Founded in 1999, local graphics and advertising house Guppy Graphic Design is essential to local businesses and musicians, but they also do a lot of work out of province.

“Because of the Internet, location no longer negates business,” says co-founder and partner Craig Medwyduk.

Despite this, after eight years based in Winnipeg’s Exchange District, Medwyduk, along with founding partners Bill Crossman and Nicole Ungurian, made the jump to a larger pond - downtown Winnipeg (specifically, 419 Graham Ave.).

“Being downtown makes everything more interesting,” says Medwyduk. “You get walk-in clients, and walk-in crazy people. We love the local support.”

Guppy works closely with Downtown Winnipeg Business Improvement Zone (BIZ), a local company that helps Winnipeg businesses thrive in and around the downtown area.

According to Guppy’s website, they have recently “developed an ingenious indoor walkway guide for easy navigation in our downtown walkways ... while maintaining a consistent look to the (Downtown Winnipeg BIZ) brand.”

Guppy’s work recently swam outside of the country; through a friend of a friend they ended up backing an openly gay civil rights activist named Jacob Meister in his run for the Illinois senate.

The hopeful Democrat obviously benefited from the company’s support, something Guppy says is essential to their work.

“ We have to support the things we design for. We like beer, so we design for Half Pints Brewery. You’d never see us designing for cigarette companies or anything like that.

Craig Medwyduk, Guppy Graphic Design

“We have to support the things we design for. We like beer, so we design for Half Pints Brewery. You’d never see us designing for cigarette companies or anything like that.”

General Electric and the Plastic Surgery Foundation of America (which, as Medwyduk points out, do much more than just “boob jobs”) are two other clients Guppy has been fortunate enough to work with.

Medwyduk stresses that the choice of clients is “totally democratic and based on general human ethics.”

Another big project for Guppy was working closely with the Juno Awards when they were held in Winnipeg in 2005, and again a few years later.

“We don’t own clients,” Medwyduk says. “But many of them do come back to work with us again, especially musicians who will come back after a few CDs.”

Since its formation, Guppy has been a tremendously useful tool for local musicians, many of whom arrive through word of mouth.

Medwyduk stresses another of the company’s grassroots practices when he states that they “are trying to put the art of ‘commercial art’ back in the forefront.” They do this by hand drawing many of their projects.

This style has been very well received.

Guppy Graphic Designs has won three Canadian Country Music Awards for CD design. They have also won many other awards, including Signature Awards, Society of Graphic Designers PEAK Award and many others.

Despite all the success, the Guppy crew keeps a positive, cool head about the work.

“You are only as good as your last project,” Medwyduk says.

Published in Volume 66, Number 8 of The Uniter (October 19, 2011)