VALUES

We believe in beauty.

We believe that although it is fallen, the world was created by God and is still good; it serves as a communication of the Divine and his plan for the universe. This is the Sacramental Principle on which the work of the liturgy and sacraments rest. With proper guidance, seeing the goodness, truth, and beauty of creation, the Via Pulchritidunis or Way of Beauty leads to a personal encounter that inspires personal and individual conversion as well as the building up of the corporate and communal Body of Christ, the Church. Beauty reveals Godliness in all of creation, so our work of participating in and reflecting this beauty in the Church and the world requires great obedience and authenticity.  

We believe in renewal.

We believe in both the potential and the inevitability of restoration throughout the earth and in all people who love and serve Jesus Christ. This is indeed a challenging, selfless proposition because of what great love and sacrifice it requires, but also a hopeful one. No one and no thing is so broken or so far gone that it cannot be healed and brought to life – and glorified – again. 

We believe in evangelization. 

The message of love that inspires us and permeates all of our work is one that belongs to all of humanity; without love, all else amounts to nothing. Though our work often proclaim this truth indirectly rather than through a vocal exhortation, our faith also teaches the power of the senses to apprehend and experience this message in a different and efficacious way – sacramentally experiencing by way of sign and symbol that engages head and heart. Any effort to promote beauty must be accompanied by a spirit of evangelization. 

We believe in collaboration.

We desire to work with team members and clients who appreciate our mission. What we do and how we do it may not be a good fit for everyone. This has little to do with specific design styles or particularly narrow types of work. Our goal is to collaborate on projects of a mutual passion, and above all be honest, transparent, and fair. 

We believe in quality work.

We won't produce cheap or careless work or cut corners simply for the sake of efficiency. We also won't irresponsibly gold-plate our work or gild the lily to insist on an unreasonable ideal or photo opportunity. The value in our work is that we strive for balance; quality of craft can either be an aid or a hindrance to the clarity of the message, but is never an end unto itself. The sacred arts exist to serve the liturgy the best they are able – to be both inspiring and responsible in emphasizing both the transcendence and immanence of God. We thrive on being tasked with finding the via media, with one foot firmly planted in the world, and eyes set on life in the next, especially in challenging circumstances.

We believe generosity is a requirement of Christian living. 

Beyond finding income solely to support ourselves financially, we want to be able to help our families, friends, and those in need – both individually and as a business. We insist that a significant portion of our work is always offered pro bono and part of our income to to charitable contributions to remind us of our call to service and our support of the Church’s mission of discipleship and renewal.

We believe good communication is vital.

Even the best design produced behind closed doors will fail to aid a group in reaching consensus and advocating a solution. Even decisions made at a higher level rely on advocacy to become the mission of every member of an organization. We strive to implement a flexible but structured system of collaboration that incorporates various levels of critical input and moves forward incrementally. This requires both leadership and humility on our part, which means there must be a missional alignment with our clients, and healthy internal organizational leadership and communications strategies in place. Every member of the Body must know and play its part, respecting those of the others. 

We believe in ONGOING FORMATION.

Because formation is a component of all design work that we do, we as a team hold ourselves accountable for our own ongoing formation and sharing what we know to be leaders in forming others. This means that personally and professionally – through prayer, spiritual reading, and retreats as well as continued study, workshops, and online courses – we are striving to better ourselves and our team to be more effective in our work of service. While we approach our work in this way, the missional charge of evangelization that belongs to all the baptized is something to be shared, never kept as a market secret. We believe that by being better Christians, we will be the best equipped to serve the Church that we can be. We also believe that, because the Church is so diverse, broad experience in various endeavors makes for the most consummate, passionate, and relatable professionals when seeking to gain a familiarity with the Body we serve.

Some of the ways we have supported and are are supporting these commitments include regular pro bono design and consulting work, sponsorship of students and staff for continuing education / formation, sponsorship of FOCUS missionaries, sponsorship of campus ministry interns, mentorship of students and graduates discerning future vocation options, monthly charitable contributions to Catholic Relief Services, and donations of sacred art and furnishings items. If you would like to discuss an opportunity, please contact us!