Lists. Lists. Lists. It’s that time of year and we’re not scared to contribute to the pool. For in many ways, in a world with an (over)abundance of accessible information, year-end-lists seem to an organized space for reflection. Kind of an… “Oh yeah, a lot has happened.” The good. The bad. The absurd. Each year, the Rule29 team complies a list of memorable moments via our team. Here is 2011′s.

Top 29 of 2011 (in no particular order)

1. Our (former) governor Blog-o gets sentenced to 14 years in prison.
2. Natural disasters devastate. Tsunami. Tornados. Earthquakes.
3. Kate Middleton allows young girls everywhere to continue dreaming.
4. Wall Street. Occupied.
5. Osama. Done. Obama. Up.
6. The world said goodbye to Steve Jobs.
7. The world didn’t end.
8. The world meets Siri.
9. Chicago gets Snowpocalypse’d.
10. We said goodbye to the Space Shuttle(s) (and @timmit watches at STS-133 – watch video).
11. R29 plays with wood type (at Hamilton).
12.  Justin Bieber cuts his hair.
13. Charlie Sheen wins. Popular culture loses.
14. Egypt revolts. Facebook/Twitter actually serve a purpose.
15.  John Galliano makes anti Semitic statements. Fired as head designer by Christian Dior
16.  We all get Life Kerned.
17. Terrance Malick comes out of hiding and graces us with “Tree of Life.”
18. R29 introduces GIVE. Stories Matter. Matters to You.
19. Cloud storage (finally) gets noticed.
20. R29 helps out at Turning Point with Grip & Faust.
21. Libya revolts. Gaddafi ousted.
22. Justin speaks at TEDx.
23. Alexander McQueens introduces us to “Savage Beauty” at the Met.
24.  Arcade Fire wins the Grammy’s. Indie fans stunned. Katy Perry fans ask “Arcade who?”
25.  Netflix believes themselves to be invisible. Gets put in their place.
26.  Joe Patterno exits Penn State. (Some) college fans realize there are more important things than football.
27.  AIGA Pivot. R29 helps design the “Perfect Pair“. For kicks.
28. Science progresses. Discovery of evidence of the Higgs Boson at CERN. Discovery of particles faster than the speed of light.
29.  Steve Buscemeyes.

What is on your list?

I’ll admit it…I’m a sucker for the end of the year. I love the concept of one thing ending and something fresh starting right around the corner. I make a list of things every year that I’m looking to change, be purposeful about, etc. And for the most part, I’m not too bad at following through on them. I think in life we all need to step out, make a change, pursue that dream, make a difference.

As most of you know, Rule29 tries to make some level of difference by being purposeful with our time and our impact – Africa, Story Telling, and  What Matters, to name a few. We strive to do our part and explore ways to pursue wonder and be aware. I hope, as a leader at Rule29 and a fellow creative, this is something that is not only making a difference outside our walls, but inside as well. To be transparent, though, in a lot of ways it’s easier to make changes at work. It’s just something we have built in to our day to day. But there are still some areas I feel I’m lacking…

For me, this is most evident in my family. I have four amazing kids and a wife that loves me for some weird reason. I want to make an impact in the world with them, so this year, as a family, we decided to do something together. A new friend of mine, Victor Saad, is starting a project called The Leapyear Project. It’s an initiative to get a group of people stepping out to make a difference. The concept of the Leapyear Project is simple: What risk will you take to change your life or the lives of others? What risk will you take to impact the world for the better or improve the community you live in? It encompasses an endless variety of forms, sizes, and concepts … it’s all up to you. Go to the site and check out the Risk page. This page really inspired my wife, Sarah, and I to try something together with our family.

We went to our four kids and talked to them about it. We asked them what they cared about in this world and what they wanted to help change. Next, we decided that, starting officially this  February of the Leapyear, we will each take two months and pick something all six of us can do to challenge, sacrifice, or push ourselves to take a risk and make a difference. Each family member has to research, set up, and choose two times this year what to do (with some help from Mom and Dad where necessary). The other months they will be doing what another member has chosen. We’ll then, as a family, document our experience and thoughts. So we have ages 39, 37, 11, 9, 7 and 6, all working together to accomplish positive change.

I will post now and then, and tweet with the #LYPROJECT hash tag, on what we are doing and how it is going because I think it will be incredibly interesting (At least I hope it will). So now I close with a question to you: What are you going to do to risk something this year? Don’t think that it has to be curing cancer (even though that would be awesome); it can take any shape or size. Maybe it’s just sitting with your grandma at the nursing home twice a month and having a conversation. Maybe it’s pursuing that crazy idea you keep putting off. Whatever it is, be purposeful and record your thoughts and what happens. I think you will be surprised at the outcome. What do you say? Let’s not make a resolution – let’s leap together for a year…. You in?

One of the most often overlooked benefits of the holiday season is the plentiful of Christmas episodes our beloved sitcoms offer up each year. Some have failed, but plenty have offered up new lingo for our holiday cheer. Our office voted and here are some of our (more recent-ish) favorites, everything from this past week’s Modern Family (“Express Christmas”) to what is arguably the greatest Christmas, ahem… “Festivus” episode of all time. Enjoy.

Modern Family’s “Express Christmas” (2011)

Family Guy’s “A Very Special Family Guy Freakin’ Christmas” (2001)
“KISS Saves Santa”

Community’s “Abed’s Uncontrollable Christmas” (2010)

30 Rock’s “Ludachristmas” (2007)

Arrested Development’s “Afternoon Delight” (2004)

The Simpson’s “Santa’s Little Helper” (1989)

The Office’s “Christmas Party” (2005)
a.k.a. “Yankee Swap”

Seinfeld’s “The Strike” (1995)
better known as the “Festivus” (For the Rest of Us)

—

What is your favorite? What did we leave off?

Enjoy.

Historically, Thanksgiving is tied to the harvest. Our lives look different today. Our harvest is different.

If you read our previous post, you’ll know that the Rule29 team has been attempting to instill space to reflect on the things that matter. We’ve done this here. And we’ve decided to share a few below. All in all, we’d like to thank YOU for being a part of our lives, whether loosely, or closely. And for those who are on the closer side… can you guess who is thankful for what?

From Andy, Bob, Dawn, Justin, Kara (The Cheech), Katrina, Kerri, Sarah, Susan, and Tim (not in this order):

My husband and dog.
My fam & friends
My wonderful home
That I get to work here with good people
Free time
Hugs
Happy and sad music
Butternut squash and sweet potatoes
Grace

Family
Sweet Rental Cars
Green Bean Casserole

Coffee
Yoga
Family
Friends
Quality H2O
The bag of pretzel  M&Ms I found hidden in the kitchen
Socks *Ironic since I dont like feet

Llamas
Scrap paper
Peppermint mochas
Paddington Dog
A freshly changed oil supply in my car
Flat boots that feel so nice on my feet

Tacos
Theo Epstein
The Solar System

Right side of the brain
Trying to SEE different
The 64 Crayola box with built in sharpener

R29 Team
Family
Music
Kona pup
Friends
Turkey and mashed potatoes

My family
My home
DVR
KitchenAid mixers
Brightly colored sticky notes
Stain removers
Non-stick pots and pans

My wife
My children
Conversations
My vacuum sealed coffee mug
This American Life (App)
The unknown
Grace (too)

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.

Here at Rule29 we’ve had a house guest of late and while he’s been working away on his own project he graciously accepted our offer of covering the blog this week (Granted it was in exchange for desk space)

From the desk of Victor:

Have you ever driven by an office building, business, or home and wondered what happens inside?

Rule29 is one of those inconspicuous spaces. Residing in Geneva IL, their office is nothing more than a remodeled, two story, Georgian home with a nifty number sign in the lawn. You would never guess that within it’s walls, people light things on fire, break appendages, become basketball stars and change the world for the better.

But that’s precisely what happens (well…kinda).

You see, I was one of those random people that used to be on the outside looking in. I’m not a designer, I’m not a client, and my education puts me nowhere near this highly talented team. However, my passion for business, design, and social change made me curious about this little home with the nifty number sign in Geneva, Illinois.

So, roughly one year ago, I ventured into this place to see what it was all about. I was met by the man with the ever present grin. They call him Justin. Actually, that’s what I call him too. He’s also referred to as J, Uncle Justin, and a slew of other names that I can’t mention here. Justin is a busy man with a vibrant family, a book deal, and countless world-changing commitments so I was nervous to ‘steal’ any time with him on that fall day. We chatted about our dreams, our heroes, our faith, and our frustrations. His heart for good design and doing good kicked the dreamer right into me, and a friendship was quickly formed.
Since then, we’ve shared countless conversations and have even worked together on various projects; but, that’s not all.

You see, throughout that time, I’ve gotten to know the steallar team behind Rule29.

They’re even graciously allowing me  to share an office space while I work on a project. This means that, I get a front row seat into Tim’s sneaker brilliance, Kerri’s inability to pronounce Chihuahua, Susan’s love for heels, Andy’s marriage proposal techniques, Dawn’s noise making skills, Katrina’s whip-cracking abilities, Brian and Cheech’s looming iChat presence, and the fact that Bob is just always well Bob. Not to mention that Sarah (Justin’s wife), is the invisible powerhouse for the firm — and far more honest than Justin…

More importantly, I can now say that I have met some of the most inviting people on the planet. They’re quick to bring me ‘inside’ the Rule29 world. Whether it’s lunch dates or random brainstorming conversations, I’ve come to feel right at home walking through that finicky door and up those oddly narrow stairs.  Even though they may not totally understand why I’m around or what I’m doing, they have kindly invited me into their space.

Perhaps, this is my biggest learning from the Rule29 team thus far. They work and live in such a way that there is no ‘outside looking in’ or ‘inside looking out.’ The way they setup their work space, joke around with the UPS guy, hold outings with fellow firms (Grip & Faust), and the way they treat this random desk-occuyping-Egyptian…all of it is about an invitation. An invitation to wonder, attempt, struggle, fail, celebrate, and to do so openly with those around you.

So, thanks Rule29 for that invitation and the inside view — and for the lesson that good work and good life is not about being on the inside or the outside, it’s about being on the side with good people.

LEO,
v

Victor Saad is one of the founders of The Prop and is currently embarking on an 18 month adventure called The Leap Year Project We highly suggest you check out both a give him a follow @victorsaad He’s a pretty awesome guy.

It’s no secret that we designers (and other people with desk jobs) sit a lot. Upwards of 10 hours a day for most people if you count commute and maybe a little TV or additional computer time. And the fact is that, as our secret hunches tell us, sitting isn’t so good for us. A large-scale study by the American Cancer Society and a compilation of other research by MedicalBillingAndCoding.org show some pretty sobering statistics about the long-term toll sitting takes on human bodies. And both of these studies show that exercise doesn’t necessarily offset the risks of long periods of sitting (another excuse to skip the gym in the morning?).

But let’s not be a Debbie Downer…let’s talk about what we can do about it! After reading the studies above as well as receiving a few kind suggestions from my doctor, I started researching some lifestyle changes that would help. I stumbled on the GeekDesk – a motorized adjustable desk that goes from sitting to standing height at the push of a button. The adjustable height feature is important because standing for 10 hours isn’t exactly easy, so a strictly standing desk wouldn’t work (at least for me). I just received the desk a week ago and have been loving it so far. Assembly was easy and I was up and running in no time.

Desk at sitting height:

Desk at standing height:

If you decide to try an adjustable desk, there are a few fun tools to help you track your standing stamina. Standing Clock is a Google-based interface that lets you track your time spent standing. So far I’ve been standing between 3-5 hours a day, and plan to increase that time to 6 or 7 hours within a month. The only big change I’ve made to use this desk is slipping on a pair of comfy shoes for the standing portions of the day. Overall I am loving the experience and will report back in a month to let you all know how it goes.

What do you think? Would you like the option to stand for part of your workday? Any other suggestions for developing a healthy workspace? We’d love to hear your ideas.

On December 29th 1983, four days after Christmas, my house burned to the ground after a freak explosion with our furnace. Fortunately, no one was at home during the fire; however, we did lose most of our possessions obviously – including all of my games, some of which I had just received a few days prior.

Because the incident took place during Christmas break, I did not see most of my school friends until school resumed roughly two weeks later. I’ll never forget walking into class my first day back. It was different. I had been living in a hotel for the past 12 days or so and was not even sure anyone was aware of what had happened. I remember no one really asking me about it as the class began that day. My teacher, Mrs. Lowe, began to teach like always and I assumed everything was back to normal. Then, she shifted gears all of a sudden as she began speaking directly to me. I was caught off guard.

“Robert, our class was very sad to hear what happened with your house this Christmas. We understand that one of your favorite things to do is play games. We want you to know that your entire class has decided to pitch in to give you a new game collection in light of what happened to your house.”

As they revealed an entire table that was filled with twice as many games than I had originally, I was stunned and left speechless.

This is one of my first memories of someone(s) doing something for me simply out of love and generosity. It was nice to receive. But more importantly, it was life changing to see what it means to give.

As mentioned on our site, the idea to give of oneself, or one’s possessions, was never invented. It is an innate part of humanity. We give to share. We give to love. We give to make the world a better place.

Admittedly, here at Rule29, it is easy for us to forget these simple realities midst the day-to-day chaos by which we have become accustom. Consequentially, we have made a decision to be a little more intentional with our time and attention around the studio.The GIVE initiative (as we are calling it) was created in order for our team to be reminded of the joy (and responsibility) of giving. Over the last five years, the R29 team has made a decision to give 20% of our time and resources to causes, ideas, and initiatives that we not only support, but enjoy participating alongside.

GIVE is simply a reflection of this collective.

But if you know us (and we hope you do), we despise moving forward in isolation. GIVE is about community. It’s not Rule29′s not keep, but to share and encourage. Join us in the conversation.

How have you been impacted by a spirit of giving? Do you think we have a role or responsibility to help, to give? What is your company/organization doing to come alongside others?

ANDY’S Q&A:

1. If you cut your finger very badly while slicing your apple for lunch, would you return to the keyboard with bloody nubs to get the Blog completed for that day?

Absolutely. Working in a kitchen at a previous job I had a chopping accident, chopped off part of my thumb, drove myself to the hospital, got stitched up, went back to work and wore latex gloves to wrap it up tight and finished my shift without a problem. (on a side note, my thumb is back to normal and in full working condition!)

2. If we said jump and you said how high – how high would that be? Also can you dunk a basketball.

I would guess about a foot and half high jump. I’m only 5’5” so dunking a basketball is not really an option for me.

3. How many miles would you go to deliver high quality caffeination to all the Rule29 employees? and, what is your caffeinated beverage of choice?

As many as it takes, I myself am a huge coffee addict and would go any distance to get our coffee fix. My preference is a venti mocha with whip cream from Starbucks.

4. Please describe any experience you have with the military. Do you have any sword wielding skills?

I do not have any experience with the military other than stories I hear from a few of my friends who are enlisted. As far as sword wielding goes, I wouldn’t say that I have any skill but I could wave it around and do my best to look intimidating.

5. skinny jeans or suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu-per skinny jeans?

Skinny jeans, given they could fit me.

6. What do you do when a Grizzly Bear charges at you?

Find a tall tree and hope he’s not good at climbing.

7. What made you want to be a Designer?

I took a graphics class in high school that showed me the whole realm of design and print production that got me hooked at a very young age. After 4 years of hands on design and production experience I developed a passion and realized that this is what I want to do with my life. Attending the Graph Expo in Chicago showed me just how big the industry was and all the different mediums that design could fall into which only made me become more devoted and more in love with design.

8. What is the capital of Washington DC?

I’ll try and side step the trickyness here, the capitol of Washington is Olympia.

9. What is the average velocity of an unladen swallow?

Are you referencing the African or European swallow?

10. Celebrity crush?

Catherine Zeta Jones

11. Are you willing to shave Justin Ahrens back hair – if yes any design ideas?

Willing, but not excited to. Depending how hairy it is, the design monkey logo would look work well and look pretty realistic.

12. What album, book, and magazine (1 of each) would you take if you knew you were going to be stranded on an island?

Album: The postal Service “Give Up” Book: Choke by Chuck Palahniuk

13. Isaac Newton had an obsession with the color crimson. What’s your obsession?

Big fan of magenta

14. Do you prefer gel or painted manicures? Follow-up: Any change of opinion for your pedicures?

I guess I don’t have a preference since I’ve never had the experience, but I’ve seen some cool designs with the painted nails so I would go that route if I had to.

15. Pick a character from “The Life Aquatic” that describes you best.

Sadly I’ve not seen it so I can’t give a real answer here.

16. What music do you like to jam out Air Guitar style too?

Armin Van Helden has some sweet ACDC house remixes that kick up some solid guitar riffs with big bass. I could jam to that any day.

17. What’s your favorite PMS color?

Pantone 109 C

18. How would you describe the color green to a person blind from birth?

I would say that it looks how grass smells when its cut, fresh, earthy, and warm.

19. How much would can you chuck, since clearly, you can chuck wood?

Enough to make a good campfire as that is the extent of my wood chucking experience.

20. In a sudden dance battle against Tim Damitz and Justin Ahrens, what is your go-to dance move of choice?

A solid booty juke which is hard to come by in my demographic.

21. Which three things would you most want to have during a zombie apocalypse?

A concrete windowless safe house, a solid metal short handled shovel, Auto Shotgun

22. As is the tradition with previous interns, will he be willing to be photographed in Mexican Wrestling attire?

Very much so.

23. How does Justin like his coffee?

Venti regular coffee with 3 Splenda and cream until you see it rise to the surface from the original pour.

24. Favorite animated .gif? favorite type of penguin? favorite purple object?

“Cat bear hug”, baby emperor penguin, my purple blanket

25. Who is your favorite President of the United States and why? Also, how much can you bench press?

Big fan of Honest Abe mainly because of his hat. And I don’t bench press so I wouldn’t imagine very much.

26. Moon Landing: Staged event to facilitate the Military Industrial Complex and win the cold war…or…pre-digital vacuum tube driven tech 40 yr old tech that actually worked under far more extreme conditions than the Space Shuttle? (This is for Justins amusement)

I think it’s legit as I’ve watched a great deal of documentaries, read up articles, and done a lot of web research and so far I’m not convinced that it was faked.

27. What is your name and #?

Andy Kenney 1.630.208.7430

28. Who would win in the following fights:

batman vs abe lincoln – Batman

T-rex vs optimus prime – Optimus Prime

chuck norris vs the dos XX guy – Dos XX guy

bacon vs cookies – Hopefully they’ll combine while they fight and make the most epic bacon cookie ever.

29. How do you feel about pants?

Big fan

30. If you were a hot dog, and you were starving, would you eat yourself?

Absolutely, and I’d enjoy every bite

31. How are your lunges?

Healthy and working

32. What does the word safety mean to you?

Calm, relaxed, and taken care of

33. Are you ready for the R29 Ultra-Ultimate Intern Throwdown, a six-category competition of brains, brawn AND beauty (inner counts)? (So when are we doing this already, I’ve been training!!!)

Any time any day, I’ll be waiting…

34. Thick or thin crust? If thick, justify your answer.

Thick, because it allows for more things to be stuffed into it and make it even more delicious.

35. How excited are you to be working at Rule29?

On a scale of 1 to 10 I would place myself at 100 and could not be more thankful to be working in such a great environment with such talented people.

Many thanks to everyone who submitted questions! Extra to points who whoever can guess who wrote what question.

If you tried to call or email the R29 offices this past Thursday and Friday you might have noticed that it was a lot quieter around here than usual. That is because this past Thursday and Friday the R29 family packed their bags and took a brief hiatus up to the lovely land of Appleton, Wisconsin to hang out with some of our favorite people from Appleton Coated.

If you have never been, we highly suggest taking the trip and scheduling a tour of the Appleton mill. It is simply mind blowing to see hundreds of tons of paper being made right before your eyes.

Here are a couple amazing mill facts for you to consider:
In a single day the mill turns out around 300 tons of paper.
In one 30 ton roll you could get almost 7 million sheets of 8.5 x 11 sheets of paper.
In one minute, the mill produces 3500 feet of paper.

J-Fed giving us some instructions at the beginning of our tour. The model behind him is a replica of the Appleton Coated Mill.

Dawn rocking some serious eye protection.

Justin and Tim keeping this 30 ton roll of paper under control.

After you tour the mill, extend your trip up to Two Rivers, Wisconsin. This quaint little town is home to the  famed Hamilton Type Museum. In addition to getting a tour around their fascinating museum that includes hundreds of sets of wood type, and all the machinery used to create it, the R29 gang was able to book a class with their outstanding curator, Jim.

Jim is pictured to the left, making sure everything keeps running smoothly.

First, he is the coolest guy in Two Rivers hands down! Second, he is the most passionate person we have ever met when it comes to appreciating the art of wood type. He was more than happy to share his vast knowledge and show us how to use their many presses to create our own works of art. Appleton Coated was also very generous, supplying paper for us to do our printing!

Wood block printing (the great grandfather of wood type) can be traced back to the Chinese as far back as 868 AD. Wood type used in printing followed not long after, though it becoming increasingly popular in the early 19th century. Using wood type is an incredibly beautiful art that can be as complex or as simple as you choose.

One of the presses all set up and ready to print!

R29 love

The whole crew!

For us, it was a great experience to be able to try our hand at creating our own pieces, printing them and discovering the craft of a letter press. If you’re interested in trying it out for yourself Hamilton Type Museum is a great place to start! Another favorite of ours is Hatch Show Print in Nashville, Tennessee. Both places are run by  passionate people who will give you a great education, allowing you to experience the craft for yourself.

During our trip we got the privilege to stay at the Appleton Farm House. We very much appreciated their generous hospitality and extraordinarily good food! Thanks so much to Ferko Goldinger and John Federico for the invite and all the Appleton staff from making our trip amazing!

Love Each Other!