Good Fucking Design Advice – their name says it loud and clear, but just in case you were unsure, a couple of clicks through their website will leave you with just that – some good fucking design advice! Like many before them, Jason Bacher and Brian Buirge were two grad school graphic design students with a funny idea – one they never thought could be taken this far. They only wanted to share the laughter they experienced with their “design advice.” Two years after their original “just for kicks” launch, GFDA is not only a 24/7 online advice generator, it is a business that sells advice on a mug, on a poster and even on a sketchbook; it is not your typical blue sky, big fields of grass meme type of advice though; it is straight to the point, practical punch lines full of well-known wisdom, but delivered in a new way.
Jason Bacher and Brian Buirge of GFDA
Who is GFDA? JB: “GFDA is Brian Buirge and I, Jason Bacher. Our website provides basically the general design and creative community with advice. We serve as a voice for them – to vent their frustrations, share their passions and celebrate their successes.” BB: “The advice we provide is not groundbreaking advice, we just included the “f-word” and made this correlation or connection to design advice, so in some ways the advice itself is very universal.” JB: “Like Brian said, the advice isn’t groundbreaking, it’s been around forever. We just kind of reinvented it and delivered in a unique conceptual way.”
Inspirational Advice
The “F-word”. Does that ever get y’all into trouble? JB: “I think we get ourselves into more trouble than that website gets us into!” BB: “If we had any opposition, we incurred it during that initial phase where we had people that would contact us and disagree with our approach. It was kind of hard to take it seriously because it was like; you’re taking it more seriously than we are. It’s a joke! So it was just a fun project in the beginning, and it turned into something which wasn’t your original intention? BB: “No, not at all. We started with like 25-ish pieces of advice the first day and we thought it was funny between the two of us. We honestly never thought ‘Oh man, everyone is going to love this, they’re going to find it funny and we’re going to sell stuff on it!’” JB: “And it’s going to control our lives and make us work every day…” BB: “Yea and it’s going to take over my basement!” (Everyone is laughing at this point) GFDA operates out of, and Brian lives in, the basement of a rental property – talk about dedication!
Do We Really Have a Choice Anymore? 🙂
Who is your primary audience? BB: “Primarily we talk to designers, first and foremost, followed by more of the general creative community outside of that and then everybody.” JB: “I’d say age range probably college freshman all the way up to someone in their middle to late career.” What do you want people to leave with after they encounter the website? BB: “We want them to leave motivated about something. I hope that people come away with a motivation and a drive to pursue something that they’re really interested in or passionate about, or also to reconsider where they’re at and if they’re very unhappy with what they’re doing, to realize that there is another way that you can go.” JB: “And hopefully… they know that GFDA is always there, 24/7. So whenever they need the fire started, just visit the website, and there it is!” BB: “Worst case scenario, if they don’t leave with any of that stuff, at least they leave with a stupid grin on their face, I’ll be happy with that, too!” JB: “Yea, stupid grins, that’s what we’re aiming for.”
Listen!
Where does the advice come from? JB: “We get a lot of the advice from experiences in life, books we’ve read, teachers we’ve had contact with, colleagues that have been inspiring to us… Brian and I had a lot of classes together and we would be in class and someone would say something, perhaps a professor or student, and we would look at each other and be like ‘Oh yea – that’s it, that was a piece of advice.’ So literally, for the longest time, they were coming out of everyday just experiences, both in the classroom and out.” Local Production A lot of the production of GFDA merchandise was initially produced in basements and garages. Brian and Jason support fellow local business owners by using their services to maintain the supply of GDFA merchandise. A fellow student who specializes in silk screen printing produces the GFDA posters, their t-shirt printer is a short walk away, and they create all of their packages and envelopes in-house. JB: “If we can do it here in town, we absolutely choose these vendors first.”
Good Fucking Design Advice
GFDA’s Future This has been the topic of discussion for Brian and Jason for a while now. They are at a crossroad where graduation is nigh upon them, and they could continue with GFDA or go in different professional directions. They are looking into redesigning the website to provide a different experience and expanding the product line – they have a new major poster out now! So stay tuned for new good fucking design advice from Brian and Jason. Whether the site leaves you profoundly inspired, or with a stupid grin, it is definitely a designer’s one stop shop for a smile =)
The LA Team Takes the GFDA Pledge!
The GFDA Pledge You can check out the GFDA website at https://goodfuckingdesignadvice.com/. They have a “family friendly” version of advice and some family friendly merchandise, as well. We at Landscape Architects Network took the GFDA pledge, which goes a little something like; “I, (your name here), hereby swear to abandon all fear… I will never accept another’s standard for success… When I’m finished, no one will ever fucking look at (that which you are changing) the same way again.” Let GFDA advise and inspire you today! “Good Fucking Design Advice – Because sometimes, being your own worst critic is not enough.” Article written by guest writer Addie Benson Enjoy what you’ve read! Support us and pick up one of our awesome T-shirts today, Click the link
This article was originally submitted to Landscape Architects Network
Published in Blog
