Workshop Track

FILM & DESIGN

Enhance your design skills and learn to create visuals that grab the attention of your church and community. If filmmaking is more your thing, learn how to create compelling and visually stunning narratives from preproduction to delivery.

Speakers

  • Hi! My name is Tricia Griffin, and I am the Lead Graphic Designer at Watermark Community Church in Dallas, Texas. I have a bachelor's degree in graphic design with a minor in communications and currently lead two other designers as part of the larger Communications Team at Watermark. I believe any artist’s mission on Earth is to reflect our Creator by bringing a glimpse of Eden back to our fallen world, and I’m grateful that I get to do that in a position that directly impacts the Church. With a background in studio art and specifically in drawing, some of my most favorite projects have included mixed media design. I love when I get to bring something more tangible and organic into a heavily digital form of art.

  • Darius L. Carter is a portrait photographer, art director, and filmmaker based in Los Angeles. Raised on the Southside of Chicago, Darius was drawn to spending as much time as possible outdoors. His photographs use natural light as a callback to a childhood spent exploring in the sun.

    Darius is an acclaimed portrait and commercial advertising photographer. He creates work that speaks to his appreciation of the human condition- our nuances, our differences, and our unique, lived experiences. 

    In 2018, Darius founded The Carter’s Touch, a multimedia service company serving hundreds of clients from television’s favorite actors to Fortune 500 companies. Most recently, Darius creative directed, and photographed reference portraits of Oprah Winfrey for her portrait of a painting at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery on December 18, 2023.

DARIUS L. CARTER

TRICIA GRIFFIN

  • Aaron has invested over 25 years in the arts with a passion to create visual art in physical spaces that communicates truth and inspires his audiences. His passion for story, social causes and his belief in the power that art it has to engage an audience has led him to embark on a journey to explore all artistic mediums in order to create and support unique stage designs, events and immersive environments.

AARON BENSKO

  • Learn from Ramon Quintero, a Canva Verified Expert and Founder of WKND Designs and the Facebook Group “Canva for Church.” We all wear many hats working in ministry; some of mine include graphic designer, pastor, translator, and freelancer. With over 15 years of experience in the church world, I’ve had the opportunity to collaborate on projects with companies like DYM, Orange, Sunday Social, Monday Mission, Ministry Pass, Tithely, and Canva. With my expertise and experience, I aim to guide you with helpful strategies to implement in your ministry.

RAMON QUINTERO

  • Matthew Pahl began his journey in Graphic Design with MySpace in 2005. Over the years, he has been fortunate to collaborate with a diverse range of clients, including more than 150 churches across all 50 US states, NBA player Jonathan Isaac from the Orlando Magic, YouVersion’s Bible App, Christian artist KB, and more. With 8 years of leadership experience, Matthew has guided teams of various sizes, from 5 to 40 professionals, in both sales and creative settings. His experience in both secular and faith-based organizations has provided him with valuable insights into creating lasting impact through media and team development for the kingdom.

    Matthew is passionate about servant leadership, continuous learning and growth, and fostering thriving teams. He is dedicated to helping individuals realize their God-given potential and glorifying the name of Jesus. As the Executive Creative Director at Liberty University within the Office of Spiritual Development, he strives to balance his roles as a manager and creator, with a commitment to excellence and nurturing future leaders.

MATTHEW PAHL

“SALT is one of the best experiences that I have had as a creative in a very long time.”

- Morgan B.

Workshop Topics

Artistic Vision: The Power of Mixed-Media Design

Tricia Griffin, Lead Graphic Designer | Watermark Community Church

Graphic design is more than structured guidelines, picking the right color palette and fonts, and deciphering the hierarchy of information. This strategic approach to design is necessary, but incomplete. It’s called a “creative field” for a reason- it’s a form of art! In this workshop I’ll help you think outside the grid by walking you through the how’s and why’s of mixed-media design, showing you how to make intentional artistic choices, and demonstrating a studio artist’s approach to the creative process of design.

Key Takeaways

  • - Learn how to get out of your head (and your laptop) and seek inspiration from the physical world around you.

  • - Understand the value of getting messy, making mistakes, and enjoying discovery.

  • - Know the right tools to bring your great idea to life.

  • - Instead of following trends, you will learn to make one by incorporating mixed media into a digital design that will add a layer of unique authenticity and a revitalized care for your craft.

Capturing the Moment

Join our immersive videography workshop, "Capturing the Moment," designed to teach you the art of seizing fleeting moments through your lens. Learn essential techniques in composition, lighting, and timing to create compelling, story-driven videos that resonate with your audience. Perfect for aspiring videographers looking to enhance their skills and capture unforgettable scenes with precision and creativity.

Key Takeaways

  • - Learn how to frame your shots to highlight the most compelling aspects of a scene and create visually engaging videos.

  • - Gain insights into utilizing natural and artificial light to enhance the mood and quality of your footage.

  • - Discover techniques for anticipating and capturing perfect moments, ensuring that you don't miss key actions or emotions.

  • - Develop skills to weave individual shots into a cohesive narrative, creating videos that tell a captivating story.

Darius L. Carter, Professional Photographer

Aligning Design with Vision for a Sermon Series

This workshop empowers church and ministry leaders with strategic tools to create compelling sermon content. Attendees will learn to plan, design, and present sermon series efficiently. It also helps alleviate common design frustrations, leading to a more productive and harmonious workflow.

Key Takeaways

  • - Learn strategies to plan sermon content for Sunday mornings.

  • - Implement processes in the design area to produce high-quality work efficiently.

  • - Plan and design content for upcoming sermon series.

  • - Learn helpful ways to present ideas to leadership for quicker turnaround times.

Ramon Quintero, Graphic Designer & Creative Coach

4 Elements of a Good Stage Design

In a church setting, your church stage serves as a focal point for the congregation, drawing attention to the speaker, musicians or performers. A thoughtful and purposeful stage design can help create an atmosphere that supports the message and also enhances the experience of the attendees. In this workshop we will explore a few best practices and ideas on how to achieve these objectives without breaking your budget.

Key Takeaways

  • - Learn how to ask the right questions and make decisions in order to determine what will be the most effective stage design for your church.

  • - Learn how to streamline your design process, use the right materials and take advantage of design software to improve your creative objectives that help create a cohesive and immersive experience that supports the message and engages the audience.

  • - Lights, Camera, Action: Learn how to use technology to enhance your stage designs without distracting your audience or their experience.

  • - Creating your next stage design that will be mindful of how it will function in space with your band, pastor and congregation.

Aaron Bensko, Creative Art Director | Bent Tree Bible Fellowship

20 Essentials for Elevating Your Church Visuals

This session will equip you with a powerful toolkit designed to elevate your church's graphic design. Whether you're a seasoned designer or just starting out, you'll discover a dynamic mix of advanced Photoshop techniques, typography mastery, and cutting-edge resources like plugins, actions, and Al tools. We'll dive deep into strategies for FX, color, gradient maps, textures, and graphic elements that will empower you to create visuals that truly resonate. And the best part? You'll walk away with The Designer's Toolkit PDF—a comprehensive guide packed with 50+ essentials, ready to help you start enhancing your designs the moment you return to your team.

Key Takeaways

  • - Advanced Photoshop/Midjourney Techniques: Master powerful tools like stacking 3D LUTs, Camera Raw finishing, Al Moodboards, and time-saving plugins that will enhance your workflow and visual output.

  • - Textures and Graphic Elements: Learn to add depth and detail to your designs with top-notch textures, vector elements, and visual enhancements—organized chaos at its best.

  • - Insights from Top Church Creatives: Hear directly from leading voices in church design, and discover what top creatives recommend for taking your visuals to the next level.

  • - Typography and Color Mastery: Find the perfect font pairings and effective color palettes using the best resources to create clear, cohesive, and impactful designs.

  • - Comprehensive Designer's Toolkit PDF: A free resource filled with everything you need to immediately elevate your designs, offering lasting value beyond the session.

Matthew Pahl, Exec. Creative Director | Liberty University