Ardent about the kind of story-telling that pulls you in

hello @ alexkostiw.com ︎

913 543 20 35
Chicago, Illinois

I have worked with clients in the arts, built environments, education, and publishing. Together, we tell thoughtful, compelling stories through art and design.

A piece of design is a stepping stone into the client’s world—whether it’s a visual identity, graphics for a page or a wall, cover-to-cover publications, or a Squarespace site. I’m excited most by projects that connect audiences with creative voices or that give meaning to a place.

My practice addresses the translation of raw emotion into language. I use design to gesture toward inexpressible aspects of personal experience, interiority, and identity. My self-published comics, artist’s books, and prints ask readers to decipher sparse information and collaborate in the construction of loose narratives. My work has been in comics expos internationally and is collected in the Joan Flasch Artist’s Book Collection, the National Museum of Women in the Arts, and the Library of Congress.

I teach courses in graphic design and storytelling at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, where I received my MFA in Visual Communication Design.

I love talking with people about comics and offer a workshop in which we investigate design in the context of the medium. ︎

I’m Alex, a graphic designer, comics artist, and educator in Chicago.