Passionate & Professional

15 years in student ministry + 10 years in advertising = the perfect marriage of passion and professionalism.

I love meeting new people.

Hi, my name’s Josh, and I’d love to schedule a call sometime to either chat about a project or maybe do a coaching session together. In the meantime, this video hopefully sheds some light on what makes Bright Coal tick.

I believe:

This little list has been the North Star since Day 1 of Bright Coal.

 

  1. Good enough is not good enough. Exceptional and delightful is the aim.

  2. The best work comes from a healthy conversation + proven process.

  3. Working with Bright Coal should be a delight.

  4. There’s no such thing as “too busy” for phone calls and hand written notes.

  5. Good creative should not be reserved for large ministries and large budgets.

  6. Reward people for paying attention and sticking around.

Tiny team. Big results.

  • Josh Whiting

    FOUNDER, LOGO DESIGNER
    Augusta, GA
    Instagram

  • MJ Cisneros at Bright Coal

    MJ Cisneros

    STUDIO MANAGER
    Houston, TX
    Instagram

  • Alex Rodriguez at Bright Coal

    Alex Rodriguez

    ART DIRECTOR
    Austin, TX
    Instagram

  • Ryan Scully at Bright Coal

    Ryan Scully

    LOGO DESIGNER
    Westfield, ME
    Instagram

  • Rachel Baker at Bright Coal

    Rachel Baker

    LOGO DESIGNER
    Aiken, SC
    Instagram

  • Kawehi Sheehy at Bright Coal

    Kawehi Sheehy

    PREP DESIGNER
    Miami, OK
    Instagram

  • Tim Dwyer at Bright Coal

    Tim Dwyer

    LOGO ANIMATOR
    Glenpool, OK
    Instagram

  • Allie Schaal at Bright Coal

    Allie Schaal

    SOCIAL MEDIA
    Gainesville, GA
    Instagram

  • Raegan Long

    Raegan Long

    STUDIO SANTA
    Augusta, GA
    Instagram

  • Mariano Leonczik

    Mariano Leonczik

    DESIGN ASSISTANT TO THE REGIONAL MANAGER
    Maplewood, NJ
    Instagram

Why did you start Bright Coal?

The only thing I love more than my wife and 3 kids is helping churches unlock the right visual style for their brand.

My wife and I grew up in church and have served (both in volunteer and paid roles) since 2003.

Here’s a photo of us absolutely CRUSHING it on the Green Team at summer camp a zillion years ago.

Professionally, I worked for a decade in digital advertising at several different agencies. During that time, I spent about 3.5 years hustling nights and weekends to make this crazy dream called “Bright Coal” into the full time gig that it is today.

I still can’t believe I get to do this for a living.

— Josh

Where did you get the name “Bright Coal”?

There are tons of high-impact visual "moments" in the Word, but I wanted to tie in one that dealt with communication.

In Isaiah 6, the seraphim burned away the impurities from Isaiah’s mouth with a “live coal”. Bright Coal exists to pave the way for real change to take place.

(Also, I wanted something that was short, sweet, and the .com was up for grabs.)

Do you work exclusively with youth ministries?

Youth ministries will always have a special place in my heart, but I work with plenty of churches (of various sizes) and even a business here or there, if the fit feels right.