Find below guidance on topics relating to graphic design, including graphics for social media, posters and PowerPoints, and advice relating to church branding and church logos.
Design, Branding and Logos
District Training
Design and Branding: a practical guide and suggestions (pdf)
Level: Beginner – Intermediate | 17 pages | written 2022
Best practices for Methodist Churches – a resource created by our Digital Enabler, Elliot Crippen. This is is a guide for anyone who already creates graphics, posters, documents, newsletters, notices, or PowerPoints. Providing simple tips to help improve what we already do.
Church Social Media Graphics and Methodist Photography Bank
Free downloads for churches, created by Elliot Crippen, District Digital Enabler. Over 100 pre-made social media templates that have been designed to work for local Methodist Churches. A Photography Bank containing 100 high-quality photographs taken by Elliot in Methodist Churches around Yorkshire.
One of the best tips for church branding consistency is to create a church “style guide”.
Creating a style guide for your church (CofE article)
A style guide is a set of standards you uphold with any digital or printed resources for your church. Read this article to learn how to create one. Includes some great examples and a template at the end.
Graphic design tips for churches (CofE article)
How to design effective posters, flyers and social media graphics for your church
Graphic Design Platforms
Canva (www.canva.com) – Canva is a free online simplified graphic-design tool, founded in 2012. It uses a drag-and-drop format and provides access to photographs, vector images, graphics, and fonts. It is used by non-designers as well as professionals.
Church Comms Create, by CPO (www.churchcommscreate.com) – Church Comms Create is a paid desktop design platform for church communicators and Christian creatives in the UK provided by CPO (Christian Publishing and Outreach – www.cpo.org.uk).
Guide for Converting a Poster for Social Media (Word Doc to JPEG)
Level: Easy | 2 pages
Avoid taking photos of your printed church posters for online use – use this simple guide to learn how to simply convert a word document into a professional image.
Resources:
How to create great posters for your church:
www.churchofengland.org/more/media-centre/church-england-digital-labs/labs-learning/how-create-great-posters-promote-your
Do’s and Dont’s of Church Flyer design:
www.churchtrain.uk/blog/church-flyer-design-dos-and-donts/
Church poster design tips:
www.churchtrain.uk/blog/church-poster-design-tips/
Photos, Images and Graphics
Here are a few sites where you can obtain copyright free and royalty free images for use as backgrounds, sermon illustrations, or in other ways in online worship:
Logos and Downloads
Logos are the face of an organisation (whether the national Methodist Church, our District, or your local church). It is part of our branding. “Your church’s logo is the foundation of your visual identity. And with the prominence of digital platforms, your church logo is now more visible than ever before.” – Pro Church Tools
63% church websites in our district don’t display the Methodist logo
*based on findings between Sep-Dec 2018. Churches displaying the red Methodist orb on the homepage
Resources:
Please find Connexional download files and guidance here
www.methodist.org.uk/about-us/connect/methodist-logos
Colours
District ‘red’ – RGB: 219r 0g 46b or HEX: #db002e
Methodist ‘red’ – RGB: 181r 33g 41b or HEX: #B52129