IF EVERYTHING IS BOLD NOTHING IS BOLD

Thought this was a great post from Barton Damer at AlreadyBeenChewed.net and wanted to share it.

How is it that some things stand out and others blend right in? In order for BOLD to stand out, it must be different than the rest. If everything is bold, nothing is bold. When you think about design and what stands out, it’s often something that is different. Could be complex, could be less is more. It’s all relative. If everyone resorts to simplicity, eventually complexity will be what stands out. When overly complex designs are everywhere, all of the sudden, simplicity stands out. This principle applies way beyond design as well. As you plan for production in your main services, if every sunday is “special” with tons of media, music, and lights… all of the sudden… no Sunday’s are “special.” They all blend together and none of them stand out as memorable, no matter what level of production. Some times,  in order to have a “special” service, it may mean stripping away all of that. It may mean no media and an acoustic set are what will set that moment apart. Conversely, if every single sunday is an acoustic set with no media, nothing is “bold”. Nothing stands out. There’s no point in over-doing the production every single week. Choose specific series that you will amp up for. Rest up and prepare for those series during more stripped down opportunities. Your congregation will look back and remember those moments that are bold. If every Sunday is “bold”… no Sunday’s are “bold.” Be purposeful in what you will bold and not bold so that those things will stand out.