Alex Ry

Strategic Creative





La Bohéme
2022How 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. This production was the first to stage it in reverse—inspiring the backwards É in the artwork.

Client: Detroit Opera
Agency: Lafayette American
Creative Direction: Meg Jannott
Graphic Design: Myself & Asha Cook

Awards: Graphis Design Awards, Communications Arts

Graphic Design
Dilla Dills
2022A 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.

As a pickle girl myself, this was a dream to be part of.

Client: McClure’s Pickles
Agency: Lafayette American
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

Graphic Design
Stronger Than You Think
2019For International Women’s day, seven Critical Mass creatives designed a series of limited edition shirts and stickers—each individually inspired by the power and prowess of women.

I designed this shirt with two brilliant writers. Inspired by our grandmas, our mothers, athletes, and artists, we wanted to tell a story of the strength these women possess—each of them stronger than she thinks. For the design, I chose a typeface that takes up space—one that pushes the limits of legibility and can’t be summed up in a single glance.

Agency: Critical Mass
Copywriters: Lauren Ophang, Jaclyn Hamer
Typeface: Dot19 by Metis Foundry

Graphic Design
Just OK Road Trip
2019For 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.

Client: AT&T
Agency: Critical Mass
Creative Direction: Keith Henneman
Art Direction: Evan Thomas Cole
Design: Myself
Copywriting: Lauren Ophaug

Digital Design
For humans, by humans
2018Vail is a visual art collective for humans, by humans. Those humans are Kadi (a photographer of 10 years) and Laura (a filmmaker of 5 years.) Both are wildly talented. Following their marriage in 2017, it only made sense to combine forces.

Under their shared surname-Vail—they started a visual art collective that allowed for them to merge their work without sacrificing individual style. Working closely with both Kadi and Laura, I helped to bring clarity to the Vail story, and then created a visual brand that embodies the heart and soul of the collective.

Client: Vail Art Collective

Identity Design, Brand Strategy
The Culture Book
2018Open Book is a small creative team whose distinct niche is helping mission-driven organizations tell their stories. As an employee, 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.

Agency: Open Book Communications
Strategy: Sharon Sampson
Creative Direction: Jeremy Emmerich
Design: Myself
Copywriting: Katie Boyce

Graphic Design
The Frances
2018The Frances is a photo studio & creative space for Chicago, founded by two multidisciplinary photographers. I partnered with John and Maura Stoffer to create a brand that reflects the contemporary and inviting aesthetic of the studio. In addition to leading the branding, I helped the Stoffers clarify and communicate the values and larger story of The Frances.

Client: Maura and John Stoffer

Identity Design, Brand Strategy
The Stony Brook School: Look Book
2017The Stony Brook School is a boarding school in 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 materials. Together, we created a final product that tells the Stony Brook story and shares its vision in a striking and tangible way.

Agency: Open Book Communications
Strategy: Sharon Sampson
Creative Direction: Jeremy Emmerich
Design: Myself
Copywriting: Katie Boyce

Graphic Design, Photography
© Alex Ry, LLC. 2018-26
 Say hello@alex-ry.com
Online: Substack, Instagram, LinkedIn
IRL: Brooklyn, NY