Alex Ry
Senior Designer
Campaign Design
Digital Design
Identity Design
Narrative
Packaging Design
Photography
Publication Design
2022
To kick off TikTok’s third-annual Support Black Business accelerator program, we built a captivating digital campaign with the mission of encouraging Black businesses to apply for the free, 4-week accelerator.
Working within the program’s established identity, I led design and art direction for the sizzle reel, landing page, and social rollout, generating over 3.5k leads (up 1,000% from 2021) and accepting 300+ participants into the cohort (8x the participants from 2021).
Digital Design, Art Direction, Campaign Design
Client
TikTok for Business
Agency
Bandolier Media
Credits
Creative Direction: Nick Robalik
Copywriting: George Ellis
Motion Design: Landon Peterson
Development: Graham Lambertson
Ongoing (2023-Present)
Station Ry is a self-founded paper goods design studio, specializing in small-batch stationery and publications for the creative’s station.
I developed the brand narrative and messaging from concept to market—owning everything from naming to identity, typography and layout systems, packaging, social, web, and product. As a digital extension of the brand world, I publish semi-regular essays about the creative journey on Substack.
🌀 Purchase a pair of pocket journals over here 🌀
Identity Design, Narrative, Art Direction, Packaging Design
Credits
Creative Production: Cara Ward
2022
How do we go from tragedy to hope? From death to life? From loneliness to love? These are the questions the Detroit Opera explored in their 2022 production of La Bohéme.
I led design for the key art. This production was the first to stage it in reverse—inspiring the backwards É in the artwork.
Campaign Design
Client
Detroit Opera
Agency
Lafayette American
Credits
Creative Direction: Meg Jannott
Graphic Design: Myself & Asha Cook
Recognition
Graphis Design Awards, Communication Arts
2018
Working directly with the founder to develop Khana’s narrative and identity, I owned design for the brand system, Kickstarter campaign, social, merch, and PR activations—taking it from a mere concept to a fully developed brand that compelled nearly 800 people to back and successfully fund the $75,000 Kickstarter campaign in 2018, garnering the attention of Forbes, Elle, Good Morning America, and Kourtney Kardashian.
Identity Design, Narrative, Art Direction, Campaign Design, Photography
Client
Khana
Credits
Founder & CEO: Shayna Fowler
Motion Design: Greg Stewart
Cinematographer & Producer: Ricardo Camacho
2022
A limited edition pickle celebrating the life and legacy of a Detroit icon: the one and only J Dilla. Brined, jarred, and packed to Dilla beats.
I led design for the packaging, incorporating the classic McClure’s stripes into a record-like disk that functions as a nod to J Dilla’s vast catalog of albums. As a further play on the reference, I contributed to the idea to bring beats to the brine—labels include a QR code that directs consumers to a J Dilla Spotify playlist.
As a pickle girl myself, this was a dream to be part of.
Packaging Design, Graphic Design
Client
McClure’s Pickles
Agency
Lafayette American
Credits
ECD: Doug Patterson
Creative Direction: Sarah Bills, Philip Bator
Design: Myself & Cecilia Hong
Producer: Nellie Smydra
Social Strategist: Caite Marchione
Senior Account Executive: Yasmine Shitta
Project Manager: Timothy Gault
2023
I led design for this digital tool—a gamified deck of prompts, aimed to help content creators and small businesses develop their brands on TikTok.
TikTok came to us with a wide breadth of content—our goal was to distill this information into something clear, concise, and recognizably playful. Taking inspiration from the app itself, we utilized color and motion to guide users through the experience.
Digital Design, Art Direction
Client
TikTok for Business
Agency
Bandolier Media
Credits
Design: Myself, Juan Roque, and Rachel Ko
Motion Design: Matt Houston
Copywriting: George Ellis
Development: Graham Lambertson
2022-24
Led design and art direction for various TikTok for Business campaigns. Samples available upon request.
Identity Design, Art Direction, Digital Design
Client
TikTok for Business
Agency
Bandolier Media
Credits
Creative Direction: Nick Robalik
2024
Manning Drone Services straddles a unique space in the market—offering both structural inspections for large commercial institutions and aerial documentation for meaningful moments.
How do you bridge the gap between the technical and the meaningful?
I developed a brand narrative that positions MDS as a trustworthy partner in capturing what matters (be it data or documentation). Playing with perspective, I built a full identity system and website that ties together themes of trust, elevation, and digital mapping.
Identity Design, Narrative, Digital Design
Client
Manning Drone Services
2024
Emily Nystrom came to me for a visual identity that leaves a lasting and memorable impression.
In an over-saturated industry such as wedding photography, she differentiates herself as “soulful” and “photojournalistic.” Positioning Emily Nystrom Photo as a place for organic connection, I built a brand narrative that feels like a walk in the park.
Each mark is designed to withstand stamping and embossing, which Nystrom applies across snail mail and packaging.
Identity Design, Narrative, Digital Design
Client
Emily Nystrom Photo
Credits
Bench Design: Rachel Ko
2024
Designed, produced, and published by yours truly, as part of Station Ry’s first publishing commission.
Publication Design
Client
Gracie Covarrubias
Colophon
4 x 7 in, 80 pages
Edition of 50
Published by Station Ry
Written by Gracie Covarrubias
Designed by Alex Ry
Produced by Alex Ry
Printed by Indigo Ink
Bound by Alex Ry
2019-2021
Digital and campaign work for US Army. Samples available upon request.
Digital Design, Campaign Design
Client
US Army
Agency
Critical Mass
2019
For AT&T’s 2019 holiday season, we created a playful suite of social and digital display assets targeting chaotic young families to promote their in-car wifi partnership with Chevrolet.
Digital Design, Campaign Design
Client
AT&T
Agency
Critical Mass
Credits
Creative Direction: Keith Henneman
Art Direction: Evan Thomas Cole
Copywriting: Lauren Ophaug
2017
The Stony Brook School is a boarding school on Long Island, founded in 1922, with an emphasis on cultivating life-long learners and leaders.
Under direction of our creative director, and in close partnership with our writer, I designed a 92-page look book to stir pride among the school’s stakeholders, using a mixture of historical imagery and bold portraits.
I also photographed the suite of Stony Brook portraits, which were used across print, digital, and video campaign materials. Together, we created a final product that tells the Stony Brook story and shares its vision in a striking and tangible way.
Publication Design, Campaign Design, Photography
Client
The Stony Brook School
Agency
Open Book Communications
Credits
Strategy: Sharon Sampson
Creative Direction: Jeremy Emmerich
Copywriting: Katie Boyce
2018
Open Book is a small creative team whose distinct niche is helping mission-driven organizations tell their stories. As a designer, I saw a unique opportunity to invite people into Open Book’s own story in a captivating and tangible way.
An “employee handbook” of sorts, the Culture Book spotlights the core beliefs, interests, and mantras of Open Book, and functions to bring clarity to its internal culture—because the more in sync they are as a team, the better they can serve their clients.
Publication Design
Agency
Open Book Communications
Credits
Strategy: Sharon Sampson
Creative Direction: Jeremy Emmerich
Copywriting: Katie Boyce