Press

About GFDA (long)

GFDA is a workshop facilitator, retail store, and creative agency serving organizations with a wide variety of missions and budgets. They offer thought provoking products, workshops on creative risk-taking, and branding and marketing services. Their first book, Do the Fucking Work: Low Brow Advice for High-Level Creativity, published by Harper Collins, is available at most major retailers.

In 2010, two grad students got together over one cup of coffee and six cheap beers to create a profanity laden text-based website that would make basic design principles impossible to forget for their students. Within days, after only sharing the site with a few friends, goodfuckingdesignadvice.com had received 70,000 visits. Within weeks, that number rose into the millions, and a small army of new fans were demanding posters and T-shirts. A fucking business was born.

GFDA’s first product, the Classic Advice Print, a stark, irreverent, and undeniably authentic list of motivating creative axioms, was an instant hit. Having graced the halls of such icons as Vera Wang, Louise Wilson, and, former Apple CDO, Jony Ive, the Classic Advice Print launched GFDA into C-list internet stardom. That momentum has since been maintained through a ground swell of popularity across social media, and over 200 public appearances in 36 US states and 7 countries.

In a genuine, if not effective attempt to clean up its act, GFDA made its debut into the canon of world literature in 2019 with the publication of its first book. Having reinvented itself with a focus on deeply meaningful content, the brand has become a source of wisdom and inspiration for people across industries and nations. With the introduction of its corporate workshop series, The Art of Risk-Taking, a growing variety of upscale merchandise, and a full-service creative agency, GFDA is constantly finding new ways to say all the things that you don’t want to hear, but just can’t ignore.

Brian Buirge Bio (long)

Brian Buirge, owner and creative director of GFDA, received his BFA and MFA in visual communication design from Kent State University, and co-founded the company while in graduate school in 2010. Brian is an industry veteran with 15 years of experience working with a range of organizations from Fortune 100 companies to independent brands and non-profits. He’s been invited to speak at over 75 events around the world about GFDA’s story and lead workshops on creativity and risk-taking for numerous corporations and agencies. Brian’s work has been featured and won awards in national and industry publications, books, and displayed in International gallery shows. He is co-author of Do the Fucking Work: Lowbrow Advice for High-level Creativity, published by Harper Collins in 2019. Brian also taught design at the university level for seven years. In his personal life, Brian has practiced Japanese and Chinese martial arts for over 20 years, and taught martial arts for over ten years. He currently lives in the Pittsburgh area with his partner, Nikki, and their dog, Niko.

Jason Richburg Bio (long)

Jason Richburg, writer and strategy director for GFDA, received his BFA in graphic design from The University of South Carolina, and his MFA in visual communication design from Kent State University. Richburg has been a contributor to GFDA since its founding in 2010, and joined the company full-time as writer and workshop curriculum director in 2017. He is co-author and the principal writer of Do the Fucking Work: Lowbrow Advice for High-level Creativity, published by Harper Collins in 2019. Richburg has worked in the design industry for twelve years, and was a professional educator for 7 years. He has served as assistant professor and instructor of graphic design at multiple universities, including his alma mater, KSU.