John Ryan

John Ryan is co-founder and principal of Significant Other, a Toronto creative agency working with mission-driven organizations across research, culture, and social good. With his husband Jacob Sharrard RGD, he leads a team of creatives who shape brands and build the digital platforms that express them. He has been launching award-winning interactive projects for more than twenty years. Trained as an industrial designer with a specialization in interaction design, he brings a user-centred approach to every engagement. His work sits at the intersection of brand strategy, digital strategy, and digital craft; disciplines he considers more useful when integrated than kept apart. He has partnered with cultural institutions, universities, research institutes, and human rights and environmental organizations, helping them clarify who they are and turn that clarity into platforms and systems people actually use. His work has been featured in Azure, the National Post, and The New York Times, exhibited at the Royal Ontario Museum, and recognized by The Webby Awards, RGD, The Advertising & Design Club of Canada, and Applied Arts Magazine.