Church screens: some basics of content design

Let's talk about church media content! In this brief article, we'll talk specifically about slides/screens, but these concepts apply to other media as well - bulletins, newsletters, social media, etc.​ Whether you use PowerPoint, or a specific church media program such as ProPresenter, MediaShout, or Proclaim, these design guidelines apply.

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First, let's talk about graphics.

(This is the "don't do this" part!)

One of the quickest ways to look dated or out-of-touch is to use WordArt, clipart, or blurry/pixelated images. Even though the 1990s may seem like just yesterday to some of us, they occurred 20-30 years ago! Design has evolved greatly since then.

Another thing we sadly often see are images that haven't been paid for (you can tell by the light hash marks or "copyright" emblazoned over them). Always source your graphics legally - no, pulling random images from Google is not legal, nor does it usually yield the best quality pieces. There are great resources out there - some of them free, such as cmgcreate.com or unsplash.com - and some that are paid subscriptions. Whatever option(s) you choose, don't steal other people's work.

Other common examples of bad graphics are creepy Jesus pictures. Below are some examples - most of these, we have actually seen in churches, and these aren't even the worst ones we've seen:

(Still the "don't do this" part!)

Graphics are often used as backgrounds, as well. This is okay, and can work well - but it can also go badly very easily.

If you're using a graphic as a background, first make sure you're selecting that graphic for a specific reason. Is it high-quality? Did you legally source it? If it's a photo, is it of something completely random (but it's "pretty"), or of something meaningful/topical? Abstract backgrounds usually work better than, say, a random landscape.

That said, if you're going to use graphics/photos as a background, make sure it's high resolution and cropped to an appropriate aspect ratio for your display. Too frequently, graphics are stretched horizontally or vertically, distorting the image and usually causing visible pixelation. Here are some examples of what that looks like:

( d o n ' t s t r e t c h y o u r i m a g e s )

( c a n y o u f e e l t h a t s t r e t c h ? )

(it'spossiblebutnotgoodtostretchverticallytoo)

Other times, a 4:3 image is used for a widescreen display - but, instead of cropping the image to the same widescreen aspect ratio, it's used in its original format, leaving large blank spaces on the sides:

(Mind your aspect ratios!)

Next, let's talk about text.

So, you've got a good background, maybe some accompanying images. Now for the words!

Perhaps you've seen this meme floating around social media, demonstrating the power and importance of font choice:

(Loving or creepy? The font says it all.)

Yes, your font matters! Fonts convey moods or feelings; some fonts are so closely tied to collective memories that they become a bit forbidden [such as the Avatar font, Papyrus, Comic Sans]. Some fonts, of course, are more readable than others, especially when it comes to a paragraph of text versus something brief like a sermon title.

Beyond the actual font choice, text design matters as well, especially when it comes to readability. Research has shown that on printed documents, dark serif fonts on light backgrounds are the easiest to read. But for electronic media (such as sanctuary screens or online content), more recent research is suggesting that light sans serif fonts on dark backgrounds are the easiest to read. No matter what, the contrast between the background and the font needs to be high enough to make the text really pop for visibility.

(Several examples of good & bad font choices!)

And, of course, text needs to be big enough! When designing screens for your sanctuary, they should be easy to read from the farthest or most obscure point in the room, by people with not-so-great eyesight. [Large-print very-high-contrast bulletins are related accessibility consideration.]

With that, there is no rule saying you have to fit everything onto as few slides as possible! Sometimes churches try to fit as much text as they can, so they shrink the font size, narrow the margins, and cram in as much as they can. Doing this makes the slide visually overwhelming and unreadable. A much better option is to break the text at natural pause points into however many slides are necessary.

(Aren't you exhausted just glancing at this?)

So, what to do?

To break it down into the most basic tenets of modern, clean design, aim for:
- high resolution, modern graphics
- high contrast text
​- not cluttered or too busy/overwhelming

If you'd like an outside set of eyes to take a look at your current design and see where improvements can be made (or if you would like more detailed help to understand design concepts such as "aspect ratios" and "high contrast"), we'll help! Email us at info@saltyconsulting.com, or call us at 801-893-2563 for a quick consultation.

(Yes, you can have topical images - such as communion graphics - without using old 90s clipart!)

(For most content slides, a dark abstract background with light, readable text will be striking, beautiful, and easy to read!)