COLLEGE PARK CHURCHCOMMUNICATIONSGUIDE
TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
HOW DO WE DESCRIBE OUR BRAND?
THE COLLEGE PARK VISUAL STYLEFonts
Colors
Logos
WRITING, WEB, AND PHOTOGRAPHYWriting Style
How to Write an Email
How to Write a Postcard
How to Write an Event for the Newsletter
Email Signatures
Business Cards
Our Website
Digital Graphics
Photography
Notes for Photographers
TIPS TO GET THINGS DONE Things to Remember
In-House or Outsource?
Vendors We’d Vouch For
Contact the Team
Hungry For More?
APPENDIX – THE COLLEGE PARK DICTIONARYGrammar Style & Rules
Verbiage
Bible Abbreviations
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6 - 13
1516 - 1920 - 2324 - 27
2930 - 35
3435353637
38 - 3940 - 4142 - 44
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474848484949
5153 - 5455 - 56
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GOD HAS WRITTENQUITE A STORY THROUGHCOLLEGE PARK CHURCH...And that story has been written with the lives of our people. Our story is a narrative of life change. Brokenness. Healing. Growth. Loss. Gain. Passion for Jesus and the lost. Hope for an eternal future.
As we strive to ignite a passion to follow Jesus in our city and world, we have a great responsibility to steward the grace of God and communicate this grace to others.
This guide will equip you to preserve and perpetuate College Park’s story with the tone, style, logos, and resources that express our brand and personality in an authentic, humble, clear, and unified way.
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THE COLLEGE PARK“BRAND”“Brand” is by no means a perfect concept but it’s a good term to capture all of the visual identity aspects, look and feel, personality, tone, and experience factors you have with College Park Church. You could also call it our DNA.
Part of our unique DNA is the diversity, unity, and beauty in areas where we live with “boths:” both suits and flip-flops, both young and old, both long-time believers and new believers. When you see both the organic and structured aspects found at College Park, you’re experiencing a part of our brand or DNA.
A consistent brand is important to keep our message (the gospel) and our ministries aligned around our ultimate mission. We live among competing demands for our attention, and the clarity of our message helps further our mission.
Let’s get started with the basics.
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WE AIM TO BECLEAR, CLASSIC, UNIFIED, & ACCESSIBLE IN OUR COMMUNICATIONS.
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CLEARSimple, effective, without clutter. Calls people to action.
CLASSICModern without being trendy, done with excellence, trustworthy.
UNIFIEDCohesive with the whole, consistent, communicates unity among the diversity of the “boths.”
ACCESSIBLEUses language and imagery that communicates well to both the churched and unchurched.
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HERE’S WHAT CLEAR, CLASSIC, UNIFIED, & ACCESSIBLE LOOKS LIKE.LESS IS MOREDesign layouts should be simple and clean. They should invite people in with their ease of readability and clear focus. They should also use whitespace purposefully and extensively. The message is the main focus, and all visuals should support it.
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SOLID AND SIMPLEBackgrounds in brochures, bulletins, and other print pieces should be solid white and texture-free. If a solid color background is used on an accent page, text should be limited and bold enough to not disappear into the background.
NO FUSS AND FRILLS Gradients, drop shadows, glows, and outlines should not be used within design.
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THINK: STRONGFlat, clear typefaces are used for event graphic headers. The overall message and visual feel should be strong, linear, and masculine.
NOT TOO FUZZYWhen we uses photos as backgrounds, we might put a subtle and light texture. In Photoshop-speak, this is a noise filter of 1.5% - 4%.
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NEON, PASTELS, & GLOW-IN-THE-DARK INKSARE NOT OUR FRIENDS Our designers stick to our muted jewel tone color family when designing College Park pieces in order for design elements to blend seamlessly with our official color palette. This means you don’t see neons, pastels, and glow-in-the-dark ink.
BRIGHT WHITES (NO BLEACH NEEDED) Neutrals should be based off our browns in the official color palette. If you use a gray, it must be a warm based gray that doesn’t conflict with the browns and whites. When using white, it should be bright.
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THE COLLEGE PARK VISUAL STYLEFONTS, COLORS, & LOGOS
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MEET OUR FONT, MYRIAD PRO.hello.
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We love our Myriad Pro font. Like a comfortable coat or a good cup of coffee, Myriad Pro fits just about every occaision. It’s not going to distract—it’s understated just enough to fit who we are.
If you want more variety than Myriad Pro, you can use the Arno Pro font for body text of a publication. Arno Pro has a friendly, unassuming simplicity that is a great complement to Myriad Pro. This document uses Arno Pro for its text, and it’s easy to see how well these fonts work together.
To the right are the College Park fonts. Please don’t secretly sneak in your favorites Comic Sans or Papyrus. Myriad Pro and Arno Pro are the standard we will apply on all print & web publications. Only exception: email is fine as Arial, Calibri, Tahoma, or Myriad Pro.
The bottom line: use Myriad Pro Regular for all uses.
You can download and install these fonts from the folder W:/Communications/Design Starters or see the Communication Coordinator.
HEADLINESMYRIAD PRO BLACK CONDENSED (USE ONLY IN ALL CAPS)
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
SUBHEADSMYRIAD PRO BOLD CONDENSED ITALIC(USE ONLY IN ALL CAPS - MUST BE SMALLER THAN HEADLINE)
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
INTRO BODY TEXTMyriad Pro Italic or Myriad Pro Light ItalicA B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Za b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y zA B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z
BODY TEXT (& MOST OFTEN USED)Myriad Pro Regular or Myriad Pro Light (Body Text)A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Za b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y zA B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Za b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z
ALTERNATE BODY TEXTArno Pro A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Za b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z
PRIMARY FONT
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HERE’S A SAMPLE DOCUMENT WITH THE FONTS & LAYOUT:
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EVANGELISMRESOURCESONLINE ARTICLES
Going Back to Believable EvangelismTheResurgence.com ��http://bit.ly/GoingBacktoBelievableEvangelism
The Evangelism ArchivesTheResurgence.com ��http://bit.ly/TheResurgenceEvangelismArchives
Evangelism and MotherhoodThe Gospel Coalition ��http://bit.ly/EvangelismandMotherhood
VIDEOS The Gospel Sermon Jamby John Piper ��http://bit.ly/MattChandlerSermonJam
What is the Gospel?by Tim Keller ��http://bit.ly/WhatIsTheGospelTimKeller
B Everyday ChurchTim Chester & Steve Timmis ��SERVE|13 featured book
Bringing the Gospel HomeRandy Newman ��great book for how to share your faith with family members
The Gospel PrimerMilton Vincent ��very basic explanation and introduction to the gospel
The Explicit GospelMatt Chandler ��good for churched people too “familiar” with the gospel
The Gospel & Personal EvangelismMark Dever ��Argues for personal evangelism from the Scriptures, explains the gospel, and some helpful suggestions for evangelism
USE MYRIAD PRO BOLD CONDENSED IN ALL CAPS
SIMPLE & BOLD HEADLINE
USE MYRIAD PRO BOLD CONDENSED ITALIC IN ALL CAPS
EASY TO READ SUBHEADS
DOUBLE-SPACE BETWEEN SECTIONS TO CLEARLY SEPARATE SECTIONS AND INCREASE READABILITY
PLENTY OF SPACE BETWEEN SECTIONS
USE MYRIAD PROREGULAR IN SIZES 10-12 PTS.
CLEAR & ACCESSIBLE CONTENT
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Our color palette is strong, dependable, and timeless, just like a good cup of coffee. We use classic colors like white, brown, green, and blue, which communicate in a clear and accessible way.
See the primary and accent colors on the opposite page as your guide to the brand colors of College Park.
OUR COLOR PALETTE: STRONG, DEPENDABLE, & TIMELESS
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MEDIUM BROWNPANTONE 7532 CRGB 103/87/71HEX 675747
DARK BROWNPANTONE 412 CRGB 55/45/43HEX 372c2a
LIGHT GREENPANTONE 7489 C *RGB 137/173/85HEX 89ad54
DARK GREENPANTONE 7483 C *RGB 61/111/62HEX 3d6e3d
LIGHT BROWNPANTONE 7530 CRGB 168/158/43HEX a89e92
LIGHT BLUEPANTONE 116 CRGB 126/153/170HEX 7e99aa
DARK BLUEPANTONE 5405 CRGB 68/104/128HEX 44687d
PURPLEPANTONE 667 CRGB 122/102/145HEX 7a6691
* Please note: there is not an identical PMS match for these greens.
PRIMARY COLORS ACCENT COLORS
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STUDENT MINISTRIES COLORS
THE ROCK BLUEPANTONE 302RGB 0/72/101HEX 004865
THE GROVE GREENPANTONE 7490RGB 100/154/65HEX 649a41
PMS 302
Hex #004865
PMS 7490
Hex #649a41
PMS 302
Hex #004865
PMS 7490
Hex #649a41
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CHILDREN’S MINISTRIES COLORS
NURSERY THEME COLOR
LILACPANTONE 258 CRGB 171/98/167HEX ab62a7
VIOLETPANTONE 2593 CRGB 125/46/146HEX 7d2e92
ELEMENTARY THEME COLOR
CRIMSONPANTONE 1797 CRGB 188/19/35HEX bc1323
LIME PANTONE 368 C *RGB 138/197/63HEX 8ac53f
TANGERINEPANTONE 716 CRGB 245/128/32HEX f58020
PRESCHOOL THEME COLOR
TEALPANTONE 7473 CRGB 24/169/161HEX 18a9a1
* Please note: there is not an identical PMS match for this green. 23
WE OUR TREE (& LOGO).The College Park Church logo has seen about a dozen variations over its lifetime. When we landed on the “College Park tree” back in 1998, this tree helped represent the timeless strength and organic utility that has become College Park Church.
After 15 years, the tree has remained a helpful and familiar identifier of our church.
To express our strong and clean visual lineage and to better accomodate web, email, and other digital applications of our logo, we are now using a one-color version.
When using the College Park logo, be aware of what is around it. Like a car, the logo needs to be driven correctly and belongs in certain places, and should be placed in a certain way.
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Primary Logo – Medium Brown Secondary Logo – Medium Brown
Primary Logo – Light Green Secondary Logo – Light Green
Primary Logo – ReversedSecondary Logo – Reversed
Avatar
OUR AVATAROur avatar should be used when there is not sufficient room for the entire logo to be placed in a design piece, especially square contexts. That said, the square avatar will mostly be used for digital purposes (social media and the College Park app).
Download the College Park logos from yourchurch.com/staffhub. The leafless logo is used when the application/context is limited in height.
PRIMARY LOGO SECONDARY LOG0
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IF YOU USE THE LOGO IN ONE OF THESE WAYS, SOMEWHERE A POOR, INNOCENT TREE WILL LOSE ITS LEAVES.
This is a cute color, but the only colors appropiate for our logo are the official College Park colors (Medium Brown, Light Green, and White).
Flying is fun, but our logo doesn’t have wings. Keep our logo on the ground by not adding drop shadows, glows, frills, textures, or gradients.
Always carefully resize so it doesn’t end up squashed like a tree we hugged too tightly.
Our tree loves the letters around it and does not like to be separated from them or changed. Be kind. Don’t separate the tree to change the color, angle it, put it in a heart, or change it to a unicorn.
Um, yeah... If you mess with the logo with some crazy Comic Sans like this or Papyrus (or any other font as a matter of fact), you will make us very, very sad.
Remember to always leave white space around the logo so it can breath (0.5” on each side).
TOO CLOSETHIS IS WAY
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WE OUR TREE.LET’S TAKE CARE OF IT.
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WRITING, WEB,& PHOTOGRAPHYWRITING GUIDE, DICTIONARY, WEB FORMAT, PHOTOGRAPHY, & EMAIL SIGNATURES
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WRITE THIS, NOT THATYou could describe the College Park writing style in eight words:
LESS IS MORE
CALL TO ACTION
ACTIVE VOICE
Although this may be the section of this guide that you want to skim, DON’T! This is the important stuff…the stuff our readers are looking for when they visit our website or are picking up a brochure.
A NOTE FROM YOUR FRIENDLY GRAMMAR NERDS ON THE COMMUNICATIONS TEAM…We follow MLA style and like it for most of our written content. Online publications or web materials only need one space between sentences. Something getting printed needs two. Check out all of our “grammar school” specifics in Appendix.
To see more about MLA go to this link. http://bit.ly/mlastyle
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LESS IS MORE Serve the reader the main point and be simple about it. Use bulleted lists rather than lengthy paragraphs, and minimize the extras (no www in web addresses = yourchurch.com).
CALL-TO-ACTIONThink of the reader and what they must to know. Is there is a next step? Include a registration link and a contact person if registration is required. Remember that headers and sub-headers are your good friends and always lead your readers towards something and be clear.
ACTIVE VOICEUse a friendly active voice when creating content so write with language welcoming to new attenders or guests. Write with the subject doing the action e.g., Pastor Mark preached on Sunday. And try to avoid overly “churchy” language or hard-to-understand terms or acronyms unless good explanations are provided.
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THE CLIFFNOTES VERSIONDidn’t read all of that? Okay, then maybe this acronym will help: A.I.D.A.
Grab attention early on
Build interest
Include the details
Add a call-to-action
AIDA
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Do we really have a College Park Dictionary? You bet we do! Check out the entire collection of our rules on grammar style and College Park verbiage in the Appendix. Below is a quick snapshot of things included in our very own dictionary:
College Park ChurchFor the first reference, always write the entire name “College Park Church.” Because acronyms are hard to understand for new attendees and can be taken out of context, use “CPC” sparingly. “College Park” is the preferred way to shorten our church name in publications and all other written pieces.
CapitalizationHeadlines have all capital letters while sub-heads do not. Our postal address has all capitals while our signage generally does not.
Web LinksDon’t say “Register here” in web content but say “Register for VBS”. For questions, link the persons name instead of spelling out their email: Questions? Kristin Gilbert
Bible Book AbbreviationsCheck the dictionary for our specifics on how to abbreviate books of the Bible.
MonthsCapitalize the names of months in all uses.
�When a month is used with a specific date (Aug. 12), abbreviate only Jan., Feb., Mar., Apr., Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov., Dec. EXCEPT when a month is used in a sub-head or headline, it can then be spelled out.
�Spell out when using alone or with a year alone. When a phrase lists only a month and a year, do not separate the year with a comma (E.g., July 2007).
�When a phrase refers to a month, day and year, set off the year with a comma (E.g., Aug. 4, 2007).
TimesUse figures except for noon and midnight.
Use a colon to separate hours from minutes.
Use a.m. and p.m. (E.g., 12:30 p.m.; 4 a.m.). Not AM, am or A.M.
Do not use zeros at even times, e.g., 3 p.m. instead of 3:00 p.m.
Avoid redundancies (E.g., 10 a.m. in the morning).
Print Material LinksNever include the www for a web link in printed content. For referencing a website or email of a person in print do the following: Register at yourchurch.com/vbs or Questions? [email protected]
2-MINUTE SAMPLEOF THE COLLEGE PARK DICTIONARY
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Hi all,
As we usually do for staff meetings and on our Tuesday schedule, we’ll be doing a couple of things as a staff tomorrow. Hopefully you’ll be able to join us for what we’ll be doing as a staff. We’ll be in the fellowship hall in the morning for both of the meetings. At our regular staff meeting we’ll be praying for the needs in our staff and church family and we’ll be meeting at 9 a.m. We’ll be doing our every third-Tuesday staff lunch also, when we’ll be meeting to each a meal served by the Staff Elders and then we’ll be watching the inauguration ceremony. The meeting time will be 11 am and later we’ll eat at 11:15 a.m.
Thanks,Paul
SAMPLE OF POORLY-FORMATTED E-MAIL
Hi all,
Curious about the plan for our staff lunch tomorrow? Here are the details about our schedule for tomorrow:
Staff Meeting �Meet at 9 a.m. in the East Room (A8A)
�Will be a time of staff prayer
Staff Lunch �Meet at 11 a.m. in (A8A)
�Eat at 11:15 a.m.
�We’ll eat a tasty meal served by Staff Elders and watch the inauguration ceremony (11:30)
Thanks,Paul
SAMPLE OF A CLEAR & WELL-FORMATTED E-MAIL
SHOW ME! SHOW ME!SURE. HERE ARE A FEW EXAMPLES:
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SAMPLE OF WELL-WRITTEN EVENT FOR THE NEWSLETTER
EVENT TIME
CLEAR REGISTRATION LINK
SAMPLE OF WELL-WRITTEN POSTCARD
Who is the person who most inspired you? Was it a mentor, teacher, or coach? We want our children to answer that question with YOUR name in 20 years. Inspiring others is one of the most beautiful opportunities we have in life. And God has built into His church the opportunity for us to inspire the next generation. Will you come alongside our kids and inspirethem to follow Jesus? Be part of our Sunday School or Awana teams this fall to experience life-on-life ministry with kids who will be growing as you grow in following Jesus. To learn more, visit yourchurch.com/volunteeratthepark or contact Debra Scheffler at 317.875.0282 x525 or [email protected] You can also visit our table on June 22!
EVENT TITLE
EVENT DATE
MARK IF REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED WITH AN (R)
Membership Class (R)
Oct. 4
9 a.m. - 1 p.m.
The class is designed for those pursuing membership at College Park and is open for those who simply want to investigate more about the church. Enjoy breakfast, lunch, and a tour as you find out more about the vision and values of College Park Church. Child care is provided. Register online and fill out an application (each family member attending the classroom part of the day should fill out an application) Get more information and register at yourchurch.com/membership
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Mark Vroegop Lead Pastor College Park Church317.875.0282 x110 | yourchurch.com
THE EVERYDAY STUFFEMAIL SIGNATURESJust as we desire other communication pieces to be simple, clear, and effective, our email signatures should be also.
Email signatures are an important representation of the unity of our staff and also reflect the humble professionalism that is a part of our culture. We keep it simple and have removed all images, primarily due to the changing trends of email being read largely on mobile devices and the unpredictability of how different email clients handle images.
Below is the much simplified email signature we use at College Park Church.
We’ve eliminated the logo (saves space too) and the opportunity for random fonts and sizes by offering this. You can find it in stafffiles/communications/communication team files/church general/operations/staff/email signature.
To add your Twitter handle, contact the Communications Coordinator for the preferred format.
MYRIAD PRO BOLD 12 pt.
MYRIAD PRO REGULAR 12 pt.
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BUSINESS CARDSBusiness cards are an extension of the College Park brand. Cards will include your name, title, office phone line, and email as the standard information. Twitter handles can be added if you so desire.
To order new business cards, complete a Project Starter Form with the Communications Team.
Back Front
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THE WONDERFULYOURCHURCH.COMOn the following pages are the ins and the outs of our broadest communication tool: the College Park website.
With College Park’s ministry ever-expanding, it’s critical for us to keep yourchurch.com as the central source for communicating the vision and heart of College Park along with the practical information of church life. And the foundation of our site is strong and accurate written content.
While a vivid, high-quality image speaks 1,000 words, poor-quality images only detract from the main messages on our webpages: the written content. Graphics used on our webpages are treated like a well-thought-out garnish placed on a few select pages where they enhance the content.
But wait? Won’t webpages without graphics feel left out? Maybe at first . . . but when they realize that their real value lies in the strength of their content, not a graphic, they’ll be happier than a cow in a clover patch.
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STRONG SIMPLE HEADER
ENGAGING CONTENT
PURPOSEFUL PHOTOGRAPH
QUOTED SCRIPTURE
CLEAR CONTACT PERSON & CALL-TO-ACTION
SUBHEADS MAKE CONTENT EASY TO READ AT A GLANCE
BULLETED CONTENT & LINKS
(HEADER 4)(HEADER 3)
(HEADER 2)
Please note: this page is an example and aspects of its design may change in the future. 39
PHOTOGRAPHIC BACKGROUNDSIf a photograph is serving as a background image for a text based graphic, it is recommended that the image should be converted to black and white with lowered contrast (blacks should equal 85% gray) and have two color layers added (one at 100% soft light and one at 40% normal). A noise filter at 5% should be added as well.
TYPOGRAPHY ON IMAGESIf the design calls for it, white text should be placed directly on the photograph (without drop shadows or distracting color/tint underneath).
UNDERSTANDING THE LINGO OF DIGITAL & WEB GRAPHICS
1280 px
720 px
1280 px
1280 px
704 px
241 px
ATRIUMSLIDE
WEBHEADER
SOCIALMEDIAGRAPHIC
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951 px
425 px
560 px
TIER 1These are the main banners on the website rotating every few seconds. When designing a Tier 1 graphic, please refer to the general branding guidelines and/or event design guidelines for visual specifics. Design should be simple and feature the logo of the event or announcement. Remember, less is more.
TIER 2These are the secondary static images below the scrolling Tier 1 graphics. Tier 2’s should be photographic when promoting a ministry or event with white Myriad Pro Black Condensed text. Tier 2’s should be a solid color flat design when they are related to an announcement (e.g., Congregational Meetings, closures, Who is Jesus?, etc.).
EVENT GRAPHICSThese are the graphics that appear with the events in the College Park web event calendar. Event graphics should be photographic when promoting a ministry or event with the event logo placed overtop. If there is a simple event graphic background, the event graphic may simply feature a logo on the background.
250 px
288 px
129 px
288 px
129 px
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WE LIKE OUR PICTURES.Photography brings the vibrancy of the College Park culture into our communication pieces in a relatable and memorable way.
Photographs used should always be high-quality. If your photograph is 72 ppi or stretched, it’s better not to use a picture at all than have a messy final piece.
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PEOPLE FIRSTPhotography should focus on people and promote community and togetherness. Images should be bold, clean, and clearly focused on a single subject. They should show emotion and energy and capture the memories and emotions of the moment.
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STOCK PHOTOGRAPHSStock images (generic images from the Internet or clip art) should be used minimally. Do not use generic “inspirational” or overly “Christianeeze” stock images or stock images of people. If you need an image, please search the College Park photography database (collegeparkchurch.smugmug.com) or contact the Communications Team.
ENVIRONMENT SHOTSIf you use environmental photography of College Park, use images that include people engaging within the space. Images should be bold, clean, and clearly focused on a single or group of key elements.
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Thanks for taking pictures for College Park. You are capturing a critical piece of our brand: our people, so we share the following as best practices as you shoot.
CROPImages should be cropped simply in squares or rectangles. COLORATIONImages should be bright, but not over-saturated. Blacks should be softened a few points in Photoshop. Please do not over-process images for College Park in Photoshop.
BONUS TIPS FOR PHOTOGRAPHERSFILTERS, EFFECTS, & TINTSWhile they are fun on Instagram, overlays should be avoided and the original color and lighting of the photography kept intact.
If you ever have a photography question, please reach out directly to the Communications Team.
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TIPS TO GET THINGS DONETHE PROJECT STARTER FORM, IN-HOUSE VS. OUTSOURCING, & CONTACT THE TEAM
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HOW TO GET PROJECTS STARTED– OR DO IT YOURSELFAll projects with the Communications Team at College Park need to begin with the Project Starter Form. You can find this at yourchurch.com/staffhub, and it will prompt you with questions and needed information the Communications Team must know to successfully help you with a project.
THINGS TO REMEMBERLike the Boy Scouts, come prepared when you fill out a Project Starter Form. Know the end date you would like the project completed, a budget or number of copies for anything printed, and any other reviewers for the project.
TEMPLATES AVAILABLE ON THE STAFF HUB: �Powerpoint presentation �Letterhead document �Logos & the Communications Guide
IN-HOUSE OR OUTSOURCE? This is a question you may or may not think about, but your budget does. Besides budget, what else determines if a print job will be done in-house or outsourced? This really depends on a number of factors: quantity, page count, type of material, and binding. Connect with the Communications Team with your printing questions.
VENDORS WE’D VOUCH FORFor items that we outsource, here is a list of vendors we use if you would have a need to contact them.
�The Media Factory (formerly Robbins) – banners, booklets, posters
�Metropolitan – print publications
�GotPrint – postcards, business cards
�HMC Printing – t-shirts
�Discmakers – CD or DVD duplication, case design
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CONTACT THE COMMUNICATIONS TEAM Who should you call (er, or email) whenever you’re in a pinch or you have a burning branding question? The Communication Team of course!
HUNGRY FOR MORE?Find even more branding details like the complete edition of the College Park editorial dictionary, a library of logos, and more at yourchurch.com/staffhub.
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GRAMMAR STYLE, VERBIAGE, & BIBLE BOOK ABBREVIATIONSAPPENDIX
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DICTIONARYCOLLEGE PARK CHURCH
Welcome to the awesome and exciting College Park Church Dictionary! In this, you will find all of the ways we prefer words to be used, spelled, abbreviated, etc. We get excited about consistency so when in doubt, check the dictionary.
Note: We use many terms at College Park to refer to things unique to this church, including programs, building rooms, etc. (another reason for this awesome dictionary). Capitalization rules are reflected as they appear unless noted otherwise.
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AcronymsAcronyms communicate exclusivity in harmful ways, as people newer to the church don’t know what you are referring to. Therefore do not use acronyms unless you first use the full name with the acronym in parentheses.
Bible Book AbbreviationsSee the end of the dictionary for the entire listing of how we abbreviate books of the Bible.
CapitalizationHeadlines have all capital letters while sub-heads do not. Our postal address has all capitals while our signage generally does not.
CommasInclude a comma before “and” in a series e.g., “I like apples, oranges, and pears.” We like the Oxford comma.
DashesDashes set off material with more emphasis or spark than parentheses, but too many will make writing appear informal. Dashes can set off an idea or a series of items with drama and assertion. We advise to use them only when added emphasis is clearly needed, and we suggest a less is more approach.
DatesWhen listing dates, always use numbers only, without st, nd, rd or th (See also Months).
COLLEGE PARK GRAMMAR STYLE (& NIT-PICKY RULES)Headers
Keep them short and concise.
InternetInternet is a proper noun and should always be capitalized.
Monetary references$ before figure. No zeros if even amount. E.g., $10 instead of $10.00.
MonthsCapitalize the names of months in all uses.
When a month is used with a specific date (Aug. 12), abbreviate only Jan., Feb., Mar., Apr., Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov., Dec. EXCEPT when a month is used in a sub-head or headline, it can then be spelled out.
Spell out when using alone or with a year alone. When a phrase lists only a month and a year, do not separate the year with a comma (E.g., July 2007).
When a phrase refers to a month, day and year, set off the year with a comma (E.g., Aug. 4, 2007).
Noun/Pronoun AgreementPlural noun = plural pronoun, singular noun= singular pronoun (E.g. Your child, he … NOT your child… they)
NumbersNo apostrophes, e.g., 4s and 5s.
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PercentSpell out unless there is a case to use the symbol. (E.g., Twenty percent of the class was made up of College Park Members).
Phone numbersPhone numbers must include the area code and a period between the first three and last four numbers, not a hyphen (e.g., 317.846.2884).
Print Material LinksNever include the www for a web link in printed content. For referencing a website or email of a person in print do the following: Register at yourchurch.com/vbs or Questions? [email protected]
Quotations and periodsAlways and we mean always, put the quotation last and all commas and periods inside the quotation. The only exception to this rule is if scripture is written this way. (e.g., “Welcome to College Park Church!”).
ScriptureCapitalize when referring to the Bible as a whole. (e.g., The pastor referred to various portions of Scripture in his sermon.) Lowercase when referring to a verse or passage, (e.g., scripture verse).
Scripture referencesTo honor copyright laws, cite the translation abbreviation at the end of the reference, outside the quotation marks, inside the parenthesis.
Sub-headsOnly capitalize proper nouns and the first word, otherwise everything else is lowercase. (E.g., VBS is only a week away)
TimesUse figures except for noon and midnight.
Use a colon to separate hours from minutes.
Use a.m. and p.m. (e.g., 12:30 p.m.; 4 a.m.). Not AM, am or A.M.
Do not use zeros at even times, e.g., 3 p.m. instead of 3:00 p.m.
Avoid redundancies (e.g., 10 a.m. in the morning).
TitlesTitles of books, movies, TV shows, plays, and CDs should be italicized. Titles of chapters, episodes, songs, and poems should be in “quotations.” (Always put the punctuation within the quotation marks, not outside of them.) Bible verses longer than four sentences need to be italicized and indented while one-three sentences verses should be within quotes.
Verse abbreviationsUse v. for one verse reference and vv. for multiple verses. (E.g., v. 16:5 / vv. 16:5-6)
Web Material LinksDon’t say “Register here” in web content but say “Register for VBS.” For questions, link the persons name instead of spelling out their email: Questions? Kristin Gilbert
Who vs. WhomWho is a subject pronoun and whom is an object pronoun. E.g., Him is an object pronoun.
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Adult Bible Fellowship/ABFFor the first reference, write the entire name. All subsequent references, write ABF. This is an unfamiliar acronym for visitors.
Bible
Bible study
biblical
child careLowercase; two words.
child / childrenUse child or children when referring to children; avoid the use of kids often and do not use the word kid. Refrain from using “child(ren)” – go ahead and make plural, so children.
College Park ChurchFor the first reference, always write the entire name “College Park Church”. Because acronyms are hard to understand for new attendees and can be taken out of context, use “CPC” sparingly. “College Park” is the preferred way to shorten our church name in publications and all other written pieces.
COLLEGE PARK VERBIAGE (I.E., SAY THIS, NOT THAT)Next Generation
The term to refer to children from age 0-college age; does not need to be capitalized unless using it with a title of a staff member, etc.
churchNot capitalized in general uses; capitalize when used in official name (e.g., We went to church today. or We went to College Park Church today.)
e-mailLowercase except at the beginning of a sentence; only “E” needs capitalization. Always include a hyphen between “e” and “mail.”
Small GroupUse Small Group instead of “Bible Study.” Both words are capitalized in all uses.
godly
God / Him / Holy SpiritPronouns for trinity are capitalized in general
gospelOnly capitalize when used alone to refer the actual written gospels or when used as a title for a section of Scripture (it is not capitalized when used as a common noun). It is also not capitalized when used to refer to the good news of Jesus Christ.
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guest reception areaLowercase.
atrium / commons / resource areaAlways lowercase. Do not use foyer, lobby, or narthex to refer to this area.
ministry/MinistryCapitalize when used with the name of a specific ministry (e.g. Children’s Ministry, Women’s Ministry). Lowercase when using in general terms (e.g. the ministry in which I serve). NEVER use “ministries/Ministries” unless referring to more than one ministry.
nondenominationalOne word; lowercase in all uses.
onlineOne word, no hyphen.
pastorCapitalize if used before a name (E.g., Pastor Joe Bartemus); do not capitalize in general use (E.g., Eric Anderson is the pastor who oversees worship.)
premaritalOne word, no hyphen.
Sunday School class
websiteOne word.
Welcome DeskNot Resource Counter or Guest Services. Capitalized in all uses.
Word of God
When an issue is not covered by this guide, we will default to AP/MLA Style for grammar and punctuation consistency. When in doubt ask the Communications Team for right uses of grammar or verbiage. You can also check with the MLA experts at bit.ly/mlastyle.
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BIBLE BOOK ABBREVIATIONSGenesis
Exodus
Leviticus
Numbers
Deuteronomy
Joshua
Judges
Ruth
1 Samuel
2 Samuel
1 Kings
2 Kings
1 Chronicles
2 Chronicles
Ezra
Nehemiah
Esther
Job
Psalms
Proverbs
Gen.
Exod.
Lev.
Num.
Deut.
Josh.
Judg.
Ruth
1 Sam.
2 Sam.
1 Kings
2 Kings
1 Chron.
2 Chron.
Ezra
Neh.
Esth.
Job
Ps.
Prov.
Ecclesiastes
Song of Solomon
Isaiah
Jeremiah
Lamentations
Ezekiel
Daniel
Hosea
Joel
Amos
Obadiah
Jonah
Micah
Nahum
Habakkuk
Zephaniah
Haggai
Zechariah
Malachi
Eccles.
Song of Sol.
Isa.
Jer.
Lam.
Ezek.
Dan.
Hos.
Joel
Amos
Obad.
Jon.
Mic.
Nah.
Hab.
Zeph.
Hag.
Zech.
Mal.
Matthew
Mark
Luke
John
Acts
Romans
1 Corinthians
2 Corinthians
Galatians
Ephesians
Philippians
Colossians
1 Thessalonians
2 Thessalonians
1 Timothy
2 Timothy
Titus
Philemon
Hebrews
James
Matt.
Mark
Luke
John
Acts
Rom.
1 Cor.
2 Cor.
Gal.
Eph.
Phil.
Col.
1 Thess.
2 Thess.
1 Tim.
2 Tim.
Tit.
Philem.
Heb.
Jas.
1 Peter
2 Peter
1 John
2 John
3 John
Jude
Revelation
1 Pet.
2 Pet.
1 John
2 John
3 John
Jude
Rev.
OLD TESTAMENT NEW TESTAMENT
From: http://hbl.gcc.edu/abbreviationsMLA.htm
COLLEGE PARK CHURCH
2606 WEST 96TH STREET, INDIANAPOLIS, IN 46268OFFICE HOURS MON-FRI: 8:30 A.M. - 5:00 P.M.PHONE 317. 875.0282 – FAX 317. 875.0605
OFFICE@ YOURCHURCH.COM
YOURCHURCH.COM