I often get asked, what type of blogs do I follow? As part of my effort to stay in touch while living outside of the states, I try and follow as many blogs as possible. I believe that it is important to be consuming quality ministry content that I can put into use right away. These blogs are quality and are some of my favorite blogs.
Creative people have a bad reputation. We have a perception that we are unorganized messes. The problem with this idea, is that being creative takes a lot of focus and concentration if you ever want to ship your creations.
Getting your creative art out in the world is hard work. It takes a huge amount of focus to dream, create, refine, and develop. The process can be long, tiring, frustrating. But for any creative person who knows the joy of shipping a complete work of art, it is all worth it.
Creative Bible Verse is a new feature that explores the bible and what the Word has to say about creativity and our relationship with God.
Adah bore Jabal; he was the father of those who dwell in tents and have livestock. His brother’s name was Jubal; he was the father of all those who play the lyre and pipe.
- Genesis 4:20-21
In Genesis 4:21 we see for the first time, music enter the world. This is the first human instance of creativity and art. God has blessed us to be a creative people, from the beginning of this world, God gave us talents to create.
Not only to create for ourselves, or clients, but for Him. As an act of worship we create things for Him. To praise an almighty God.
Have you used your talents as an act of worship to Him lately?
Make your church website better. That’s the battle cry I have been trying to shout for the last few years. It’s the reason I started blogging, it’s the reason I got into web design in the first place. Recently, I have started reviewing sites for our Best Church Websites of the Year feature and it makes me sad that the state of the online church is still really poor. I feel like giving up and focusing on other areas, but the reality is, the church must change. Not should, not think, but it must change.
With the ebb and flow of life, I have to remind myself to slow down. To be intentional. To focus on what is important and make design decisions that are focused on one goal: delivering content to a user.
That’s what we do as web designers, we cultivate content, we invent new ways to interact with it, and we are responsible for creating a lasting impact.
Is your web design process intentional? Or are you going through the motions?
I found this website this week and thought it was a great example of a focused church website. Irving Bible Church’s website features a large rotating hero image, good for featured information, and important links. The content is very well organized, and all the church ministry web pages match the rest of the design (For example, no crazy fonts or design for the Children’s page).
Make sure to check this one out! Another great church website! www.irvingbible.org
It’s official. Adobe has bought one of my favorite startups – TypeKit. TypeKit is a service that allows you to legally embed web fonts on your website. It also makes sure that the fonts will render in all browsers. It’s a wonderful service! I use TypeKit for most of my web font needs and I have a few feelings about this new purchase.
If you have have been a visitor here over the last few years, you know that I change the design randomly to appeal to my need for a fresh look. Well, yesterday we rolled our more of a refresh than an actual re-design. I am focused on trying to bring the websites I run to be more focused, and united by a common brand.
Over the next few weeks I will be pushing out a few changes that will hopefully add more focus on what CWI is about.
I hope you enjoy! And as always please let me know how you feel in the comments!
Drop what you are doing and check out David Fokos. He’s been my favorite photographer for years and his minimalistic photography will mess with your head (in a good way).
I decide what it is that I wish to convey – what is it in the scene that I want the viewer to focus their attention upon, and what emotion I want to evoke. Then, I try to minimize anything else that competes with that. – David Fokos
When creating and designing, the point is to remove the distractions and to focus the user. Are you focused on the emotion of your web design work, or simply trying to push something out the door?
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