It’s hard to believe it’s been a year since our third annual hand turkey extravaganza ended with these great winners. The time is here once again, our friends, to charge up the tryptophan motivation and be a kid with some hand turkey works of art. Please check out our updated Show of Hands site, download the form, read the rules or check out the 2010 entries, and be among the first to enter the 4th annual Show of Hands competition. Remember outside of the sheer glory of being named champion, we enhance the sweet taste of victory with some  iTunes gifts to go with it.

PLEASE NOTE – part of your jury selection will be based on tweets, likes and comments. So enter early and enter often. Let everyone know about it and get some social networking love. Get your office into it, break out the crayons or oil pastels, make Grandma bust one out and your kids (oh yeah, we pick a kids winner too). Bottom line: Have some fun.

We are excited to see your tasty turkey creations, let’s get it rolling!

It’s always been a dream to write a book. Honestly, though, I haven’t had much to say until I asked myself this question: “How do I live a life that fuels my work and work in a way that fuels my life?” I’ve been speaking about this idea, trying to figure it out, and working through trial and error until I came up with a “process” (or at least an outlook) that my good friends at Wiley felt was good enough to publish. Life Kerning is all about making small steps to get closer to that elusive work-life balance.

I really enjoy business/help books that are friendly and approachable, so I tried to tackle this issue head-on in a relaxed, “I’ve been there” manner. I share some tips from great friends and observations from speaking to a variety of people about this subject. I really wanted to challenge the notion that positive change can come only through a complete system overhaul. So, the book provides quick strategies to fine-tune specific areas of your life and career.

Wiley gave Rule29 the opportunity to create the whole package as well – the cover, a clean typeset style, and fresh illustrations for each chapter. These illustrations were custom geometric-style shape drawings that were set on a textured background to set the stage for an engaging read (special thanks to Kara “The Cheech” for working so hard on those with me). We also extended the style to a fun and simple website, facebook tab, and a video.

My biggest hope is that readers find some peace of mind mixed with inspiration topped with a fresh outlook on some things that can be completely overwhelming at times. I made this for you.

I hope you consider getting the book either physically or in ebook form from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Books-A-Million. I look forward to your thoughts both good and bad; either way I hope you are awesome today.

This day I think is personal for everyone. When I talk to people about it there is a range of emotions and memories. For me this day only reminds me of my Mom. Growing up for many years it was mainly my Mom and I. She was always encouraging me and incredibly hardworking. She never went to college, and for the majority of her life worked in the restaurant business. She is amazing with people, and mixed with her work ethic, she was as successful as she could be. But in 1999 this lady, who never had even turned on a computer, decided now that my sister and I were adults, she was going to walk away from the restaurant world. Leave behind the only type of work she knew and apply to United Airlines Flight Attendant School. So in her late-forties she applied, got accepted and graduated. I was so proud of her. She was now going to get to travel the world and use her past hospitality and personal skills in a whole new way, I was so excited for her.

On September 10, 2001 she was supposed to fly to New York and for some reason her flight was cancelled. On Sept 11th she was supposed to fly out of NYC. Not knowing her flight plans and/or that it was cancelled, I called her cell phone and was relieved to hear her voice. My Mom, instead, was at home watching AMC. She loves old movies. I told her to turn on her TV…she did just before the second plane. She was horrified. She was sad, she was concerned as we all were, but also thinking of her friends and fellow flight attendants. Soon there after, she discovered that one of her fellow flight attendant classmates that graduated with her was on Flight 93, the plane that crashed in Pennsylvania after being taken down by passengers.

On Friday, September 14th my Mom worked the first flight from Chicago back to NYC. I remember asking her if she was scared, she didn’t hesitate and said no. She said “This is my job. I’m proud of who I work for and who I work with, and I get to help others be as comfortable as possible on their way home. It’s a privilege.” It was a flight filled mainly with New Yorkers going back home for the first time. Some had family members missing. I remember hearing stories from my Mom of those she talked to. She talked about the fighter jets visible over Manhattan. The gasps she heard as some saw NYC for the first time post 9/11…she will never forget.

To me, my Mom has always been amazing. But those days in September, and ever since then she has never hesitated to fly, or to remember her lost friends and to work as hard as she can for United no matter what. I tell you this story because I think it represents a lesson. A lesson to make sure we remember the past. A lesson to honor others by living bravely and living in the way that you were made to live. And I tell you this because I’m lucky to have a Mom that inspires me and who loves what she does despite life’s circumstances.

So on this 10 year anniversary of that horrible day, I pray that you take time to remember and honor those that were lost. And take the time to love on those that are still here with us. And above all us I hope for all to be thankful and do all you can to live uniquely.

As most of you know, some of us at Rule29 have been working on taking daily pictures to help us to create space and take the time to see things differently. A daily picture is a purposeful act to notice the stories and scenery that surrounds us – details that in the daily rush of life may go unnoticed. To see what we’ve been seeing, check out #SeeDiff on Twitter  (see more details in my column on Rock Paper Ink Blog).

During some lazy flipboard reading I came across three videos that are simple and brilliant. These videos are incredibly well done and create a version of seeing differently that seems adventurous and inspiring (wish I was on the crew). I wanted to share since we all look for quick injections of awesomeness, and these will do it in just a few minutes. So sit back, watch, and share. And as the video description reads: Read the rest of the entry >

We’ve been up to good stuff this sweet, steamy summer and are excited to share the highlights with you in the latest issue of Creative Matters^®, Volume 28. From new branding strategies, print collateral and glossy pages to good karma websites, hot apps and social media boosts, we’re happy to report that variety really is the spice of life.

At the top of our list comes our work with a leading academic institution, where we’ve developed a new branding strategy along with a full suite of shiny new print materials. Speaking of new, we’ve unveiled a few fresh websites for our friends at JOYRIDE and O’Neil Printing. In keeping with the hot summer spirit, we also helped design MarketDelta’s new Heat Mat App, a perfect tool for those interested in gauging the performance of top stocks and funds. We had the honor of creating three new book covers, and even challenged the concept of worthiness with a breathtaking book of photographs from MacDonald Photography. Lucky for us, we also managed to squeeze in a few healthy getaways to recharge and work on a great tan (have you seen Justin lately?).

There’s more to share and you don’t want to miss a look, so get your issue now and enjoy Creative Matters.

:: Download Creative Matters 28  ::
(It’s tasty)

We also recently updated our Creative Matters section of our site check that out too if you are ready for more goodness.

Thanks,
The Design Monkeys from Rule29

PS: We think Everybody Should Just…