Passionate & Professional
15 years in student ministry + 10 years in advertising = the perfect marriage of passion and professionalism.
I love meeting new people.
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.
Good enough is not good enough. Exceptional and delightful is the aim.
The best work comes from a healthy conversation + proven process.
Working with Bright Coal should be a delight.
There’s no such thing as “too busy” for phone calls and hand written notes.
Good creative should not be reserved for large ministries and large budgets.
Reward people for paying attention and sticking around.
Tiny team. Big results.
-
Josh Whiting
FOUNDER, LOGO DESIGNER
Hi — I’m Josh! I started Bright Coal as a crazy experiment in 2018. Now I can’t imagine doing anything else.
-
Meyers Ezzell
STUDIO MANAGER
Meyers is sharp as a tack and keeps Bright Coal on track and running like a well-oiled creative machine.
-
Ryan Scully
LOGO DESIGNER
Ryan is everything you could want in a designer: talented, organized, and utterly delightful.
-
Kawehi Sheehy
PREP DESIGNER
Every project begins and ends with Kawehi. Fueled by her love of design, student ministry, and Onyx Coffee (I the coffee stipend real reason she wanted to work at Bright Coal).
-
Tim Dwyer
LOGO ANIMATOR
Tim is our resident animation wizard, bringing logos to life in a whole new dimension.
-
Allie Schaal
SOCIAL MEDIA
Allie + her team at HVNSNT handle social media for Bright Coal. She helps us look good, while we’re head down on projects.
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.