Silver dolphins and pink guitars: the Alpha-best-of 2025
The best Alphabet® projects, creative campaigns, and moments in 2025, as chosen by the team.
Cory Davis
Well, Mariah Carey is out caroling again. Staff parties are booked. And the New Year is peeping around the corner.
Guess it’s time we wrapped up 2025 with a “best of” Alphabet® article.
Don’t worry, this isn’t just about work. We’re talking team outings to the National Gallery of Canada and rocking off at The Rainbow. We’re talking potluck lunches and Office Olympics.
We’re talking about everybody's favourite occasion: when I visit the office and work onsite for a day or two. 🤓
So, let’s get to it. Here’s the best of Alphabet® in 2025, as chosen by some of the team.
Rocking on at the Rock-Off
Being creative is something we take seriously. Both on the clock for clients and on the stage for charity.
It’s why Creative Director Steve looks forward to Ottawa’s annual 613 Agency Rock-Off event. Where creative agencies across the city wage tonal war in a battle of the bands, with all proceeds going towards OrKidstra.
“At times, the best wins are outside of our day-to-day work. Switching hats from brand to band for the Rock Off isn’t only fun, it’s for a good cause. Oh, and did I mention we won?”
Steve Bowker, Creative Director
Rock-Off takes top spot as Steve’s favourite Alphabet® moment this year. But not just because the Alphabeats brought home the fabled pink guitar.
The event brings team members together in a different way than work does—brings Ottawa’s best agencies (dare I say competitors) together, too. And it’s a chance for everybody to show off their other creative talents.
Plus, it’s all for a common cause.
REAL TIME is real fun with Shaun Majumder
We produce, record, and edit the REAL TIME podcast for the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA). This year featured a new host for the first time since launching in 2020.
The mic passed from a professional broadcaster to stand-up comedian, Shaun Majumder. And the job of editing the video side of the podcast was handed over to Motion Designer & Editor Mike in our studio.
“With the new stand-up comedian host, I get to inject more humour in the edit (yes, editing can be funny).”
Mike Short, Motion Designer & Editor
Since becoming a multi-medium production with a hilarious host, there’s a new layer of fun to the podcast. Literally. It also gave Mike an opportunity to improve the recording and editing process, developing a “super nerdy system” to make it easier and faster.
So not only did the work keep him laughing. It kept him inspired. Which is why working on REAL TIME is Mike's pick for best of in 2025.
Check out the case study to learn about all of our work with CREA.
Bonding and branding
The culture at Alphabet® is second to none. And no one has more pep for office events and outings than Senior Art Director Yang.
It’s no surprise some of his favourite moments of the year include our Office Olympics, where he got waaay too serious about table tennis. And our trip to the National Gallery of Canada, where he got waaay too close to one of the displays.
“2025 has been packed with meaningful, collaborative projects—work where I genuinely enjoyed the creative process and will remember for years.”
Yang Li, Senior Art Director
As much fun as Yang had bonding with colleagues outside of work, he had just as much with branding projects for clients. Like the visual identities for both the Town of Prescott and Kate, an AI-powered HR tool created by Alphabet®.
Or rebranding the new Downtown BIA, where he designed an extensive visual identity suite for Hello Downtown. This was a stepping stone in a larger revitalization plan for Downtown Ottawa, making the project even more meaningful to Yang.
Check out the case study to learn about all our work with Downtown BIA.
Just for the joy of it
This industry moves fast, especially the tech (looking at you, AI). It’s easy to get caught up in keeping up. Sometimes that becomes the most important thing.
For Art Director Stephanie, attending Figma’s CONFIG event served as the perfect reset. The conference gathers designers, developers, and marketers to explore the future of design and collaboration. And, of course, learn about all the new features and upgrades for Figma.
“Creativity isn’t just the final product, it’s the journey. And while everything around us is accelerating, we need to choose to slow down.”
Stephanie, Art Director
What makes the event really impactful are the presentations from some of the brightest minds in design. One in particular, by Inga Hampton, reminded Stephanie to loosen her grip on perfectionism. To reconnect with the joy of creating.
Inga also touched on how great work comes out of moving through the hard, uncomfortable parts in the creative process. That it’s not something you should bypass (looking at you again, AI).
In an industry dominated by speed, it was refreshing for Stephanie to hear a prominent peer defend the need to slow down and embrace the messy middle.
Check out the Alphabet® blog for Stephanie’s takeaways from the event.
From remote to in office
As for myself, Copywriter Cory, my best-of selection is a combination of occasions.
You see, I’m one of Alphabet®’s first fully remote employees. And every couple of months I travel to Ottawa to work IRL with my fellow creatives.
“Since working from home is my normal, working from the office is somewhat of a novelty.”
Cory Davis, Copywriter
(is it weird I just quoted myself? Whatever.)
I like the in-office camaraderie, which is hard to mimic virtually. It excites me to see my teammates in their element and get a behind-the-scenes look at projects I’m not working on. And I savour our tasty lunch outings together.
But most of all, I really enjoy the conversations—because talking to yourself gets a little boring after a while. #RemoteLife
In all seriousness, I work with a group of smart, talented, and interesting people. Whether it’s talking shop in the boardroom or getting personal over a pint after hours, the chats I had with my work peeps take the cake this year.
To curiosity, creativity, and empathy
Last, but not least, the best of picks from Chief Strategy Officer Tony.
Tony places a lot of value on developing strong relationships with clients. Because the deeper the relationship, the deeper our understanding of their brand and their business goals—the deeper the trust and faith we have in each other. Such is the case with Tourism Kingston.
“Tourism Kingston has trusted us for years to help elevate Kingston’s impact as a tourism destination. Year after year, the strength of our relationship results in award-winning work.”
Tony Lyons, Chief Strategy Officer
In 2025, we worked with Kingston on a once-in-every-700-years campaign during the total solar eclipse. The campaign won the Ontario Tourism Award of Excellence (Marketing Partnership) at the Tourism Summit Awards Gala, hosted by the Tourism Industry Association of Ontario.
The Our City is Your City campaign was a finalist for Best Use of Data at the City Nation Place Awards. And the brand film for Together in Kingston took home a Silver Dolphin award at the Cannes Corporate Media & TV Awards. This was a collaborative effort between Alphabet® and Kingston production company Untold Storytelling.
Tony is also proud of our work with the Kingston Accommodation Partners. Where we built a custom SaaS tool to simplify collection and reporting of the Municipal Accommodation Tax (MAT).
Another custom tool worth mentioning is Kate, Canada’s first AI-driven HR tool. The tool makes HR knowledge faster and easier to access, specifically for small- to medium-sized tourism businesses in Alberta. Once again, this work is the result of a strong partnership—in this case, with the Skift Advisory and the Tourism Industry Association of Alberta.
Finally, Tony gave his appreciation for the entire Alphabet® team.
Our industry is changing faster than ever with AI. And expectations are changing almost as fast. But no matter the disruption or new innovation, one thing stays the same. From creativity and curiosity to the empathy we have for our clients’ challenges, each of us brings our best to work every single day.
That’s the best of Alphabet® in 2025. Here’s to more of the best in the year to come.
Get in touch to learn how we can help you get the best out of your brand.
