Event Graphics for Beginner Designers
by Abby McIntyre
If you work at a church (big or small), you probably help with planning events. You might even be that lucky person designated to create the graphic or emblem for an event.
Even for a trained graphic designer like me, the open-ended nature of designing something new is daunting. It might evoke questions like: Where do I start? What if I know nothing about this event? How do I make something unique if I’m not feeling creative?
Below you’ll find a bird’s-eye view of my creative process for designing event graphics. I’m not reinventing any wheels here (there are plenty of guides like this out there), but maybe reading this will help you streamline your process next time you need a graphic for an event.
Step 1: Ask Questions
Gain information about the event from the person in charge of the event (or from yourself if you’re the one planning it). Each event is unique, but you can start by asking questions like these:
Who will be attending this event?
Why would they be interested in the event?
What’s the main message I’d like them to walk away with?
What’s the tone or personality that this event will display? (Friendly, uplifting, serious, etc.)
What are the practical details? (Date, time, registration info, etc.)
When does the graphic need to be done?
Step 2: Mood Board
Translate this written information into something visual. I don’t mean open your design software of choice and start making a graphic (there are a few steps before we get there). Many designers like to use something called a mood board. It takes some abstract thinking, and it might feel strange at first, but creating a mood board helps to capture the tone/personality and intention of the event. Here’s what I do:
Search for images on Google, Pinterest, magazines, books, etc. that represent the event or the tone of the event and compile them into one page. These photos might have nothing to do with the event itself other than to show an emotion, color, time period, or personality that you want the event graphic to represent.
Sometimes I check with the event leader at this point to see if I captured the overall tone of the event with the images I gathered.
Step 3: Sketch
Now that you know the purpose and personality of the event, you can start formulating an idea for the graphic. At this point, sketch like crazy, trying to capture that purpose and personality that you’ve established.
Don’t start finalizing a design until you’ve thrown lots of silly and crazy ideas out there. The more time you spend throwing ideas onto paper, the more likely you are to come across a cool design!
(You do not need to be an amazing artist to sketch. Draw stick figures and boxes! You and your creative brain will know what you mean by your sketches)
Step 4: Go!
Create the event graphic or emblem using your best sketches. I won’t go into too many details about the process of turning your idea into a graphic; there are lots of resources out there for that!
Tip: When you think you’re getting somewhere, you could show your work to coworkers or friends that are unrelated to the event. They can give you their honest opinion on how it comes across, what they would gather about the event from the graphic, how it makes them feel, etc.
Step 5: Make T-Shirts
Whip out your deliverables from there! Once you have an emblem for your event, the possibilities are pretty much endless. You can make tees, name badges, pens, etc. to make your event that much cooler!