Josh Guilbeau
CREATOR SPOTLIGHT
What inspired you to become an artist for a church, and how did you find your path to this role?
The Churchies
I had some connections here from my childhood and my parents were in touch with friends here.
Josh Guilbeau
Can you describe the artistic style and vision you bring to the church's creative projects and visual identity?
I am not like anyone on staff here… haha. I grew up being very into alternative music, skateboarding, punk bands and the like. That's actually how I got into design. I was in a punk band as a teenager and we needed logos, t-shirt designs and flyers, so I taught myself art programs. This is during the 90’s when there were no youtube tutorials… lol. It took me a few years to really figure out how to design.
I would say my alternative tendencies are a unique part of my design and what I bring to the table. I am also very theologically grounded. I love the bible, history, language and all that nerdy stuff. I try to hide easter eggs in a lot of artwork. Most likely an ancient symbol or greek and hebrew words and phrases.
What are the key responsibilities of your role as a senior designer for the church, and how do you collaborate with other church teams and leaders?
The Churchies
My main focus is usually creating brands for our sermon series projects. I love it because i'm able to take my love for the scriptures and flesh out ideas, theologically from the passage we might be in, to fit into a graphical context. I love to teach and i'm always trying to incorporate that into my work as well.
Josh Guilbeau
What tools and resources do you typically utilize in your role, and how do they aid in your creative process?
I am an Illustrator guy, so probably 95% of my work is in illustrator. I also use photoshop, when I have to, and we’ve also been playing around with MidJourney, which is an AI art generator. It’s been really fun learning and using it as a great supplement to our work.
Could you walk us through the typical creative process for developing visual materials and designs for the church's events and services?
I always want to meet or speak with whoever is heading up any sermon or event. I wanna ask tons of questions to get a feel for what the message is that needs to be communicated. My job as a designer, in my opinion, is not just to be artistic but I see my work as utilitarian first and foremost. That being, it's got to be helpful and communicate a clear message.
Once I got that message, I wrapped it in cool aesthetics.
Are there any notable artists or designers, either within or outside the church community, who have significantly influenced your artistic direction?
Wow, there are tons. Designers, I would say, Massimo Vignelli and Aaron Draplin. But I get a ton of inspiration from movies, stories, video games etc. Whatever inspires me at the moment.
How do you draw inspiration for your art within the context of a church, and are there specific sources or themes that consistently inform your work?
In the church context, my theological leaning lends me a ton of inspiration. I listen to a lot of teachers, and scholars, such Dr. Michael Heiser, Timothy Alberino, Dr. Judd Burton for, not just theology but also fresh ideas and perspective.
Of course, how I think will determine how I design.
Can you share insights into how you handle creative challenges or obstacles that may arise while working on church-related projects?
The Churchies
Every job has its challenges, which are mostly people related lol. Not getting the proper information, and reasonable deadlines are usually the hardest and most regular challenges but that comes with the territory of working with non-creatives and people in general lol.
Josh Guilbeau
Could you recount a memorable or impactful moment in your journey as an artist for the church that left a lasting mark on your work?
Maybe not a specific thing but anytime I hear that someone is impacted by the design work we produce, whether that be a video, graphic or even a card someone fills out to get information on getting baptized.
That's all Kingdom work and leads people to God and that's a WIN.
Do you have a favorite project or artwork you've created for the church, and what makes it particularly meaningful to you?
Any project that I can work fully on myself is always the one I enjoy most. Most of the time whatever project I work on, there will be somewhat of a concept or art direction pitched.
But every now and then it's a “Josh, you just create something”, that's where it's at!
Are there recurring visual or thematic elements in your church's visual identity that hold personal significance or convey a particular message?
Well we have a brand that incorporates the message of “bringing all people into the life, family, and purpose of God”. That's a consistent message throughout everything we do. Whether it be cleaning toilets or preaching a sermon.
We wanna strive to bring people into the saving grace of Jesus.
How does your faith or personal beliefs influence the artistic choices you make as an art director within a church setting?
Ha! Yeah, I kind of mentioned that above, but whatever theology stuff I'm into at the moment can easily steer my inspiration of designs. For example, I was studying symbols in the christian orthodox church and I got heavily inspired by medieval christian symbology, signants and crests. I ended up using a Russian Orthodox Cross in some of my Good Friday branding. You can look that up and study each little symbol that's associated with that cross and get a ton of theology. Nerdy and awesome.
What emotions or spiritual messages do you aim to convey through your visual designs and creative direction for the church?
The Churchies
I guess whatever would facilitate the effectiveness of the message being conveyed. I can add my little symbols and stuff in there but I want the overall look and feel to be whatever the content is teaching.
Josh Guilbeau
In your view, how does the role of a designer contribute to the church community's worship experience and mission, and how does your work align with that mission?
Again, our mission is to bring all people into God’s way of life. Art, design, music, lights, atmosphere… All of that plays a very heavy role in the experience of God. If you don’t believe me, read Exodus and the account of the construction of the tabernacle. There was everything from design, art, sculpting, wood working, metallurgy, jewelling, sowing, etc. Creatives were the ones that constructed the place where people would experience God's LITERAL presence. That's a tradition creatives still uphold today.
Balancing the demands of work and personal life can be challenging. How do you manage your responsibilities as a senior designer for the church alongside other aspects of your life?
When I clock out I’m off the clock! Lol. So when I leave, work stays at work. Now ministry and work go together but as far as “work” type stuff like deadlines, print projects, meetings, all that stops when I leave. At least I try to leave it lol. It's just a balance of work and rest.
What advice or guidance would you offer to individuals interested in pursuing a similar role as a designer for a church or faith-based organization?
Pray. Ask God if it's something you want to serve Him with. Is it a passion in you? Do you love it? That's always a bonus! Sometimes we can just serve even though it might not be our “passion”, but just giving to the Lord and people He is loving is a great honor.
Can you share a particularly challenging or spiritually rewarding experience you've had while working on a church-related artistic project?
Well the last series we did was on the Epistles. I was given free reign to create a concept and I landed on 2 things I love, the bible (epistles/history) and a Post-Apocalyptic theme. So the idea was that a lot of people might not think about how those letters from the Apostles reached churches all over the world… They had to be hand delivered. So I thought, let's create a theme of a traveling messenger, bringing the letters to each church. BUT let's set it in a post-apocalyptic scenario for the contrasting idea of bringing LIGHT into a DARK world. It was fun.
How do you approach the use of color, symbolism, and aesthetics in your creative direction to enhance the church's worship environment and messaging?
The Churchies
Most of that comes through whatever I'm studying biblically, the movies I'm watching, the stories I'm reading. All the stuff I'm consuming is going to come out in my work one way or another.
Josh Guilbeau
Are there any specific artistic techniques or design styles you aspire to explore further within the context of church-related projects?
I'm really having fun implementing the use of AI programs to help us as a team to be efficient and effective. For example, our pastor likes to keep us on our toes and will, from time to time, request last minute ideas he might have for screens on a Sunday morning. That doesn’t give us a lot of time to ponder and think through, so we have been using AI to quickly create something to give his idea legs for whatever application he might want to use at the moment. It’s really been a helpful tool.
Can you pinpoint a moment when you realized that serving as an art director for the church was your true calling or passion?
To be honest, teaching was always my passion and oftentimes I’d get frustrated being “just a designer”, until I read about the tabernacle and how it was the creative designers that facilitated the experience of God with His people. That really changed the way I think about myself as “just a designer”. I'm not just a designer, I'm a minister of the gospel and I help create the environment and atmosphere where people come in and meet with God and have their needs met and sins forgiven. That's an amazing role.
How do you engage with the church community and congregation through your artistic direction, such as creating visual materials for worship services or events?
We have had a ton of fun doing “Creative Nights” where we get together and people can come and learn, collaborate and build community as creatives. It's always a fun time.
What are your expectations for the evolution and development of your role as an art director within a church in the future?
Just to keep growing and letting God mold me as He sees fit. To keep doing what I’m doing, faithfully.
Are there any specific goals or aspirations you have for your role at the church long term?
The Churchies
I’d love to teach more creative people about the role of a designer as being a minister. I’ve actually written a small sermonette I call, “creative theology” where I talk about the role of a creative in the church in depth.
Josh Guilbeau
How does your work as an artist within a church contribute to your own spiritual well-being and sense of fulfillment?
Well, just knowing that I’m doing something I really enjoy, keep finding ways to implement what I love into it and knowing that God is using it to reach people I hear about and will never know about at the same time.
Lastly, what message or spiritual impact do you hope the congregation and community take away from experiencing your artistic direction and visual creations within the church?
Honestly, whatever God would move, speak or impress on them. I want people to know God is there and He is not silent. He is the loving creator of their lives. I just play around with these crude instruments He has given to me and let Him do the miracles.
Josh Guilbeau
Graphic designer at Bethany Church
Want to see more of Josh’s work?
Bonus Area Unlocked!
Josh was kind enough to provide us with his Creative Theology with the hope that it inspires and helps other creatives in the Church.