Photos courtesy of Dogfish Media.

Born and raised in Minnesota, Brian Geihl of Dogfish Media started the printmaking and graphic design hybrid in 2008. The Minneapolis-based company works on projects from websites and murals to logo design and posters. Each poster – from the early sketches to the final key line layer – is designed and hand printed in-house.

Learn the Dogfish Media story in our exclusive Modern Midwest Q&A.

Modern Midwest: Tell us a little about yourself. What’s your background?
Brian Geihl: I grew up in Detroit Lakes, MN. I attended St. Cloud State University and graduated with a BFA in Graphic Design. I moved to the Twin Cities in 2007. I love the outdoors, sports, music and the Twin Cities.

MM: Tell us about your company.
BG: Dogfish Media is a combination of a printmaking studio and graphic design services. I work on all creative projects including logo design, websites, poster design, murals, etc.

MM: When/why was it born?
BG: Dogfish Media was born in 2008. I was working as an in-house designer for an advertising company. After multiple side project inquiries, I decided to create Dogfish Media. My first projects were identity systems and website designs. The company soon evolved into a full printmaking studio. In 2010 I was able to leave my full-time job and focus on Dogfish Media full time.

MM: What’s your creative process like?
BG: I like to start with gathering information and doing quick sketches. This gets the ideas flowing without getting too focused on one concept. From there I like to move to the computer and begin to digitally create the designs. Revisions and refinements bring the project to its final stages.

MM: What makes the Midwest, specifically Minnesota, special?
BG: Minnesotans are hearty and hard working. We appreciate the four seasons, even if winter can last a little too long. As the late Flip Saunders once said, “You don’t really understand Minnesota unless you’re from there.”

MM: What’s one thing a non-Minnesota native should know about the city?
BG: The Twin Cities has so much to offer. This includes great art, music, food and entertainment. There is more culture here than you might think.

MM: Where do you get your inspiration?
BG: I draw my inspiration from experiences in life and things that I love. This includes the outdoors, Twin Cities architecture, music and sports.

MM: What’s something new – or challenging – that you’re working on?
BG: I am currently working on a massive screen printed artwork commission. The prints are measuring at 38×50”! This is over four times the size of my normal setup. It has been a great challenge to “super-size” my studio, rebuilding every piece of equipment to be much larger. It ultimately opens the door to a new world of possibilities.

MM: Any fun facts about the brand or making process that you’d like to share?
BG: I design and hand print all of my posters. From the early sketches, to the final key line layer, everything is done in house. It all began with a cheap all-in-one screen printing kit.

Shop a variety of Dogfish Media’s Twin Cities-inspired prints at Modern Midwest’s first-ever “Modern Market” in Minneapolis’ North Loop. In addition to Dogfish Media, a carefully curated selection of local makers will showcase their goods at Modern Market – all of which embody the Midwest’s distinct take on modern living. Enjoy local food and drink, live music and art while supporting the Minneapolis maker community!