Graphic Design tips for Church Designers in 2025
Graphic Design tips for Church Designers in 2025 As we step into 2025, church designers will be looking ahead to what the year brings. They will be looking to the church schedule and planning what events, promotion and social media design might look like. You have a unique opportunity to enhance your visual communications, create…
Continue Reading Graphic Design tips for Church Designers in 2025
The New Rugby Six Nations Logo Rebrand
The New Rubgy Six Nation Logo RebrandA Modern Refresh or a Missed Try? The Six Nations Rugby Championship recently unveiled a new logo for its six nations tournament, rebranded as the M6N (Men’s Six Nations). While the organisation touts the design as a forward-thinking refresh, reactions from fans and critics alike reveal a divided opinion…
Engaging Young People Through Church Media
Engaging Young People Through Church Media: The Power of Professional Graphic Design In today’s digital age, churches face the challenge of connecting with younger generations who are increasingly tech-savvy and visually oriented. One powerful tool in this endeavor is professional graphic design. When used effectively in church media, it can significantly enhance engagement with young…
Church Christmas Program Ideas
Church Christmas Program Ideas As the Christmas season approaches, churches everywhere begin planning programs that celebrate the joy, love, and hope of Christmas. Whether you’re seeking inspiration for a Christmas concert, a Nativity reenactment, a community-focused toy giveaway, or a tranquil candlelit service, these ideas will help you create impactful events for your congregation and…
Trending in 2024: How Churches are Reimagining Christmas Services
Trending in 2024: How Churches are Reimagining Christmas Services As we head into the Christmas season in 2024, churches are blending tradition with creativity, aiming to create immersive experiences that resonate with attendees of all ages. From fresh approaches to service planning and decorations to impactful community projects, why not consider embracing some of these…
Continue Reading Trending in 2024: How Churches are Reimagining Christmas Services
What robs our confidence?
What robs our confidence? Working in an industry just as design and marketing can become a bit of a confidence drainer. There’s competition, opinion, criticism and lack of value. It’s easy to get bogged down with imposter syndrome, thinking that what you do, what you have to say, the things you do have no value…
Not all designers hate canva
Not all Designers hate Canva. When Canva first burst onto the scene in 2013, it seemed like the classic professional designer’s nightmare: an easy-to-use, free (or affordable) design tool empowering anyone to create professional-looking visuals. To designer like me, who has worked for years and sat through years of a degree to build up experience…
Christmas Green Hex Code
Christmas Green Hex Code and why you should love it this Christmas. If you’ve come to this blog then I know you are someone who is interested, maybe even obsessed, about Christmas the colours we love so much in this season. Hello! And although I’ve already written this blog on the history of green in…
What’s so GREEN about Christmas?
What’s so GREEN about Christmas? When you think of Christmas, it’s easy for red and white to spring to mind—Santa’s suit, candy canes, and glistening snow. But what about the colour green? As much as we associate the holiday with warm reds and winter whites, the colour green is deeply woven into the fabric of…
The night I met a Reindeer
The Night I met a Reindeer. Under the glowing twilight of a snowy Christmas Eve, a young boy named Judah wandered through the frost-covered woods near his home in the Scandinavian woodland of Halrland.His breath puffed like little clouds in the crisp winter air, and his boots crunched through the thick blanket of snow beneth…
19 Weeks til Christmas
It might be August but there are only 19 weeks til Christmas. There is so much happening between now and Christmas; schools go back (UK) autumn festivities, Thanksgiving and more…but we should not forget to be prepared and consider carefully all that you could do to prepare your church, congregation and those who you may…
Book Cover Design Tips
Book Cover Design Tips So you’ve written a book, had it formatted, it’s ready to go for publishing but now you need a cover….but where do you start? To be honest, this is probably the bit you’ve thought most about, and for some first time authors you have a million ideas or none at all.…
Church Branding : What colour should I use?
Church Branding : What colour should I use? “Black, on black, on black is definitely the best branding for churches.” – quote from social media group. Again, here tackling a very common question among churches on a budget, churches looking to rebrand or looking for a freshening up of their church designs, logo and branding…”WHICH…
Continue Reading Church Branding : What colour should I use?
Church Logo: What to do.
Create a great Church Logo: What to do. As part of my journey with designing for churches, the second most frequest request is for a redesign of their logo. Back in the early part of 2024 I saw someone put out on a social media creative group page, this questions “Small church with a small…
Easter: The Top 5 Colours for Irresistible Promotions
As Easter approaches, businesses and churches a-like are gearing up to captivate their audiences with vibrant and engaging promotions. One of the key elements in designing compelling promotion for Easter is the use of colour. Colour plays a huge part in attracting attention, giving power to emotions and attracting people for the right reasons. Harnessing…
Continue Reading Easter: The Top 5 Colours for Irresistible Promotions
How to successfully schedule seasonal designs for Churches
One of the biggest problems I face as a designer who works for churches is timing your seasonal events and promotion. Seasonal events are a critical part of a churches annual diary and yet on the whole they aren’t given much thought, but more to the point, the design and promotion of said events are…
Continue Reading How to successfully schedule seasonal designs for Churches
Pentecost Sunday Theme Ideas
Pentecost Sunday Theme Ideas for Churches Pentecost Sunday is a special time in the Church calendar, but it seems to be forgotten across a lot of the modern churches; I believe it’s time to resurrect it and bring it back with a bang. So I asked an AI bot to help me write a blog…
Social Media Easter Ideas for Churches
Following the success of the AI bot’s Christmas suggestions I thought I would ask it if it had any social media ideas for Easter, I loved it’s opening remarks… “As an AI language model, I don’t have personal views or beliefs, but here are some Easter social media plans for churches: Share daily devotionals leading…
Easter Church Service ideas by an AI Bot
What an AI bot wrote about Church service ideas for Easter Easter AI Robot Rabbit Easter is coming! As I’ve said before, I’m not a huge fan of using AI bots to create content for my blog because I always want to bring you fresh ideas that have been tried and tested. Saying that, trying…
Top 3 Great Christmas Media Resources for Churches
When is it too early to start think about Christmas? If I can refer you to my other blog HERE about how to schedule your seasonal calendar for Church, that will help answer that question. When it comes to resources, scheduling your promotion and coming up with ideas for your Christmas services, there are so…
Continue Reading Top 3 Great Christmas Media Resources for Churches
Christmas Services Ideas by an AI bot
What an AI bot said about Christmas Service ideas for Churches Whilst writing blogs for Christmas to help churches plan their services, a friend said to me “Have you tried an AI bot to write your blogs?” – Although I prefer a more personal touch and like to bring you resources that I have had…
Christmas Red Hex Code
Christmas Red Hex Code and why we love it for Christmas Why red? What does red have to do with Christmas? Christmas is my favourite time of the year. I love the excitement of waiting for the local garden centres to open up their wonderlands and I love going through all the different coloured sections…
Deck the Pews: Top Trends in Church Design for Christmas
Deck the Pews: Top Trends in Church Design for Christmas As the holiday season approaches, churches around the world are gearing up to celebrate Christmas in style. Beyond the traditional nativity scenes and festive decorations. Let’s explore the top trends in church design for Christmas this year. 1. Minimalistic Elegance In recent years, there has…
Continue Reading Deck the Pews: Top Trends in Church Design for Christmas
Why do I like Wine Bottle design?
Why do I like wine bottle design? When you watch people choosing wine you often find them wandering up and down the aisle, or in my local supermarket, slowing down, looking up and down each shelf at a steady pace and then staring at one particular bottle that has caught their eye, picking it up,…
Church Easter Theme Ideas
It’s my aim to help you to get ahead of the game, look professional and have Easter program design you are proud of. One of the most pinnacle moments in the Church diary is Easter, and coming up with a new theme year in and year out can sometimes feel like a bigger task than…
Map Pixels IS LIVE
Map Pixels IS LIVE on Fantasy Map Market I’m so excited to announce that after a long wait, lots of discussions and even more drawing and designing, Map Pixels is now LIVE on Fantasy Map Market. With the expertise of Nathan Smith of Vancano and the World Building community at WBS this has been a…
What a Church needs from a Designer
Experience of working in the Church as a designer can be rewarding and also painful, here’s a guide to help a Designer and a Church leader build a strong relationship. I have worked with churches for over 15 years as a graphic designer, I have seen the good, the bad and the ugly; both with…
Conquering Imposter Syndrome
This blog is short, simple but empowering 8 years ago I was the only female in an office of domineering male co-workers, just finding out I was pregnant and that I suddenly had a brand new line manager who blocked me off from speaking directly to the two company executive I had previously had a…
The Power of Kindness
“How often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.” ~ Leo Buscaglia Every act of kindness, no matter how small, can have a huge impact. From a…
What an Author needs from a Designer
In the past 12 years or so I have helped over 20 authors publish books; whether that be with a cover design, the formatting or both; and also publish it through online resources. Sometimes people come to me with their finishes article and I just smarten it up, add essential details like publishing rights and…
Countdown to Christmas in Colour
Join me for a special Colour Palette exploration as we countdown 8 weeks to Christmas. Christmas, to me, is a season, and I don’t know about you but I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE going into shops and staring at, walking around and exploring all the Christmas decorations. I always feel inspired and happy – so…
Logo Costs
What should I expect to pay for a logo? This is almost an impossible question to answer as each project is different, each outcome is unique and each process is completely different. However I can lay out some generalisations and look at what other professionals say about this in order to help answer this and…
CREATED . the second edition
CREATED . the second edition It is with great pleasure that I release the second edition of the CREATED . magazine in November 2011. I’ve been overwhelmed with the interaction with the first edition released earlier this year and this second edition comes in just in time for the festive season. I am so pleased…
Simple Christmas Designs
It’s my aim to help you to get ahead of the game, look professional and have Christmas program design you are proud of. Sometimes you have a whole media & design team who can explore the Christmas theme and produce amazing concepts for you to have a whole month of Christmas in Church; they go…
Church Christmas Theme Ideas
Inspiration for Church Christmas Theme Ideas 2024 Helping churches get to grips with their Church Christmas Theme is something I love to do. It’s such an important time of the year for Christians across the globe and it’s my favourite time to do design work, speak to church leaders about their plans and help them…
Things I wish I knew before becoming a Designer
If you’ve come to this blog, welcome. And thanks for stopping by. As time goes on I tend to spend a few days, sometimes weeks, looking back on the year around September time. September is my birthday month and the start of the school year and it always felt like a reset time; and still…
Continue Reading Things I wish I knew before becoming a Designer
Promote your Church this Christmas
Ways to Promote on Social Media this Christmas Social Media is your biggest platform for promotion. Make sure you have a Facebook page & Instagram account. These are the main platforms. And if you want to push the boat out a bit, get a Twitter account too – most of your church congregation will connect…
Mastering Your Story.
What’s your favourite story is the kind of question you ask your kids when they are settling down to bed at night… In 2021, the answers from our kids often include famous books like Harry Potter, The Famous Five, Twilight, Mary Poppins, Peter Pan and lots of others. But when it comes to YOU and…
Why is Peanut . pink?
When someone asked me about my peanut branding they were surprised to learn I don’t actually like pink. Recently I have had a discussion with someone who complimented my Peanut branding (first time for everything and I think I actually shed a happy tear) but this person was surprised to learn that I pink isn’t…
Food is bringing us back together
As things slowly start to return to normal and businesses such as cafés, bistros, bars and restaurants return to full capacity soon, there might be the need to offer new, refreshed and vibrant printed menus, flyers or business cards to your new customers. It’s been my privilege over the years to design such items for…
Good Design is Good Business
Good Design is Good Business Are you a business in need of a professional graphic designer but would like to keep employment costs down? Hiring a freelance graphic designer could be the solution to your problem. WHAT DO YOU NEED? A rebrand Business Literature including Business Cards, Letterheads and Compliment slipsBusiness Advertising including Flyers, Folded…
Branding is a conversation
There are times we get caught up in crossing the t’s and dotting the i’s that we forget that branding is a conversation. A two way conversation. You tell me your story and I’ll tell you mine. We’ll have something in common and we’ll learn something too. When it comes to starting a business, organisation…
Rediscovering my passion. Repurposing my business.
My Passion: Peanut Designs in 2021! When 2021 hit I had high hopes and great plans for what I wanted to do with and through Peanut Designs…and beyond. I had never really committed a lot of time to promotion, defining the purpose of what peanut design is and who it is for, or launching products,…
Continue Reading Rediscovering my passion. Repurposing my business.
CREATED Magazine published.
In early 2021 I felt inspired to collate some blogs, thoughts, creativity from friends and colleagues and inspiring articles into a digital magazine for people to read completely free of charge. CREATED was born. The word “created” is a past tense verb meaning ‘to bring something into existence’. As a creative, I spend my whole…
Map Pixels is launching
Sometimes the bets things in life come through partnership and collaboration, or at least this is my experience. Over 10 years ago I met a guy in Huddersfield who has long been a great friend but also a cohort in business. Working together now for over a decade, I am pleased to announce that Vancano…
The great power of a rebrand in 2021
In recent weeks, Burger King and McDonald’s, two of the largest fast food restaurants, have released a rebrand of their logo or point of sale and product design. Burger King was founded in Florida in 1953 with a black and white sunshine logo, but it wasn’t long before colour took over as they headed into…
You are as unique as a snowflake
There are things in this life we can control, we steer life this way and that way, but then there are many, MANY things in life that we can’t control. The weather being one. In the UK this past 2 weeks, snow has invaded our land and many people have been having fun and making…
Designer, You Can Overcome The Wall
Sometimes being a freelance designer, or perhaps any self employed/sole trader, can feel like you are hitting your head against a wall or running with weights on your legs while everyone else is running at ultra speed on the clouds. There have been times over the past 12 years or so that I have felt…
How a Working At Home Mum Survived The Pandemic of 2020
During 2020, we all went through a turbulent year; so much uncertainty and for many so much loss. People lost jobs, lost homes, lost loved ones and lost themselves in the chaos; so when schools closed and my then 2 year old and 5 year old were both at home all day every day; my…
Continue Reading How a Working At Home Mum Survived The Pandemic of 2020
Colouring In With Design
Over recent years I am discovering how important colour is when I am designing. Colour is EVERYTHING in design. When to use it. When not to use it. What specific colour to use. I know what you’re thinking “wow, she can’t be any good if she’s had years experience and has only just figured this…