new student activities poster
+ Some thoughts on volunteer design
I’m using church as an opportunity to practice design skills.
I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, often referred to as the Mormons. Last month the sister missionaries for my area asked if I would help create a poster they could use for campus orientation fairs. They wanted something eye-catching and approachable, that would open up a conversation and allow them to invite new students to activities.
Sometimes it’s tough for me to balance volunteer design work with freelance and school projects. But helping with church design projects has been rewarding for a few reasons:
The bar for church design at the local level is pretttty low, so people are excited no matter what I make. In school, I am designing for professional designers. The critique is valuable, but sometimes it feels great to have someone to look at your imperfect work and say, “WOoowwW!”
Designers at the broader church level are doing a great job! I’ve been really impressed with overall branding efforts and UX work on apps like Gospel Library, and the print and digital materials for the worldwide Come Follow Me curriculum. Those resources have been a valuable source of fresh design inspiration.
Church projects usually require a quick turnaround and are pretty low stakes, so they are a great way to try new styles and techniques.
I feel good promoting information I care about. On these projects, I’m helping good people spread the word about uplifting and fun events. Sometimes I want to create the infographic that changes the world… but I’m also changing the world if one new person comes to an activity and finds friends. Small changes make a difference too.
Plus, I just like making people happy…
how cute is this sweet lil’ face??