Singing to the Deaf

In our visually saturated culture, it's forgivable yet regrettable that we miss glimpses of God's love as He calls us into relationship. Maybe we are visually deaf and need healing from all the noise. As designers who are also Christians, how can we visually communicate honest relationship without religious clichés getting in the way? I couldn't find any designers speaking to this issue, much less providing concrete examples. Then I met Paul Rustand, a graphic designer out of Chattanooga and founder of Widgets and Stone. He sent me a visual "song" titled, Have I Missed You (see sample images above). This piece connected with me personally. At the time, I was sensing something was amiss in my relationships with God and my family, but couldn't put my finger on it. As I looked through the images, it was if God himself was speaking directly to me (I'm sure you've had similar moments). Music (and I'm not a musician) for the words flooded into my head. My heart toward my family and my other relationships changed.

You may be thinking, "That’s nice, but you're weird. So what does that have to do with design?"

Well, it gets down to the reason we have this blog-to explore and discuss. Can design do more than pad pockets or make cool stuff? Can God actually use our skills to extend His love and mercy to others? I think so. Have I Missed You sure spoke to me. Take a look at some of the other 11 visual songs that Paul has created in his album Singing to the Deaf. See what you hear. Read other designers comments on the work at Speak Up (comments at the bottom of the review). Tell me if I'm crazy.