behind the seen: MORE bible study
I am so honored and excited to get to share about a design project this week that means so much to me, both professionally and personally. In the spring of 2012, I walked through the deepest heartache I've experienced to-date, and this Bible study and small group experience was a huge part of my healing process.
MORE is a women's small group study endorsed and made available through Church of the Highlands in Birmingham and written by church member, and my friend, Celine Russell. One of my favorite things about this study is that it's just so life applicable! Basic life areas are covered over 11 weeks, things like: who God is, our identity in Him, healthy friendships, prayer, honoring men, spiritual warfare, life dreams, and so much MORE! :)
Every week, I learned new things. It was awesome then, and still impacts my life today in such positive ways.
Celine spent much of that 2012 semester popping in and meeting different groups and made it to our group on the last night of the semester. Though we'd never met, and I didn't know if I'd have the chance or not, I'd been SO hopeful for WEEKS, for an opportunity to ask her about the possibility of designing the study out.
At that time, as she mentions below, it was just in a Word file, hole-punched in a 3-ring binder. I remember all semester looking at it weekly and thinking, "man, I wish I could design this into a book—it's SO good, and the look needs to reflect that too!" Well, I got the chance to do just that, and in the process, I made a dear friend.
Intro
So without further delay, please meet Celine Russell, and read about the MORE concept and writing background, design process, and her hopes for women who really want MORE in their walk with Christ and with life in general.
Hometown: Birmingham, Alabama
Work background: Freelance photo stylist (hair, makeup, and wardrobe styling on photo shoots, commercials, and weddings (see some of her beautiful work at her instagram: celine.russell)
Working days are: These days, every week is different! That's what I love about being a freelancer.
Celine with her SO cute toddler, Pace
Hubby, Brook, with Pace out enjoying the water
Celine pausing for a pic with other crew members while doing her freelance thing on one of the many sets she works on around the year and country!
a little more about MORE . . .
How would you describe MORE? MORE is truly inspired by the Holy Spirit. It is an 11-week study taking women on a journey to a more practical, dynamic relationship with God. We learn how to break free from religion and how to cultivate relationship.
Where and when did it begin? It came out of a 21-day January fast with Church of the Highlands. The idea was birthed sitting on our lake house porch and landed on a yellow legal pad.
What inspired you to write it and how long did it take? God has healed so many pieces of my heart, and it basically began as a thank you list of all the areas He'd been working on. I would write each week before the small group I was leading. God gave me the topics, I would sit in front of my laptop and get really quiet, then write whatever came.
the process:
What did you enjoy the most about designing out MORE? I loved working with Michelle!! It was a long journey, and her diligence, patience, and creativity was a joy in the collaboration process. She had participated in a MORE small group and offered to make it prettier. I could not have been more delighted!
Up until then, I was printing it off my home computer and handing it out in 3-ring binders. Major upgrade! She was so good about listening to specific colors and looks I'd hoped to incorporate.
DESIGN NOTES FROM MICHELLE: Below are a few of the concepts I initially floated out there, based on the idea of "growth and flourishing." Unless there's a very clear direction, I start with a lot of ideas and create design "roughs" for inspiration.
After that, you can usually pull an idea or two for a more targeted direction, make refinements, and then when one look is zeroed in on, there's usually a few more refinements to that version and then a final. It can take a while sometimes, and it always amazes me, the design growth and learning that happens from points A to Z.
Interestingly, elements from each of the first three covers below were all combined in the final piece.
Once the final cover art was decided, we did a little fine tuning to the title and then the subtitle typography and placement (those not pictured). All in all, we tried around 9 title treatments for the cover and happened to land on a mutual favorite!
Here are three of those final nine type ideas for the title. When designing that element, I liked the subtlety of layering the word MORE as a play on the concept of "more." I felt like using contrasting type styles and sizes would help that idea work best. In final refinements, I lightened the overall image some and selectively cloned a little more color behind the all-capped more to help it contrast better against the background. I was also able to duplicate and create silhouettes of the cover flowers on the interior pages (see PDF sample at the end)
wrapping up:
How did you feel when you first saw it in print? I.n. l.o.v.e! It perfectly captured the feminine, modern look we wanted.
How have you experienced MORE through this study (personally, and/or as a leader?) It is the coolest experience leading this group and seeing women truly fall in love with Jesus! Young women who came in tentative, doubtful, and withdrawn would be glowing by the end of the semester!
What more do you see for the future of MORE? I would love to have MORE easily accessible for anyone in the country or internationally to order. It's recommended by several churches around the country and there is currently no place order it online.
What do you hope women experience as they read, study, and practice MORE? My hope is that women experience how exciting and life changing it is to daily walk with the Lord and see firsthand how it affects every area of life in the best way!
If you could share just one sentiment from this study with anyone reading this, what would you want that to be? Jesus came to give us life and life abundant!
Interested in knowing MORE?
Here's a short PDF sample of the table of contents, intro, and first week study of MORE. Feel free to download, enjoy, and/or share! If you'd like to learn more about placing an order for you or a small group, contact Celine at celine@celinerussell.com.
(PS—many thanks to Celine for opening up her home and helping me get these pretty shots of MORE for this post!)