It’s pretty simple, actually. It’s obsessive attention to detail. I don’t think this just applies to graphic design, either. My friend, Micah Garman (@micahgarman) is a great guitar player. But there are a lot of great guitar players out there, but what makes Micah different is when he covers someone else’s music. He’s able to *quickly* reproduce the same sound as the original. Not just the same notes/melody/harmony. But the same sound.

This is the secret of good graphic design. Attention to detail. Granted, 96% of the population may not be able to tell the difference between Helvetica and Arial (typefaces). But to you, the designer, it should be glaringly obvious. And of course, this doesn’t apply to just fonts. Photos, clip art, layout designs, etc. It’s attention to detail. And it begins by learning to pay attention to the detail in OTHER people’s work. Read a magazine, and identify page layouts. Look at a product label, and note color usage. Pick out a billboard, and look at letter-spacing. Visit a wedding photographer’s blog, and grok their depth of field and rules of thirds.

Then look at YOUR layout with an objective eye. DaFont.com is a great resource for free fonts… but at what cost? Are you using Bleeding Cowboys because EVERYBODY is using it? Does the photography in your flyer look like it came out of a point-and-shoot camera? Are you using stock fonts, clipart, and templates?

The 4% that can tell the difference will appreciate your attention to detail, and will see that it was (or wasn’t) carefully crafted. And the remaining 96%? They may not be able to identify what specifically is right or wrong with a design, but they will *feel* whether it is professional or not.

The invite cards, worship guides, connection cards, offering envelopes, small group catalogs, etc. say a lot about your church. People are already getting an impression of, and making up their minds about, your church before they’ve even started reading the first three words.