Chris Anderson

Artist, Brainstormer, Change Agent, Christian, Designer, Idea generator, Parent, Web guru

In August of 2008, after ten years of professional experience in print, web, interactive, and identity design, I enrolled at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary to receive my Master of Divinity degree. At first blush, that may strike you as an odd career move, but I view my seminary education as thoroughly consistent with my purpose as a designer. In fact, that apparent oddity may be the best way to summarize who I am and what I contribute as a designer, developer, and art director. I am an irrepressible storyteller. Anything worth saying is worth saying in story. In fact, everything we do or say or write has a story lurking somewhere behind it. We cannot escape telling stories; we can only escape telling them well. Graphic design, of course, is all about visual storytelling. You may be familiar with the school of psychology called Gestalt Theory, which informs the basic principles of design. Essentially, it details the mind's ability to recognize visual patterns and forms from collections of simple lines, shapes, and colors. We create meaning out of seemingly disparate visual cues, which is precisely what we do every day of our lives by telling (and listening to) stories. We create meaning out of the details of life. I went to seminary in order to understand the really big stories, the ones that shape and give meaning to life. Consider it a non-traditional degree in advanced communication theory. You may disagree with me regarding the relative importance of the Christian story (and disagreement is encouraged), but I hope you'll appreciate the continuity of purpose. I am a storyteller because stories are the stuff of life. I speak them, teach them, draw them, set them in print and on the web. I am committed to understanding them and communicating them with clarity and beauty.

Faith. Storytelling. Design. Communication. My wife & sons. (Not in that order...)

Brand Strategy & Design, Branding, Divinity, front end web development, Graphic Design, Public Speaking, Storytelling, Theology, Visual Storytelling, Web Design