Design studio Maddison Graphic discuss the trials and tribulations of working with The Methodist Church

Maddison Graphic know churches. “Our mum’s a conservation architect so we spent a lot of time in them when we were kids – touring round the country looking at tombs and that sort of thing – so I suppose our path was set from then in that respect.” These childhood experiences have had a lasting impact on the way Edward and Alfie Maddison work. The two brothers run their own design studio in Norwich, England, predominantly producing projects for small clients and local businesses. Unusually for a design agency they also work regularly with religious organisations, creating altar pieces, ornate windows and publications for cathedrals and churches in their local area. Their professional relationship with religion came about early on in their careers while they both worked with their mother’s architectural practice in London. Though both Maddisons are atheists, their father, an artist with a specific interest in religious buildings, would receive requests for commissions in churches and chapels, and whatever he lacked the time or interest for would pass on to his sons. Edward was always acutely aware that he didn’t want to be part of a large agency, and so started to freelance immediately after he’d graduated from university. His initial endeavours were unsuccessful, but when Alfie grew tired of his marketing job in London, the pair began working together and entertained the idea of running their own studio. “It made more sense if there were two of us,” says Alfie. “So we went back to live at home – our parents were really pleased by that – and basically just set up in the attic.” Three years ago they made the move to Norwich and set up studio on their own, outside of the confines of their parental home. One of their earliest commissions came from the Methodist Church, and became the most defining in their careers to date – though mostly for negative reasons. Sion Rhys Evans was a recent employee of the church, and commissioned Edward and Alfie to work with him on a large print project. “One of the first things that was on my desk when I started working for the Methodist Church was this rather awkward project about appraisal called The Ministerial Development Review,” he says. “It was a performance management-type tool for Methodist ministers; something that enabled them to be assessed and set goals and to consider what kinds of support they might need to meet those goals. Even though this kind of tool is pretty normal in the secular world, within the context of the church it’s almost unheard of.” Introducing secular structures into a religious organisation caused friction among the ministers and lay-people from the start. Many feared it undermined their values and placed emphasis on performance in a way that was contrary to the church’s purpose. Others were simply too set in their ways and vocally reluctant to change. “It was a bit of a poisoned chalice from the start,” says Sion. So Edward and Alfie were brought on board to soften the blow. “Obviously most people in the church aren’t interested in management structure,” says Edward, “and to them the project felt like a threat. So our brief was to make a document that would look gentle, not aggressive and not too formal. We were always going to lose I think, but we didn’t know this at the time.” The first problems arose as soon as the pair were commissioned. Eyebrows were raised internally about the employment of outsiders, people who weren’t involved in church life. The Methodists in fact have an in-house design team working on all of their visual output, but Sion believed their work to be unsuitable for a project of this sensitivity. “I found the work that our in-house design team produced uninspiring. They were uninspiring people, and that was a pretty widely-held belief within the organisation.” “I think what Sion wanted,” says Edward, “was for us to work for them, to produce this new work, and then they could improve their whole output, or change their designers for new ones.” Instead Sion bent the truth somewhat when hiring the Maddisons, citing concerns about mismatched deadlines and prior commitments that would prevent the in-house team from participating. “It wasn’t something that we dealt with directly. In that kind of organisation most of your job is about negotiating your way to getting the outcome that you want.” With a few feathers within the church already ruffled, Edward and Alfie began work on The Ministerial Development Review and produced three books that set down the Methodist’s new plans, encouraging ministers to reflect on their personal contribution to the church. Their design was simple and professional, with bright accent colours for each of the four volumes, light-hearted illustrations and helpful diagrams that translate an enormous body of otherwise impenetrable information into a more digestible proposition. In terms of layout the pages are sparse, with enough white space to prevent the content from overwhelming the reader. They also