif San-Serif Slab Serif Comic/ Handwritten Script

Times New Roman Century Gothic Courier Handwriting - Dakota ... ., .
The importance of communicating is stressed in this booklet. It is the main purpose of graphic design.
Typography is an important aspect of communication. Picking the right font for the right audience and
design style is very important. Using too many styles can make your work look thrown together and
incohesive. Using a font that doesnt match your audience/theme could actually turn away the people who
you want to reach. On the next page are examples of fonts and what they say. Mainly you want to think
about whether your audience is traditional or modern. What is their age? Do they write plainly, in script
or business-like. If your typography matches the rest of your design it will hold your audience longer so
that more information will come across to them.
TYPOGRAPHY IS IMPORTANT
LAMA SAYS,
Using too many [typography]
styles can make your work
look thrown together and
incohesive.

Title of the Poem

(size 16)
Main Poem
(size 11 for page
reading)
Moral of the Poem
(size 14 for
emphasis)
Another important factor is the size of your font is. If its for a billboard it should be very large with as
few words as possible. Your audience does not have the time or the ability to read a lot of words on a
board. Put your most important information in large letters or numbers with large contrast (easy to
read). If you are picking typography for a business card make sure that the font is readable at a small
size, for example. If it has too drastic of a difference in width within the letters it will be hard to read
when its smaller.
FONT SIZING
This is the size of your font for a business card or bottom of a letterhead (9/10 pt)
Here is a good size for headings of 8.5x11 size pages (16/18 pt)
Poster Title
(100+ pt)
How about a Title Page font
size? (36/40)
EXAMPLE
All shapes, as well as all colors, have a meaning attached to them because of how they have
been used in the past. Red stop signs mean stop and pay attention. Green is used in nature
and for a lot of banks. Yellow is bright and used to represent the sun. When you were young
and you saw a drawing of a blue man and a green dog, you knew that wasnt actually the
way it was supposed to be. In our minds, colors have connections. Shapes also have the
same connections. The circle of life, the neverending circle, circle of friends, etc. are all
examples of phrases using the emotions and feelings attached to circles. Its easy to think
of shapes that you connect with life experiences. Shapes that have obvious connections like
stop signs are called symbols. Keep these in mind when you are designing. Using a symbol
too often can actually cause your viewers to lose interest. Learn more about symbols in
the imagery section. Shapes and colors that connect with your message will make your
message stronger.
ALL SHAPES AND COLORS
| EXCITING | WARNING | WARM | COOL | CALM | NATURAL |
1.
Figure out your audience. What kind of
imagery are they drawn to? (see pages 8 & 9)
2.
Pick imagery that is original. If
that is not possible than ind a
picture that draws attention by
looking at these things:
3.
Try not to use clip art.
Clip art can come off
as impersonal and is
overused by churches
and not-for-proits.
4.
Now use the
image and
show it to
others to make
sure that it
works.
can the picture describe what you want
to say by itself?
is the picture high resolution?
is the picture copyrighted?
does the image evoke the kind of emotion
that you want?
Youve heard the expression: A picture speaks
a thousand words. If your imagery is going to
speak loudly about your information, then its
a good idea to have an image that helps people
remember what you have to say, that doesnt
distract or confuse. Its also better to have an
image that is different than an image that is
overused, since it may not be that interesting to
your audience. (Ex: apple for school event).
Different images give different emotions and
messages. For example, a ield with a sunrise
could mean new beginnings, natural, free, wild.
A corporate business building may feel new
and fresh, or contemporary. Something vintage
is nastalgic and something old and uncared for
looks, well, old and uncared for. I think you get
what Im saying, you cant just slap an image on
a message without thinking about the message it
communicates.
Illustrations are just as powerful as photographs
as long as they match the level of professionalism
you want to convey. More cartoonish characters
are more casual, while more life-like or simplistic
illustrations show professionalism.
GUIDE TO PICKING THE RIGHT IMAGE
PICKING THE RIGHT IMAGE IS IMPORTANT
LAMA SAYS,
Symbols are easily recognizable so they should
not be ignored, however it is a a good idea to find
a creative way to use the symbol, if the symbol
must be used at all, because many symbols
have become overused or distorted.

your project
s
k
e
t
c
h
o
u
t
r
i
d
e
a
s
pick color
p
i
c
k
f
o
n
t
a
n
d
i
m
a
r
e
v
i
e
w
a
n
d

e
d
i
t
v
i
e
w
a
n
d

e
d
i
t
Design should never say,
Look at me.
It should always say,
Look at this.

David Craib
s
k
IMAGE 1
This may capture the attention of
people who are looking for the
information about the picnic but
it does not really grab attention.
IMAGE 2
Those who are interested in family
events may be drawn to this image
but the image suggests someone
elses picnic and the important
information is too small.
IMAGE 3
The bright colors in this command
attention and clearly represents
a picnic. The words are easy to read
and information is easily seperated.
STOCK & DIGITALLY ENHANCED PHOTOGRAPHY
Digitally enhanced photography looks more artistic and
stock photography can be obtained quickly and found easily.
Sometimes it can be found for free online if you search for
stock photography. It is important to always remember that
you cannot use an image without following its copyright
laws. If an artist gives their artwork for free then you should
place their name underneath the photo as shown to the left.
You can also try taking your own pictures, then use a simple
editing system such as picnik.com (free). Remember, the
best images are the ones that explain the message even if the
words were not with it on the page.
ILLUSTRATIONS
Illustrations are hand-drawn or digitally drawn images.
They can sometimes look cartoon-ish or they can look like
a 2D or 3D model. Clipart is a common type of illustration.
When chosing illustration try not to use standard clip art
because this imagery usually doesnt match the design. For
example: for a lyer about a school fundraiser putting an
apple and money is not going to inform the viewer as well as
a catchy typographic title or an illustration of what the actual
fundraiser does.
SYMBOLS
There are common shapes and symbols used for certain
organizations. Churches often use the symbols of a cross,
dove, bible, praying hands, stained glass, etc. For example, an
organization that works with people often like to incorporate
little people in their logos. Symbols are easily recognizable
so they should not be ignored, however it is a a good idea to
find a creative way to use the symbol if the symbol must be used at all
because many symbols have become overused or distorted.
TYPES OF IMAGERY
Laura Matteson
White space is a wonderful companion for designers.
The more you can utilize white space the clearer your
designs will be.
White space: the areas around the main imagery and
typography. Look at this page. The green area around
the title is white space. The literal white area on this
page is white space. In the image to the right white
space is very heavily used. I wanted the tiny size of the
shoes to be emphasized. So, I asked the question, what
makes us feel small? Being in a large space.
Putting a subject in the middle of white space is an
effective way of capturing a viewers attention. White
space helps the viewers eyes focus. Think of paragraph
breaks in a book; breaks are necessary to keep the
reader directed to the next idea. White space can be
used in the same way. If there is an element on the page
that is causing it to be too cluttered ask yourself if it
really needs to be there.
Is it serving a purpose?
If not, then eliminate it. The best way to clean up a
design is to look at it when you are inished and get rid
of anything that does not add to your message.
LESS IS MORE
visit toms.com
Thanks to TOMS customers,
as of Sept. 2010
TOMS has given over
1,000,000 pairs of new shoes
to children in need around the world.
theyre toms, only tiny.
LAMA SAYS,
White space is a wonderful
companion for designers.
The more you can utilize
white space the clearer your
designs will be.

your project
s
k
e
t
c
h
o
u
t
r
i
d
e
a
s
pick color
p
i
c
k
f
o
n
t
a
n
d
i
m
a
r
e
v
i
e
w
a
n
d

e
d
i
t
v
i
e
w
a
n
d

e
d
i
t
People
ignore design

"The creative 'act'
is a process,
not a moment."
Unknown
that ignores
people.
Frank Chimero
s
k
On the simplicity page I hinted at the importance of
making your designs so that the viewer can easily
follow the contents with their eyes.
Things to keep in mind:
People generally read from left to right.
The bottom left corner of the page is where people
tend to rest their eyes.
The largest object or typography will demand the
viewers attention.
Once you are sure that everything on the page is
necessary arrange it so that readers will know where
to nd the information they need. Use headers, boxes,
charts, lines or arrows. If an image takes up a whole
page then it should speak for as many words as that
page could hold.
The trick here
like so many things in life
is to nd a balance and be intentional.
Paul Niesen
For me, that balance comes when
churches truly understand who they are.
Jerod (Church Juice)
LOOK HERE FIRST
www. designsbylama.com
If you decide
that you would
like some design
assistance on
larger projects...
Check spelling and edit content.
Leave time to print before the project needs to be inished
to avoid printing problems that cause a delay.
Make sure you save every part of your design. If you have
to make changes later you will be grateful you have the ile.
Show your work to someone else so they can tell you what stands out,
what feel it gives off, and if it is understandable.
Laura Matteson is a Graphic Designer graduated from
Carson-Newman College. This book is a part of her senior
project and a culmination of her four years of study and ive
years of freelance designing. She has designed logos, branding,
layout and illustrations for non-proits and churches in
Tennessee and New York. Some of those being:
First Baptist Jefferson City
Communicating Church Conference
Samaritan House Family Ministries
Isaiah 6:8 Ministries
SPOTS Mission Trips
Alpha Chi Honors Society
Canisteo Rotary Club
MercyWorks
and multiple Carson-Newman College projects.
When she is not doing schoolwork or freelance work
she enjoys Pinterest, being in the sunshine and spending time
with friends. She is looking forward to moving up to Rochester,
NY after graduation with her husband Schuyler to pursue a job
in Design or to work for a Non-Proit Organization.
Her portfolio can be found at: portfolios.aiga.org/ljmatteson
LAMA SAYS,
LAMA SAYS,

Now go out and make

beautiful
creative
and captivating
designs.
Written and Designed
by Laura Matteson
www. designsbylama.com