Interview 20 is with creative pal Von Glitschka. I met Von a couple years ago at the Boston HOW Conference while having lunch with mutual buddy Scott Hull. We soon found lots of things in common and I have enjoyed getting to know Von, watching his work, and cracking up at his blog posts and tweets. I respect him as a person, treasure our friendship, and love that his work and illustration is inspiring. In fact, we are going on an adventure soon by working together on a documentary for Life In Abundance in the slums of Kenya, but that is a post for another day. Until then, enjoy getting to know The Vonster™.

1: Where are you Vonster?
Most often you can find me hovering some where in between slightly abnormal and creative lunacy. Most commonly referred to as Oregon geographically.

2: When did you know what an illustrator was?
I suppose I should clarify that I think of myself as a designer first and an illustrator second. The vast majority of what I do illustratively is in the greater context of a design oriented project. This is why I refer to myself as an “Illustrative Designer.” I leverage both skill sets in nearly every project I work on.

But my first inclination of what an illustrator was could loosely be pinpointed around the age of 9 when I first discovered MAD magazine. Understood it clearly when I went to art school in 1986. Never really officially considered myself fitting that category until around 1996. Read the rest of the entry >

Work environments have always been important to me. Not only the ones I work in, but also the ones I work with. When I met Don Jastrebski a few years ago he really helped me understand the importance of culture in regards to hiring, managing and working with clients. He literally changed the way I (and Rule29) look at business and how we work with people. Culture is definitely king. I will say without hesitation if you don’t understand culture you need to; it will change the way you operate. He has never been wrong when it comes to culture, which is why we affectionately call him Dr. Don, the culture king. Hopefully this interview will give you a little insight. His materials are currently being updated, but in the interim for more info go to the in3 site. Also if you have questions, comment below, Dr. Don will be happy to respond.

1. Don, in 29 words or less, what exactly to you do?
I help companies perform better by aligning their people component. People are a fixed cost. Optimal return on fixed & capital costs is realized by fitting people & programs to culture. Read the rest of the entry >

Several years ago I met Stefan at a How Conference, actually we were taking part in a design game show put on by Print Magazine modeled in the Iron Chef fashion – pics here. I enjoyed getting to know my design pal and, like most of you, enjoyed watching his monsters slowly develop over time – whether it was through his daily birthing of monsters, his great monster book (or other books), or just watching how they have became more and more a part of his work. My fellow Humble Pied amigo is always great to chat with and talk “shop”. Please enjoy this latest installment of 29 Questions.

1: Where do you hail from originally?

Hannover, Germany

2: If you had to work for someone or some organization, who would it be?

NASA

3: Other then design, what is your secret dream profession?

Bruce Springsteen Read the rest of the entry >

I guess it’s time to be honest with you, our friends. We have had a relationship with someone for several years that we feel we should let you know about because she has done nothing but make us look good, helping us (and our clients) have a little more marketing sass. Emma and her coworkers have been a welcome addition to our email and survey marketing over the last several years. Whether you’re meeting Emma for the first time or if you are already a fan of Emma as well, we hope you learn a little more about the ol’ gal and her friends.

1: What is Emma, exactly?
Emma’s an email marketing and communications company that helps small and midsize businesses manage their email campaigns and online surveys in style.

2: How was Emma started?
In late 2001, Will Weaver and Clint Smith (known sometimes as the Tall One and the Not-So-Tall One), began researching the marketing and communications field, hoping to help small businesses manage such things more easily. They saw that nobody out there had really nailed email marketing. There were services that seemed to offer enough sophistication but were way too pricey for small businesses. And there were really inexpensive services that didn’t go far enough in helping small businesses create something really professional and stylish. So the idea behind Emma was to fill the space in the middle — a stylish, sophisticated alternative to the cheap, do-it-yourself services out there, but a more affordable and accessible alternative to what the Big Guys had to offer. Read the rest of the entry >

We are very excited to have had the chance to interview the one and only Father Christmas. We know this time of year he is extremely busy, but thanks to email and twitter we were able to get the next 29 Questions answered just in time for the big day. So whether you are naughty or nice we think you will enjoy this latest installment. Merry Christmas!

1: Of your numerous aliases, which one would you say is your favorite? Kris Kringle, Santa Claus, Papai Noel, Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, etc.
I’d have to go with St. Nick….Mrs. Claus has some of her own that only she can call me… Ho, Ho, Ho.

Read the rest of the entry >