Verge Ministries Identity

This post is a few months overdue, but with the launch of the new Verge website, I thought this might be an appropriate time for a second chance to get this out there.

Verge Ministries is a new organization that exists to help students become world-changers. They accomplish this through three main areas: missions, resources, and ministry consultation.

I developed the Verge logo as well as the three icons used to represent what Verge does. I will be posting some of the other materials I have developed for Verge, but first just wanted to share the main logo and icons that represent what Verge is all about.

Project: Verge Ministries Logo
Client: Verge Ministries

Seek: Kairos Winter Retreat 2012 Flyer

Here's a new registration flyer for the Kairos Winter Retreat coming in January. The theme is Seek, based on Psalm 27:8 — My heart has heard you say, "Come and talk with me." And my heart responds, "Lord, I am coming." The visual concept I developed is based around the idea of Psalm 19:1 — The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. If someone is seeking after God, they will plainly see His glory in His creation, and for me that is especially true of the night sky. So that's how I kind of tied those two concepts together.

I found a beautiful image of the sky with long, time-elapsed star trails and I adjusted the color, added the telescope, and used the typography to make the sky feel large and stretched out over the whole flyer.

Project: Kairos Winter Retreat Flyer
Client: Kairos, GHCC Young Adult Ministry
Details: 3.75"x10.5" Flyer

The Crash: Sweatshirt Art

Here's the sweatshirt art for GHCC's Middle School and High School Winter Camp. Enjoy. To learn more about GHCC's Winter Camp, visit the official website.

Project: The Crash Apparel Art
Client: GHCC One-Eighty and HSM

The Crash: GHCC Winter Camp 2012

Here's the logo for GHCC's Middle School and High School Winter Camps coming in February 2012. The theme of "The Crash" is one I am very excited about and looking forward to seeing how it all comes together. To create the logo, I created the words to form the shape of a rhino head, since a word for a group of rhinos is a "crash". I should have more designs to show for camp including brochure, apparel, etc. in the next month or two, but I wanted to get the logo posted up here as soon as I could.

Project: The Crash Logo
Client: GHCC Student Ministries

I Am He

Here's the theme art for GHCC's Middle School and High School for 2011–2012. The idea follows the passage of John 18:5 where Jesus is being arrested, and when he says "I am he", all the guards who were there to arrest him fall down.

I created the logo as a custom illustration and made the icon to accompany it on the promotion materials.

Project: Theme Art
Client: Golden Hills Community Church, Middle School & High School

He That Wears the Crown

Sorry for not posting much lately. I have been working on a ton, but just have not had the time to share it! This is the new theme for Kairos for the fall. Going through the stories of 1 and 2 Samuel, we wanted to give this poster a real heroic vibe. These are two of my favorite books of the Bible and I'm really excited for how the theme art turned out.

Project: Theme Development
Client: Kairos, GHCC Young Adult Ministry
Details: 11x17" Poster

Sherwood Electric

I recently designed a new logo for Sherwood Electric, Inc., a local company. I used the identifying lightning bolt to help potential customers easily identify what Sherwood Electric can do for them, but I also made the icon the initials of the company to help give it some identity and individuality.

Project: Electric Company Logo
Client: Sherwood Electric, Inc.

Inspiration: Top 25 Movie Posters

I recently watched "Buried" because I am a huge Hitchcock fan and heard it was a film in a style that would make Hitch proud (and I agree). Seeing the film reminded me that I absolutely love the poster for this movie. I think the concept and typography are so excellent and really portray the feeling of the film. Looking at this poster again inspired me to share some of my favorite movie posters. All of these are on this list for either their typography, concept, and/or iconic imagery.

So many movie posters are just cut and paste jobs that all blend together. But some stand out. These are the Top 25 (in no particular order) that stood out to me over the years. I am not necessarily saying these are great films, but in my opinion they are great posters.

Let me know some of your favorites too that aren't on the list!

Buried
Beautiful Typography that really captured the claustrophobic feeling of the film. 

Ezra+Nehemiah Poster

Here's a poster for an upcoming class at GHCC going through the books of Ezra & Nehemiah. These historical biblical books document the return of the Jewish people from exile and the rebuilding of the temple and walls in Jerusalem. Since the main emphasis of the book is rebuilding (both literally and spiritually) I decided to use the bricks to keep the concept super simple and let the use of negative space really make the poster stand out.

Project: Ezra/Nehemiah Poster
Client: Adult Ministries, GHCC
Details: 17x6" poster

Andrews Consulting Logo

Andrews Consulting helps businesses run better. The company helps other businesses achieve their goals and develop strategies to improve production. Andrews Consulting contacted me to give a facelift to their logo and brand identity. The new look updates their old "A" logo and I incorporated the red color throughout their new marketing materials (which I will hopefully show soon). I also changed the typography to be bold and simple and did away with the script type they had used previously in an effort to make the logo more legible and modern.

Project: Andrews Consulting Logo
Client: Andrews Consulting

Impact Church Identity

Here is a logo I created recently for a new church in my area. This was the logo they chose out of a few options (click "read more" or view below to see some of them). The logo emphasizes the church's desire to "go out" and reach all people with the gospel. They also really wanted the cross to be a part of their logo. I combined the starting point and arrows in all directions, and the cross, with the "I" to get this point across. A lot of things going on at once, but I think that is also the hope for the church— that they will stay busy with their mission.

Nike CSR (student project)

Here's a Student Project I did back in 2009: A redesign of a Nike CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility). I hadn't shared this on the blog before so figured I would pull it out of the archives. CSRs are created for companies to show how they have been responsible with their materials and manufacturing processes and take responsibility for their impact globally. CSRs remind consumers what the company stands for and what the company aims to do.

I made this Nike CSR a functional workout journal with workout tips from health professionals, as well as space for a reader to log their process as they work out different parts of their body. As Nike laid out their plans for how to rejuvenate the world, I threw in tips for how to rejuvenate your body. Since one of Nike's largest markets is the shoe market, I also worked up a shoe anatomy graphic that showed the different parts of the average sports shoe and the leg muscles that the shoe affects while walking or running.

Check out more pictures of the interior of the CSR after the jump.

PutOn/PutOff Poster

 Here is a poster design for Kairos, the Young Adult group at GHCC to promote their summer Colossians series. I used the light switches as a way to grab attention, but also as functional objects used to display the tagline. I'm pretty happy with how it turned out.

Project: Summer Colossians Series Promotional Poster
Client: Kairos, GHCC Young Adult Ministry
Details: 11x17" poster

Inspiration: Truth in Branding

Here's a poster I came across courtesy of MatchBlog (Artwork by Gavin Potenza) that I thought was really interesting, and such a great picture of the sad state of branding today. It no longer is about the brands itself catching your eye, it is about the plethora of shiny call-outs to try and get your attention — all of which are generic and none of which are truly unique.

Ultimately the brand is what will drive your decision to purchase or not — you go with the brand you trust — but unfortunately those brands have been covered up in a lot of packaging in today's market.

Great poster.

Frozen

Frozen is the name of the theme for GHCC's Middle School Summer. The name itself is interesting, given that California summers do not have any association with the word "frozen". However, the name is more of a play on words for the spiritual state of the students during the summer months — routines change, programs die down, and their interest in keeping up with their spiritual walk takes a backseat to summer activities. Their walk with God is frozen. The theme aims to help students realize this problem and give them tools to help correct it. Below is a full version of the logo as well as some poster designs to promote the theme that use imagery centered around the frozen idea, with the tagline "don't let it be you".

Mission Statement Poster

This is a poster that displays the mission statement for GHCC's Youth departments (Middle School, High School, and Young Adults).

Client: Golden Hills Student Ministries
Details: 11x17" poster

Bethesda Village

Bethesda Village is a recovery house that offers help to people seeking freedom from life-controlling issues by facilitating the work of God in their lives through personal discipleship and life skills development. While still in development and not yet open, Bethesda asked me to create their logo for their promotional materials. I created the custom illustration of the main chapel facility with a hand-sketched look in order to help give the logo a home-like, country feel. I am excited to see what happens with this facility as it aims to help many people get their lives in the right direction.

If you are interested in learning more about Bethesda Village for yourself or someone you know, you can visit their website when it is completed.

Project: Bethesda Village Logo
Client: Bethesda Village

King's Kids Shirts 2011

I just finished this design for King's Kids, a choir for children K–2nd Grade. They have their Spring performance coming up and wanted a new, colorful & fun shirt for the kids to wear. I made the custom illustrations tailored to their requests. I don't do a lot of illustration anymore, and cartooning is my preferred style, so any chance I get to draw some characters is a lot of fun for me.

Project: T-Shirt Design for kid's choir
Client: King's Kids

Identity Design: Cheryl Hammond

Here is a logo I was hired to create for a dear friend of my family's. Cheryl is a well-known realtor in our area (and a great one too) and helped my wife and me find our current home. When she asked me to develop a logo for her to use on her website, I was happy to be a part of it. The final solution uses her initials to create a house and help identify who she is and what she does. I hope the logo helps introduce Cheryl to many people that will be as happy with her help as we were.

Project: Realtor logo
Client: Cheryl Hammond

Easter Flyers

Easter is coming up and so that means new Easter flyers for GHCC. I found this image of a tomb, where the viewer is looking out into the sunlight. I thought the image was perfect for Easter and so I have been saving it to use for this flyer.

Project: Easter Flyers
Client: Golden Hills Community Church
Details: 3.67" x 8.5" Double-Sided Flyer

CONVERGE Men's Retreat 2K11

I meant to upload this a few weeks ago, but this is the promo brochure and poster for a Men's Retreat I did recently. Originally, the theme for the retreat was "Stand Firm". I proposed that they change the name to something a little different since the "Stand Firm" idea (at least to me) seems to be a bit overused for men's gatherings. I pitched "Hold Your Ground" because it was a different way of saying the same thing. The idea is that if Jesus is the Rock you're standing on, than you can hold on to Him during the storms of life. They ran with the theme, and I ran with the design.

Project: Men's Retreat Promotion
Client: CONVERGE PacWest
Details: 11"x17" Poster & 5.5"x8.5" Brochure

Vicksburg EP

Earlier I posted a shirt I made for Vicksburg to help promote their new EP. Well, here is the mentioned EP in all its glory. Make sure to check out Vicksburg on iTunes or Bandcamp. I love creating album art, so I am grateful to have been a part of this project. See actual pictures of the EP below.

Living in Community

Just like last year's book, Golden Hills has written and produced a six-week small group campaign devotional. This year's book is called Living in Community. The theme focuses on learning how to become the body of Christ that Jesus envisioned when the church was first created. Learning about how and why we belong to the body of Christ, focusing on community through love, disciple-making, persevering through suffering and trials, and forgiveness are all parts of the study.

I designed the workbook cover shown above. The main image of the rowers rowing is meant to reflect the church. We all must row together as a team, for if any one person goes against what the rest of the group does then the boat becomes much less efficient or goes off course entirely. Also like the people in the image, we cannot see where we are headed. Only the person sitting at the back of the boat (God) can see what's ahead. He gives the orders and the rowers follow obediently. They keep their eyes on their coach and together work to get to where he directs them. I added a subtle touch to the image of the boat also heading into the darkness, which is what we as a church are called to venture into.

This was a fun project which saw well over 50 concepts and cover image mock-ups before this final direction was decided upon.

Client: Golden Hills Community Church
Details: 8.5x11" book

MSWC 2011: Zip-Up Hoodie

As you can tell from my last few posts, I have been doing a lot of apparel design recently (mostly due to the Winter Camps I have been involved with). So I figured I would continue the trend and post another recent design. Here's a Zip-Up Hoodie design for GHCC's Middle School Winter Camp, ENGAGE. The cityscapes open up and it says ENGAGE vertically down the hood.

Project: ENGAGE ZIp-Up Hoodie
Client: GHCC One-Eighty Ministry

Inspiration: Gryphony

I am inspired today by new shirt company, Gryphony. Started in 2010, Gryphony releases a new shirt design every 72 hours. They sell the shirt for 72 hours and then stop to release the new one. Any artist can submit a design for consideration and they get $2 per shirt sold. This is a pretty original idea and a unique way to get multiple artists exposure. I will definitely be checking in every 3 days to see what new shirt is available. Check it out at gryphony.com. Here's the first shirt design (by artists Sassa and Lucas Alcantara):

Update: Sadly, Gryphony has closed up shop after only 2 months, citing internal problems. Bummer, this site was great.

Vicksburg Shirt

Vicksburg is a new band that just released their first EP this past Fall. I just designed these shirts for them to tie in with their CD. Check them out on iTunes, it's great music.

Project: Black T-Shirt
Client: Vicksburg

HS Winter Camp Apparel

High School Winter Camp is coming up. That means new threads.

Project: GHCC High School Winter Camp 2011 Apparel
Client: GHCC HSM
Details: T-Shirt, Hooded Sweatshirt, and Zip-Up Hoodie

Revised Starbucks Logo

Following the trends of many big-name companies who have dropped their name from their logo (like Nike, Shell, AT&T, Apple, etc.) Starbucks has simplified their identity. While some die-hard Starbucks fans may not embrace the change, as a designer I like it. Starbucks has become one of the most recognizable brands in the world (through sheer saturation on every street in America) and so their name really is not necessary. Simplifying the logo really could be useful in their designs. What do you think?