The Rule of Life by Adam Whitescarver is the first published guide in the series, and as such sets the design direction for future guides. In initial discussions, the house of prayer expressed a desire for layout to feel elegant and immersive while fostering a peaceful reading experience.

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Intended for use by those attending the ministry's own retreats as well as retreat facilitators and readers that are not connected directly to the Chattanooga House of Prayer, I set out to create a design system that ties the guides to the main ChattHOP brand and builds on it at the same time.

The resulting solution is a clean, timeless system that is built to be modular, adapting to the content of future guides. Typefonderie's Mencken establishes large titles and headlines, while assorted weights of the Freight superfamily from Phil's Fonts hold the copy foundation and remaining elements. These type choices support a reading experience that creates as little friction as possible for the reader as they engage in reflection and prayer.

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The spacious layout system wraps copy in beautiful photography that will change thematically in each guide. Since a rule of life is defined as a structure that supports spiritual growth and life, the curated photography in this volume follows the theme of plants growing on, around, and inside structures—on a trellis, around fences, inside greenhouses, etc.

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As a follower of Jesus seeking to work with people doing transformative work in the world, this project was a joy to work on, and the resource is incredibly helpful for anyone seeking to write a rule of life for themselves or their family.

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Copies of the guide available here: The Rule of Life
Copy editing by Eliza McNelly
Book photos courtesy of Nani Williams, used by permission