Interview with Jeff Finley (GoMedia)
I’ve known Jeff for about 2 years now. I met Jeff through my friends over at Jakprints. GoMedia was currently designing some of Jakprints promotional material. After one glance I was hooked! I immediately started to ponder up promotional ideas for PureButtons. As my brain was racing with ideas I decided to contact GoMedia. Within a few hours I had a response from Jeff Finley. Since this point on I’ve sent Jeff numerous design projects.
You can check Jeff out here:
gomedia.com / jefffinley.org / arsenal.gomedia.us
Here is my interview with Jeff Finley
How long have you been with GoMedia and is it true you are part owner?
I freelanced with Go Media in 2005 on a couple projects, but I didn’t start full time until January 2006. And yes, I’m one of three owners.
How long have you been with GoMedia and is it true you are part owner?
I freelanced with Go Media in 2005 on a couple projects, but I didn’t start full time until January 2006. And yes, I’m one of three owners.
Where did you go to school?
I went to The Art Institute of Pittsburgh.
How did the idea of the GoMedia Arsenal come about? I see it’s really taking off.
We had always tossed around the idea of selling stock artwork. One of our designers Dave decided to make it happen. He basically started the project officially and we all worked as a team to create it. We planned to release 1 set of 7 different themed packs and see what would happen. The first day we sold 10 packs! We saw that the market was there, so we just kept it up!
Have you encountered people “stealing” your work and passing it off as their own?
All the time. Especially with the Arsenal. Some people are even selling Arsenal stuff illegally on legitimate stock photo websites. We can’t believe what people will do sometimes. It’s a chore to keep up with it all. It’s not as common for someone to steal our actual commissioned artwork, but it does happen.
Do you find it flattering?
At first yeah, but after awhile it gets really irritating.
Who are some other artists you look up to?
When I first got started, I was inspired by Derek Hess, Rob Dobi, and Angryblue. Those three are still going strong today. My current inspirations are Horsebites, John Dyer Baizley, Dan Mumford, Florian Bertmer, and Aaron Horkey.
What would your thoughts be for designing buttons? Any tips?
Well, since they’re fairly small, they’ve gotta be readable from a distance. You can’t really get a whole lot of detail in there, so it’s important to keep that in mind. Make sure you always use the templates! That saves the manufacturer a lot of time!
What has been your favorite piece of artwork you’ve ever designed?
It changes all the time. I’m usually in love with my most recent piece. However, I’m still really fond of the shirt I did for Paint the Stars.
What motivates you to come up with new exciting designs?
A number of things. One is to continue to impress myself, my clients, and my fans. I put pressure on myself to get better all the time. Two, the idea that the work I do can potentially be seen by lots of people. And for three, the possibility of getting more work as a result. All of that keeps me inspired to create exciting work.
Any words of encouragement for new and upcoming designers?
Don’t get discouraged and keep practicing. It will take years to develop a style that you can call your own. Take it one client at a time and always try to do your best work. Continue to exapand your skillset and learn some web skills. In order to stand out, you have to either a) do one thing better than everyone else, or b) do something different than everyone else. And don’t undersell yourself. Don’t let clients take advantage of you. And Google is your friend, if you don’t know how to do something, just look it up. Be a self starter, don’t wait for people to hand you things. Go out and get it.Be sure to check out GoMedia
Thanks Jeff for your time!
Last Modified: April 19th, 2023