Daily Inspiration: Meet Diana Ries

Today we’d like to introduce you to Diana Ries.

Hi Diana, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I didn’t take a straight path to where I am today, and that’s shaped both my work and perspective.

I’ve always lived at the intersection of creativity and problem-solving. Early on, I worked in roles that required strong communication, organization, and leadership, while also feeling pulled toward visual storytelling and design. Diana Ries Designs grew organically from that overlap—initially as a way to help businesses and organizations communicate more clearly, and eventually into a broader practice focused on brand strategy, storytelling, and community-centered work.

Over time, my client base expanded to include airports, developers, nonprofits, artists, and small businesses—many of them navigating growth or transition. What ties the work together is a focus on clarity and purpose: helping people articulate who they are, why they matter, and how to show up authentically.

Alongside my professional work, I maintain an active art practice, creating sculpture and murals that explore themes like balance, identity, and resilience. While I work from home rather than a traditional studio, art remains a vital counterpoint to my design work. It sharpens my instincts, keeps me curious, and deeply influences how I listen, edit, and distill meaning for clients.

Community involvement has become a natural extension of both paths. Leading initiatives like the Castleberry Hill Loft Tour reinforced my belief that creativity, collaboration, and thoughtful planning can strengthen places and relationships. Today, my work continues to evolve across disciplines, but the goal remains the same: to help people and organizations tell honest, meaningful stories that connect.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road—and looking back, the pivots were just as important as the successes.

Early on, in the mid-1980s, I owned a small women’s clothing boutique. It was creative and fun, but not especially profitable, and it taught me an early lesson about the difference between passion and sustainability. After that, I worked for a music and entertainment publication that eventually went under. When that happened, I found myself on unemployment—an unsettling but pivotal moment.

During that time, I started freelancing on the side. What began as a way to stay afloat slowly revealed itself as a viable path forward. I made the leap off unemployment, started Diana Ries Designs, and invested in a computer with a little help from my mother, a lot of referrals, and a fair amount of faith. My daughter and I ate a lot of pasta in those early years—but I was building something that was truly mine.

There have been plenty of skipped chapters and challenges along the way, but moving to Atlanta marked a turning point. The city’s creative energy, collaborative spirit, and strong sense of community opened doors for both my professional work and my art. Atlanta didn’t just support what I was doing—it helped shape it.

Looking back, the road hasn’t been smooth, but it’s been deeply instructive. Each detour clarified what I value: independence, creativity, and work rooted in real connection.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
What I do is help people and organizations figure out what they actually want to say—and then say it well.

Through Diana Ries Designs, I work in brand strategy, visual storytelling, and communications, often with clients who are in some kind of transition. Airports, developers, nonprofits, artists, small businesses—many come to me feeling a bit overwhelmed or stuck. My role is part strategist, part editor, part translator. I listen carefully, ask a lot of questions, and help them strip things down to what’s essential.

I’m known for not coloring inside the lines. I don’t believe branding is about being louder or trendier; I think it’s about being clearer and more human. I’m just as interested in why something exists as how it looks, and I tend to work best with people who are open to slowing down, rethinking assumptions, and doing things with intention.

Alongside my professional work, I make art—sculpture, murals, and wearable art, that explore balance, vulnerability, and connection. I work from home, not a formal studio, and I like that my worlds overlap. Art keeps me honest. It reminds me to trust intuition, leave space for ambiguity, and resist over-polishing things that should feel alive.

What I’m most proud of isn’t a single project—it’s the through-line. I’ve built a body of work that connects creativity with community, strategy with feeling, and planning with play. Whether I’m helping shape a brand, supporting a neighborhood initiative, or making something with my hands, I care about work that brings people together and leaves room for curiosity. That mix—structured and intuitive, practical and a little poetic—is what sets my work apart.

What matters most to you? Why?
What matters most to me is connection—between people, ideas, and places.

I care deeply about work that feels honest and human, whether that’s helping someone clarify their story, creating something with my hands, or bringing people together around a shared experience. I’m motivated by curiosity, empathy, and the belief that listening well is one of the most undervalued skills we have.

Community matters to me because it grounds everything else. Being part of a neighborhood, a creative circle, or a collaborative project reminds me that meaningful work doesn’t happen in isolation. It’s shaped through relationships, trust, and showing up over time.

On a more personal level, balance matters—between structure and intuition, work and life, planning and play. I’ve learned that when those things are in conversation with each other, the work becomes richer and more sustainable.

Ultimately, what matters most is making things—stories, designs, events, or art—that help people feel seen, connected, and a little less alone. That’s the why behind everything I do.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://dianariesdesigns.com and https://dianariesart.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dianajuhn/ and https://www.instagram.com/dianariesart/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DianaRies

Image Credits
Diana Ries