I love Thanksgiving. Great food, great games, great post-meal naps, great shopping. But maybe most important of all, it’s a great time to spend with important people in my life. People I, at times, take for granted. Let’s face it: how often do we take the opportunity to express what we appreciate about a person? For me, I know it’s not nearly often enough. Thanksgiving is the perfect time of year to stop and make a little time to do just that.

Really, saying “thank you” or “I’m grateful for you” could be the greatest gift you give someone this holiday season. Gratitude is giving the gift of your humble appreciation for a person’s hard work, or more importantly, just for who they are. Thanks is giving.

So, we created this special template for your Thanksgiving meal: a set of three delectably typeset place cards with a dash of harvest colors just for your turkey day table (or any time, really). Download, print them out, cut & fold, and write a quick note on the inside to your recipient.

(and, for a little more inspiration about giving thanks, check out chapter 19 in Life Kerning).

What are you thankful for this Thanksgiving?

Last week, Rule29 had the opportunity to attend AIGA’s Gain: Design for Social Value Conference in San Francisco.

Being surrounded by some of today’s best design thinkers working to truly change the world was inspiring to say the least. Change can happen in third-world countries across the globe, or it can happen across the street from the office. A major theme throughout the conference was that design thinkers are uniquely equipped to find solutions for social and humanitarian issues.

Some presentations that inspired us most were about Project H from Emily Pilloton, about the intersection of social and business value from Robert Fabricant, and about creativity being capital by Ravi Naidoo.

Justin had the privilege of presenting the value of experiencing wonder in our everyday world. Justin’s perspective was that the key to creating social value is not being an “above average” person. The key is to take the time; to create the space – to SEE your fellow human beings. Experiencing the wonder of everyday life and beauty and tension is the only true catalyst for lasting change.

So, designers, create a moment in your everyday to see the wonder of what’s around you. Whether you are an army of designers or an army of one, you have the power to be the change.

Here are some highlights in image form:

^ Universal design brief from Susana Rodriguez de Tembleque

^ A wonder-full sketch from @fabtweet 

^ Justin takes the stage

^ Feeling like you’re average doesn’t matter

^ Four qualities to embrace

Not too long ago, I brought home a delicious Chipotle burrito for lunch. I always love to read the bags. This one said, “Recycling turns things into other things. Which is like magic.” The napkin followed up on the humor:

Most of us have come to love recycling. At least, those of us who live in a town with curbside recycling pickup, with no more sorting, have come to feel very good about giving what-would-be-trash a second chance at life. And we feel good about buying products that are recycled.

But there has been some debate…

Is recycling actually worse for the environment than landfilling or incinerating our trash?

Read the rest of the entry >

We all know that there are good things and bad things about our increasing intertwinement with technology. But what effect does it have on us as designers and our creativity?

While we’re not sure on how technology directly affects creativity, one thing is being proven over and over again: unplugging and exploring nature will increase your creativity. Three articles released just this week outlining the benefits (1, 2, 3). One study showed that creativity peaked after about three days of being unplugged and experiencing the natural world. Being in nature has other benefits, as well: reducing stress, increasing concentration, and invigorating energy.

The definition of creativity involves newness, originality, progressiveness, and imagination. Maybe the constant growth in nature, and its ability to continually re-create itself is what subconsciously infuses humans with a boost of our own creativity. Whatever it is, take advantage of it!

You might not have a nature preserve just outside of your office, so until you are able to take a three day weekend in the woods, here are a few ideas to bring nature into your everyday life for a creative boost:

• open the windows
• sketch in a nearby park – to find a park near you, try this app
• start a desk garden – try this or this if you’re new to gardening!
• take a walk at lunch
• don’t let rain get in your way – check out these umbrellas

When all else fails, if you’re stuck on your next big project, just go outside.

How have you noticed nature boost your creativity?

You’ve probably read about Nest by now, but if you haven’t, check them out. It’s not everyday something so ordinary and taken for granted gets an intuitive, well-designed and urgently needed overhaul (even though nobody really realized the need for it). Nest tells us that our thermostats control up to 50% of our energy bill, so why have we waited so long? Check out more about why they made it.

The Nest is a “learning thermostat,” designed to be easy to use and save money by programming itself, letting you manage it from the cloud,  and giving you tons of info and feedback to help you learn how to save even more. It’s good for the planet, and it’s good for your wallet. And it’s great design. Win-win-win.

We bought one for the office, and are excited to see how/if it transforms our energy usage. Watch for updates!

What’s an everyday product you think is in dire need of a redesign? Let us know in the comments.