Today’ll we’ll be using Adobe Photoshop to create a seamless pattern. We’ll be using the Tattooesque Elements Vector Pack by Arsenal Artist Jeremy Child. Download it now and join us! Read More ›

How do you attend the midwest’s premier design conference (ours…the amazing WMC Fest) for 50% off? Heather and Bryan are chatting about that, as well as what else is new at the Arsenal, in today’s update video.  Read More ›

Located here in the heart of Cleveland, we can’t help but to be huge fans of the Cleveland Cavaliers. Sunday, June 19th was a momentous day for our entire city. The curse was indeed reversed and we became the champions we were (kind of) patiently waiting to be. We’re still high on life over here and the following designs have us feeling even more so.

Found on Behance and Dribbble, shout-out to our fellow designers for their incredible talent. Note: header art by: Joe Caione

Which mockups do you want?

Arsenal customers, we want to hear from you! We feel like going on a mockup-template-making spree and need your suggestions so that we can pack our library with the best resources. Please take our quick survey and let us know what you want to see next.

Borislav Mitkov’s got our attention. Freelance artist and Senior Concept Artist for Ubisoft Entertainment, Mitkov has experience working on such game design projects as “Star Wars Galaxies,” “Tom Clancy’s H.A.W.X” for XBox, “Prince of Persia: Trilogy” and “Assassin’s Creed: Rogue” for PS3. Read More ›

Have you guys seen the trailer for Stefan Sagmeister’s The Happy Film?

We’ve been watching it on repeat since it premiered, even more giddily since learning Stefan is speaking at this year’s best creative conference, Weapons of Mass Creation Fest, this August!

Enjoy this trailer and make sure to purchase your tickets to see Stefan (with or without bunny suit – your guess) on the Ohio Theatre stage this summer. Smiles guaranteed.

Event: Weapons of Mass Creation Fest produced by Go Media
Dates: August 5, 6, 7, 2016
Location: Ohio Theatre, Playhouse Square, Cleveland, OH
Ticket and all information available now

WMC Tickets = Happiness  Arsenal Members Special Discount Code

The Happy Film (festival trailer) from {group theory} on Vimeo.

Etsy is a beautiful playground of handmade accessories, jewelry, tools and vintage goods. Many makers have found incredible success selling their wares there. Read More ›

Enter to win unlimited design workshops at Go Media’s Weapons of Mass Creation Fest 7, the design conference coming to Cleveland this August 5 – 7! Read More ›

Our newest video tutorial release is a extraordinary journey through the thoughts of illustrator Katia Oloy, Senior Concept Artist at Scopely and former art direction team member for Disney’s It’s a Small World, the animated series. Read More ›

We were lucky enough to grab a couple moments with Cleveland’s hottest underground artist, Ben Sakai, last week. Read More ›

Go Media is slammed with work and in immediate need of a junior designer to help with our current work load.  This is an entry-level position with entry level pay.  This is also a temporary position. I can guarantee three months of work. So, please don’t quit your job for this opportunity. But if you are a recent graduate looking to build up your portfolio and experience, this may be an ideal opportunity for you.

Please email a cover letter, resume and a link to an online portfolio to [email protected]. Please note that we get a high volume of emails regarding jobs and internship opportunities at Go Media. If we don’t respond right away, please bear with us.

Once we receive your application, we will review it and if we are interested, we will be in contact. Good luck and we look forward to hearing from you.

Hey Arsenal Fans! We’ve got some great new releases for you this week! Check out our video for a quick debrief, including what you’ll get if you subscribe to our membership by Friday! Read More ›

Insights with an Art Director

Chris Comella, Go Media’s Art Director, has come a long way with the company. A member of the staff for eight of its 13 years in existence, he has seen the company grow from a small crew of illustrators elbowing one another in a small 1 bedroom condo to a million dollar business thriving in the CLE.

We sat down with Chris to talk about his role and advice to young designers hoping to follow a similar path.

Heather: What are the steps that led up to your current position as Art Director?

Chris: At Go Media, there has never really been a rigid hierarchy. So, my role more organically came about… I wasn’t vying for that next ‘title rung’ in the creative ladder so to speak, I just over time started to work on and care about more than just the daily, bread and butter client work. Things like evolving our creative process was a big picture item I began focusing on.

In terms of little picture, day to day things – It’s important to learn how to better understand and guide your clients, guide your designer teammates to produce the best work they can, and really take ownership and pride of the work that’s being produced on a daily basis.  These are all things I find myself mixing up in on a daily basis. Luckily for me, my team is really great and they help make the job really easy.

Heather: In your opinion, what are qualities that make up a great art director?

Chris: There are the tangible things that come to mind, such as having a good foundation of experience to draw from, being comfortable communicating ideas to both clients and the design team, having a strong vision for the work itself and how to go about executing that work. On a daily basis, those are the things that will help make you an effective member of the team.

But I also can’t help but reflect on some of the intangible qualities of our team which I’ve come to be proud of. Something as simple as our collective personality, or common way of thinking is something that really gives us our edge. At the risk of sounding like a cheese ball, I’ll say that one of our distinguishing traits is that we truly care about the work. Nothing is more of a bummer to me when people aren’t pushing their work, or put another way, aren’t treating the work in front of them as an opportunity. The art director is in a good position to really instill these ‘character’ traits because in a lot of ways, they set the tone of the team. And when you make a point to really show an above and beyond way of going about your work, that becomes a benchmark for the team. I can tell you right now, when someone is excited about the work they’re doing, it’s infectious and it’s something that invites the people around you to get in on it. I think those intangibles are something an art director is uniquely suited to observe and guide. Not only instilling those traits directly, but by observing through others what’s happening and discovering what they all combine to create.

Heather: The design team here at Go Media is incredibly hard working and cohesive. You really gel and it shows in your work. What do you do on a daily basis to ensure that this team functions so flawlessly?

Chris: Good habits and a rhythm start to form when you have a team humming along on all cylinders. For our design team, you can credit that to two things: The design process itself, and the individuals on the team. The process provides a sense of structure and stability, which is a wonderful thing to have when anything from a mascot / character illustration to a gas station rebranding project comes in. The more you work together, the more you’re going to understand the ins and outs of how the process benefits the individuals, and vice versa. Over time you begin to tailor how you work, and can adapt to a variety of different situations.

Heather: I really love the way you articulate your concepts to clients, as well as communicate to the other designers. Do you have any advice for newbie designers as to how you developed your communication skills with clients?

Chris: I’ve been in so many meetings, and what makes me antsy is seeing the slow motion, eyes-squinted, ‘yes’ nod from the client… That’s the, “I’m trying to understand you, but there’s something missing here” face. I always try to look out for those little cues. At Go Media, we try to make everything as clear and logical as possible. The goal isn’t chat, close the curtain, perform design magic, and reveal your end product. Nor is it to ramp up the designer-speak to try and overwhelm a client with jargon, and over-wrought rationale. Instead, our job is to shed light on how to accomplish seemingly complicated or abstract problems in a creative way.

For young designers, there might be some inclination to go overboard on the designer-speak. While you want to show someone you’re really serious about what you do, you want to be sure you’re making an effort to be clear and concise. And when it comes to learning how best to communicate, it’s all about repetition. To get comfortable, you’re going to have to do what it takes – Be prepared for calls, and put yourself out there. The more times you’re put in that position, the more natural it will feel. When you’re in a meeting, take note of how people are talking to each other – If you notice someone is doing something particularly well, make a note of it and try it yourself the next chance you get. The same works for the opposite. If you don’t like a way someone is going about something, make sure you avoid doing it yourself. You can learn a lot by simply becoming a sponge when you’re around talented, experienced people.

Heather: You are responsible for some of Go Media’s most successful and profitable designs. Can you name 1 of your favorites?

Chris: Man, I have a lot of projects that I’m super proud of, but one that pops into my mind is the Midway – A proposed cycling network for the city of Cleveland. The very first meeting was years ago at this point, and it was just a super exciting idea. Although it still has a long way to go, I was lucky enough to be there to help name it, design the identity, and help launch the awareness campaign. Below are some behind the scenes images including logo, wayfinding, and outreach graphics that were created.

Heather: Any advice for a designer that strives to be in your shoes one day?

Chris: One thing that comes to mind is when you get a project that isn’t in your comfort zone and initially feel you might not be the best for it, I would challenge you to seek out an aspect of it that you can sink your teeth into. I personally had felt for a long time that, because I was interested in exploring all different types of projects, that it would lead to a disjointed body of work, or even a vague reflection of the designer I am. But over time I’ve come to realize that a passion for a wide variety of work (illustration, identity systems, video, mascot, etc.) only serves to broaden my range. Not only that, but it helps broaden the topics I’m genuinely interested in. Using design as a gateway to new interests in life, generally, helps you grow as a person. And I gotta say, it was super vindicating when at this previous year’s WMC fest Michael Bierut made a point to drop this knowledge – “I’ve learned to be interested in as many things as possible…The work I have been really proud of is all stuff that I was really interested in. If you can be interested in as many things as possible, it will up your percentage. ”

If you can challenge yourself to truly enjoy at least one aspect of each project that lands on your desk, you’ll find that the things you learn will directly apply to the jobs you fall in love with. Changing your outlook will make your work so much better. I really do believe that.

Want to work with Chris and the Go Media team on your next project? Get in touch.