DESIGN TOOLS
What's the best design software for churches?
A brief overview with pros & cons
Choosing the best graphic design software for your church can feel like an overwhelming task. There are so many options and it can be hard to know which will be the right fit for your church’s situation.
In this article, I’ll outline the pros and cons of the three most popular design programs so that you can make an informed decision for your context.
Canva
Brief Summary: Canva is an affordable, easy to use, web-based platform. It lacks some advanced features, but these wouldn’t be missed by a casual designer.
Estimated time to become proficient: 5 hours
Pros
- Canva is an affordable option. It has a free version, and they also provide their premium features free for nonprofits. If your church is classed as a nonprofit, it might be worth looking into this.
- As a web-based platform, you don't need to download any software in order to use it and you can access your designs from anywhere you have an internet connection. It even has a mobile app so you can design on the go if you need to.
- Some of their tools are more powerful and easier to use than the more complex software, such as their background remover (pro), their text curve tool and their animation options.
Cons
- Being a web-based programme, if you don't have internet connection, you'll struggle to get much done.
- Many advanced tools are missing. Features such as blend modes and the pen tool are some of the most important design tools that are lacking in Canva.
Affinity Suite
Brief Summary: Affinity has a suite of 3 programmes: Designer, Publisher and Photo. The Affinity Suite offers professional design software at a reasonable price point.
Estimated time to become proficient: 3-5 months
Pros
- The Affinity Suite is seriously good design software. It offers most of the advanced features that you would expect of professional design software.
- Affinity only requires one up front payment and there's no subscription, making it a more affordable option. You can also get Affinity free if you are a nonprofit
Cons
- Like most professional design software, Affinity comes with a bit of a learning curve if you've never used it before.
- Affinity currently offer no video editing tools.
Adobe Creative Cloud
Brief Summary: Adobe are currently the ‘industry standard’. As a pricey subscription, it’s the most expensive option, but it comes with an expansive collection of programs.
Estimated time to become proficient: 3-5 months to learnone program. It’s unlikely one person will learn every Adobe Program. The most useful for graphic design are Photoshop, Indesign and Illustrator.
Pros
- Adobe offer a whole range of programs which allow user to create a huge variety of content types. From photo editing to animation to illustration, Adobe has a program for everything. And many of these programs work seamlessly together, which means you can take something you drew in Illustrator and animate it in After Effects. It's worth saying that very few designers use every app that Adobe offer since the software can take a while to learn.
- Because Adobe is the industry standard, a lot of people use it. That means there are a lot of templates and tutorials online that you might find useful. It can also be helpful if you need to share design files with others.
Cons
- Adobe is by the most expensive option of the three, With a pricey subscription model, some churches may find it beyond their budget.
- Like Affinity, it can take some time to learn Adobe software, and it's likely you'll never learn how to use every Adobe program.
Does it matter which software I choose?
The software you choose is important because it is the primary tool you’ll be using to help you craft your compositions. However you can have the best tools in the world and it won’t matter if you don’t have fundamental design skills
I’ve long been a believer that skill is more important than software when it comes to designing for church. A great designer can make a great design with almost any tools.
That’s why I created The Church Graphic Design Training Programme is just the thing for you. This comprehensive online course equips beginners with everything they need to know to create professional-level graphics for their church. And the best part is that the principles learnt in this course that can be applied to any software.
Mastering design principles will be what improves your church designs most, whether you choose Canva, Affinity or Adobe.
Ready to get started?
Learn Graphic Design for Church
The Church Graphic Design Training Programme is an online course that equips church volunteers and staff members with practical skills to create compelling designs which resonate with your community.
Browse free design templates for churches
Need some quick and easy professionally designed templates for your church? Explore our free, fully customisable templates for churches.
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