Alexander Ruf, multidisciplinary designer in Germany. Open to full-time and freelance.
Every good design starts with a catch.
German law limited what Kira Heinrich's practice could claim. At Selfapy, GDPR meant no field could be mandatory.
Identity, website and print for a new practice. One designer, two weeks.
Selfapy's CMS slowed every change. The fix became a component library, not a one-off patch.
Nobody asked. I saw Selfapy's app and website drifting apart and started fixing it.
No verified numbers here. I show the decision and the constraint instead.
Background: Dr. Kira Heinrich, practice website
Seven projects
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Dr. Kira Heinrich, a practice built from zero
I built this identity alone, from zero, under a real legal limit on what an aesthetic medicine practice can claim.
The catch: German advertising law shaped the identity, not just the design brief.
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Selfapy, fixing a brand split
I found a split between the product and the website, and started fixing it before anyone asked.
The catch: Self-identified, not assigned.
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Mindful Mate, a course project with real research
A course project, tested with real users, that showed what the brief couldn't have predicted.
The catch: Real research and user testing, no client.
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Prescriber tracking, designing around GDPR
I turned a legal restriction into the actual design solution, not something I worked around.
The catch: GDPR compliance built into the interaction, not bolted on.
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RS Components, making complex data scannable
I used one process across more than sixty pieces, spanning unrelated industries and clients.
The catch: Range through repetition, not one-off projects.
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Social media, a system someone else could run
I built a content system and handed it off. Someone else still runs it today.
The catch: Templates and training, not just posts.
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Peak Ace, branding that outlasted the job
The brand guidelines I built here are still in use, years after I left.
The catch: Sustained over five years, still active today.
Five questions, answered straight
01What do I do when nobody tells me what to do?
I look for the problem before anyone hands me a brief. At Selfapy I noticed the app and the website felt like two different products and raised the fix myself. For Dr. Kira Heinrich I built the full brand identity and website from nothing, with a goal from the client and no team.
02What do I do when someone else's rules say no?
I work out how to deliver inside the constraint instead of fighting it. On one project, GDPR meant patient information couldn't be required, not even by default in the interface. I designed a flow that respected that limit and still did its job.
03Am I a specialist wearing one hat, or several?
Several, with real depth in each. Brand identity and web design, handled solo from start to finish. Data and information design, more than sixty pieces across different industries using one consistent process. Product and UI design inside a live medical app used by real patients.
04Why don't I lead with numbers?
Because I don't have verified ones, and I'd rather say so than make one up. Design roles rarely get access to impact data, and mine didn't either. Instead of a metric you can't check, I explain the decision I made and the constraint behind it.
05What am I still figuring out?
How to bring AI into a design workflow without the output looking like AI made it: results that stay inside brand guidelines and hold up next to work built by hand. I also want to bring business strategy into a project earlier, before launch, not after.
Got a project worth asking about?
I take on freelance work in brand, web and product design, and I'm open to full-time roles. If it fits, let's talk.