Evangelism through Design: Elevating Church Communication

2026.09.14

People underestimate the power of good design. Before I studied design and became a designer you could have given me two pieces to compare and I could tell you which piece caught my attention more but I wouldn’t be able to explain why.

Now, you could hand me the same two pieces and I could get specific and give details as to why one stands out more than the other. This skill allows me to truly appreciate good work but it’s a double edged sword as I cannot unsee or totally ignore terrible design anymore.

So as a designer it pains me to say church bulletins often drives me nuts, actually much of what passes as acceptable on church materials makes my heart hurt a little. What happened to beauty, truth and goodness? What happened to appreciation and patronage of the arts?

While working in church communication I strived to elevate every aspect of parish visual communication not just the things I was tasked to create but also the things we purchased where I had influence. Good theology was necessary but good presentation, good design invited people into that theology. The challenge was there was a lot of solid theological content but few that offered both solid theology and were well designed, although it is getting better and better each year.

I often found myself drawn to the design of books created for mainline Protestant and other non Catholic Christians. I might even go as far to say I am a bit envious of how beautiful their books often are compared to the Catholic ones supposedly made for me. Catholic books and Bible studies in general tend to have simple bold block of color, with some predictable serif typeface poorly handled, and some Renaissance religious art where as other Christians utilize modern athletics that are distinct, cohesive color schemes, and typography that is handled masterfully.

Personally, I feel these modern covers are more That said there are definitely people who enjoy that traditional aesthetic or at least the Renaissance art. With a little adjustment in how these traditional art works are used can elevate the experience for both those who appreciate the traditional look and feel and those who prefer a more modern aesthetic. However, there is another idea we should consider inspired by fiction books specifically romance novels.

A strategy romance novels have long employed is having two different book covers for the same book. One cover is attention-forward while the other is understated. What if Catholic books and Bible studies took a similar approach, keeping the same interior content but packaging the content to appeal to different preferences?

Imagine a traditional, elegant cover for a comprehensive study of the Gospel of John, alongside a modern, visually striking design for the same study. The content – the truth, the meat of it – remains the same. It's just a matter of packaging. A traditional Latin church community could use opt for the traditional cover where as a Charismatic parish might prefer the modern version. Both communities benefit from the good theology with in and are invited in through the exterior design that speaks to their perspective and experience of the church.

Church communications whether in the parish or in businesses and organizations that support parishes good design has the power to invite them in. Every church communicator has the unique opportunity to draw people to the Gospel through intentionally presenting it in a beautiful and appeal way. By embracing modern design trends and being intentional about packaging our content to appeal to different preferences, we can reach a wider audience and make the Gospel more accessible. Whether you're a traditional Latin church community or a Charismatic parish, there's a design approach that can speak to your community’s perspective and experience of the church. Let's strive to create beautiful, truth-filled, and good design that invites people into a deeper relationship with God.