Visual communication has grown by leaps and bounds with the advancement of technology. Using the best practices for visual communication for your church can be imperative to how your congregation responds to the message that you’re sending them. Here are four ways to make sure that your visual presentation matches and emphasizes your message.
Nail Your Message
When thinking about visual communication, it’s important to know what your message is so that when you’re laying out your content visually, the main concepts that you want to present can be seen first.
For example, if you’re promoting a concert event at your church, then you want information like the featured artist, time, and where to get tickets to be the most prominent when the advertisement is seen. When giving a sermon with a visual display, have a resonant quote end your PowerPoint presentation and leave it up while the congregation exits the sanctuary.
Easily Recognizable Symbols
This technique is frequently employed by industrial designers to create safety labels or virtual signs in the workplace. This is also a good technique for churches to use when they have limited space to say what they want.
Using symbols that are universally recognized within your church or within Christian culture will help you communicate without using extra words to do so. The cross, the ichthus fish, and other common symbols can convey emotion in your message when used as a piece of the backdrop.
Colors and Texture
In a church environment, think multi-generational and multicultural when it comes to your visual communication. Colors and texture can help you communicate visually with your congregation in a way that words or symbols alone will not. In church culture, color plays a symbolic role in many ways. The colors of the advent candle and the textures of the sheaves on Palm Sunday are just two examples of this.
You can utilize the same ideas with color and texture at other times in the year to bolster your written messages and capture the congregation’s attention. White can symbolize piety and yellow can emphasize joy, for example. This approach is best done in moderation; too much can be overwhelming and you may lose the message.
Share Photos
When possible, get photos of real people from your church. Ask church members to send in photos or videos that you can feature on social media or in your church’s weekly newsletter.
People will be more connected by seeing faces and families that they recognize in conjunction with a message. It will also encourage them to participate by sending in their own photos and videos to share with the larger church body.
These are four simple ways that you can use visual communication best practices to help increase your message and get your congregation to respond more deeply to the information that they see. Try them all in combination or see which ones work best for your church culture. If you still need a little extra help, Church Communications has many resources and podcasts to help you.
