It's Compelling

Compelling 2012 is this weekend!

Please pray for the 755+ students who are registered as they engage in a weekend of Bible study, leadership development, thoughtful conversation, prayer, and other forms of training. This conference is typically a key time for new students--it is their first experience with InterVarsity as a movement beyond just the local chapter they have joined. And please especially pray for non-believers who are seeking.

Pray also for the staff and volunteers who are teaching and relating with students. It's an exciting but exhausting time for them. Pray that the Spirit would lead them as they minister to students.

Unfortunately I will not be going to Compelling this year, but I'm sending these banners along with my colleagues who are going to serve as tech support (light, sound, screens, etc). I'm excited to hear what God does through this conference, and thankful that I get to participate in making it happen.

Compelling 2012 - Dream On

Compelling, Michigan's annual fall conference, is one of my favorite projects that I get to do every year. Each new theme presents an opportunity to come up with a new design concept. This year, Compelling's theme is based around the story of Joseph, which I was excited about because he's one of my favorite Bible characters. The conference planning team wanted to feature something about Joseph's dreams in the title. So I suggested "Dream On,"  the title of a 1973 Aerosmith song.

Rock 'n Roll?
This title led me to find some of my inspiration from 1970s rock posters. I love the way these posters use dramatic shapes and have a sort of psychedelic look to them. In a way, they are kind of dreamlike--slightly distorted and ethereal. I also love the way that the typography takes the form of the larger shapes in the design.

Inspired by 1970s rock posters

...Like an Egyptian
The other part of my inspiration came from Egyptian art. Since much of Joseph's story takes place in the intriguing world of ancient Egypt, I wanted to give the conference some of that look as well. I researched photos of hieroglyphic art as well as the geometric patterns used in a lot of Egyptian design. The colors from these pieces had a more muted, earth tone palette, and ultimately I chose to use these colors, rather than the brighter colors from the 70s rock posters. I also incorporated the texture of the ancient papyrus, giving the design a rougher, older feel.

Inspired by Egyptian art

Inspired by Egyptian geometric designs

My color palette, based on Egyptian art

Final Product
So, after a lot of research, here is what I came up with! It was definitely a time-consuming process to create a completely hand-drawn design, but it was so much fun! Can you see how both the 70s rock posters and Egyptian art have been incorporated into my final work?

front of Compelling 2012 flycard - click to view larger

back of Compelling 2012 flycard - click to view larger

[Visit Compelling 2012's website
(which I also designed) here.]

10 favorite designs of 2011

It's hard to believe another year has passed! As I've been telling everyone, I'm a little freaked out that we're in the year that I turn 30. At least I still have nine months until that happens.

Upon reflecting on this past year of ministry, I'm grateful for the many different opportunities I've had to use my design skills to minister to students, staff and donors. Here are 10 designs I'm particularly proud of:

10. Illustration for InterVarsity blog, August

One of my ongoing projects this year has been to find or create images for InterVarsity's national blog. While most of the images end up being photos, this was one of the first illustrations I did, for a post entitled "Life After Summer Missions." I've enjoyed working with my teammates Abi and Matt on these images, and for the opportunity to grow in illustration skills.

9. Compelling 2011 conference, July-November

(original blog post)

flycard

Compelling was a great experience for a number of reasons. This was the 5th year I worked on the design for the conference and each time I feel like I learn something new. The challenge of working with a familiar theme like Jonah was to create something that wasn't cliché or boring. I hope I achieved that with this design.

8. Asian American Women's Leadership Conference, November

This is my first time showing the final design! You may remember I talked about the inspiration and process for this project a couple of months ago. I really enjoyed working on the texture on this piece - it has an old weathered look, but I think the bright colors from my Southeast Asian fabric palette keep the design engaging and hopeful. 

7. AIV t-shirt, July

(original blog post)

It was so fun being able to work on this tshirt for my old chapter. Even though I don't get to directly interact with those students anymore, it makes me happy knowing they're walking around wearing the shirt I designed for them. I also enjoyed working on this design because it was one of the first times I used 2100's iPad to draw the lettering by hand. It gives the design a unique and personal feel that a premade typeface would not have done. 

6. The Comfort Zone movie poster, July

(original blog post)

A significant accomplishment in my work this year was directing and producing my first video! While I still don't know anything about operating a camera, I definitely learned a lot about the filmmaking process. I also learned that humor and parody are some of my favorite methods of communication. Working on this movie poster was icing on the cake! Kudos to Katie, our awesome actress and model, and Matt, for the great photos I got to work with. The finished piece is an authentic-looking action movie poster!

5.  ICF t-shirt, February
(original blog post)

This t-shirt was designed for an international student chapter in California. I like it mostly because it's asymmetrical and different from the usual shirts with designs centered in the top middle area. Plus, blue and gray are my favorite colors as far as clothing goes, so it was a bonus to get to work with those colors. They sent me a shirt and I love wearing it!

4. Bible Study bookmarks, March
 (original blog post)

I think this may be the most functional, useful piece I've designed this year. This bookmark was especially fun to work on because I am passionate about inductive Bible study. In fact, learning how to study the Bible was possibly the most significant thing I've gained as an InterVarsity student and staff. It excites me to think that I'm helping hundreds of others learn this very important skill that will impact their lives forever.

If you are interested in ordering some, you can get them at the InterVarsity store, 10 for just a dollar!

3. Languages Thank You card, April

There wasn't a whole lot of concept behind this design other than wanting to make it appeal to people of many different languages. It was a challenge working with languages that did not have the same alphabet as English, but I think it came together. I like this mostly because I think it's pretty. :)

2. IFES infographic, August
(original blog post)

For the past year I've designed over 30 infographics for 2100's weekly infographics on Facebook. Most of them are funny or silly, but this one was designed with real data (or as real as I could find on the Internet!). Infographics are fun and give me a way to use humor, color and love for organizing information in my design work. I liked this one particularly because I got to work with IFES' World Assembly color palette.

Check out other infographics on 2100's Facebook page.

1. Staff Conference 2011, January
(original blog post)

It seems understated to list Staff Conference only as one thing, as I think I designed maybe 40-50 different pieces for the conference, and that's counting something as large as the stage as one design. When I look back on my work for Staff Conference, I recall the experience as stressful, tiring, but also rewarding. During that overwhelmingly busy period, I definitely felt God providing me energy and insight into this work. And what resulted was a collection of work that I am very proud of. The conference itself went really well and I'm grateful to have had a big part in making it happen.

If I had to pick one piece from Staff Conference that I love the most, I would choose the signs. I just really liked how they turned out. I tried to snag one as the conference was ending but they disappeared.

It's been a busy but productive year! Thanks to all of you who support me and make it possible for me to do what I love for God's kingdom. Looking forward to another year of seeing what God will do through InterVarsity.

Behind the scenes at a conference

top - David running lights, Dan running sound; below - me running ProPresenter & PowerPoint, Steve running the switcher; Matt is not pictured because he took this picture!

My experience at Compelling was especially unique because it was the first time I've worked as part of the technical support. Twentyonehundred was asked to provide support with sound, lights, camera, and screens - basically, everything that you need to produce a professional conference. This was especially important since the conference has grown over the years. With 700 students in one room, it's important that everyone is able to see the speaker, hear the speaker, and therefore stay engaged during the main sessions.

my station at our tech table. those headsets were uncomfortable!

 At first I felt a little useless since I know very little about running a conference from a technical standpoint. But by watching my teammates David, Dan, Steve and Matt, I learned things like the names of different types of cords and what they are each needed for. I climbed a tall ladder and adjusted the lighting that hit the various parts of the stage, and set up the headsets that we all used to communicate with each other during the sessions. In each session I was in charge of advancing song lyrics and also keeping track of the speaker's PowerPoint presentation and letting Steve know when to switch from the presentation to the video feed which showed his face on the screens. These are the kinds of details that perhaps most people would not realize need to be thought about, but they are nonetheless vital for pulling off a successful conference.

Compared to the craziness of registration and administrative tasks I'm used to doing at conferences, this job was a breeze! I'm grateful to be on a team where I can learn new skills and serve in different ways. It was even kind of fun!

A Compelling Experience

In October 2000 I attended my very first InterVarsity training conference. I remember learning how to study the Bible in a way that opened my eyes and heart. Realizing that my relationship with God had so much room to grow significantly impacted me then, and has shaped the course of my life ever since.

Eleven years later, freshmen continue to encounter God in meaningful ways at their first InterVarsity conference. A few weeks ago I had the privilege of participating in and witnessing this at Compelling, Michigan’s annual fall conference. With nearly 700 students in attendance this year, it’s clear that God is using Compelling to bring many students to a new understanding of his love and purpose for them.

Close to 700 students from all over the state of Michigan gathered in Lansing for Compelling

Reconnecting with old friends from my former region was, simply put, good for my soul. I loved hearing about all the growth and new work that God has been doing around the state of Michigan. I also met new staff, including the woman who now runs Compelling’s registration. I was excited to see the process I created 5 years ago improved upon, as she dealt with more than double the number of students!

Students spent time in "tracks", receiving practical training in areas of Christian life such as prayer, spiritual disciplines, Bible study and evangelism. Topics such as relationships, life after college and homosexuality were also featured in some of these tracks.

The most special moments for me, however, were conversations with students. I loved reconnecting with AIV, now almost a completely new chapter. The seniors were just freshman the year I left! I had a great conversation with one particular student looking for a way to merge his interest in graphic design with his passion for ministry. During the free time on Saturday, 2100 invited interested students to talk with us about our internship program. It was exciting to meet 8 students with a wide variety of skills and interests in media communications.

Over 60 students from AIV participated in Compelling

At the end of the conference I sat in on AIV’s chapter sharing time and heard many students testify to God’s work in their lives over the weekend. One student who suffered from depression for years finally had the courage to bring it to God and receive healing and peace for the first time in her life. Another student addressed a certain sinful addiction and felt a deep sense that the Holy Spirit had truly removed it from his life. Other students mentioned newfound truths they learned about God and exhorted one another to be passionate about his mission on campus. The time ended with wonderful heartfelt prayers of thanks and praise from many students. It was clear to me that the Lord was with us in that time.

Overall the conference was a huge success, with at least 15 first time decisions to follow Christ, and hundreds of other decisions to follow Him in new ways. It is hard to quantify the significance of weekends like this, but if these 700 students experienced anything like I did eleven years ago, I know that God has accomplished great things. Praise God for his faithfulness and power at Compelling and other conferences like it all over the country! Students are encountering Jesus and being empowered to take the Gospel to campus.

Compelling2011 - The Sign of Jonah

click here to go to website

Compelling is a training conference that happens in November and is hosted by the Michigan Division (all universities and colleges in the state of Michigan). For five years I have designed the look of the conference, including the flycard, website, and other materials like nametags and program. The website is now up if you want to check it out! Click on the link above. Below are images of the completed flycard!

front of flycard

The theme for this conference is "The Sign of Jonah". I know we have all seen countless Sunday school renditions of Jonah being swallowed by the whale. I tried hard to not go that route. I still reference that important aspect of Jonah's story using a fish tail, but I tried to make it less obvious, using darker shades and not making it the focal point.

back of flycard

The textures were created using a several different layers of images of clouds, waves and storms. I wanted the texture to look a little bit like a fairy tale or a children's storybook, which is also why I chose this serif font, that looks a little bit whimsical and unique. I also handwrote some of the words like "the sign of" "tracks" "speaker" and "registration".The wavy lines of text as well as grays and blues add to the feel of being in a storm on the water.

It'll be exciting for me this year because I am planning to attend the conference! Last year there was a record number of 600 students attending. It's been amazing to see how God has used this conference in hundreds of students lives for the past 5 years.