One of the most enjoyable things in life to me is music. Not a day goes by without catching at least part of some melody. In fact, there is a belief held by some that music is everywhere and in everything you hear. Think along the lines of Disney’s Tarzan movie and the scene Trashing the Camp where the characters just start banging pots together. Or, there’s the famous composition by John Cage called 4’33’’ where the score (which can be played by any combination of instruments) calls for the performer(s) to remain silent for the entire duration of the piece. You might understand why it’s commonly referred to as “four minutes thirty-three seconds of silence”, and what you really end up hearing is the environmental sounds that surround you. This has become Cage’s most famous and controversial composition.

Music is all about opinions and everyone has their own viewpoint and taste in it. Bette Midler once said, “Rap is poetry set to music. But to me it’s like a jackhammer.”

Here at Rule29, we have music playing all day long and very different music tastes in the office. On any given day we can go from listening to the Glee soundtrack (I’ll save my love of Glee for a different post) to rocking out to Arctic Monkeys, classic Jonny Cash, and clubbing to Jason Derulo. Just take a look at our last.FM to see what’s on today’s playlist, and remember every Friday afternoon tends to be main stream hiphop.

The tricky part of having an office full of such different tastes is finding music everyone can enjoy listening to. You can always pawn off the responsibility of keeping the music running to the intern and then blame him or her if you dislike what comes up. I tend to take a different route altogether and just put our whole music library on shuffle , all 100 GBs or so of media. It’s like eating trail mix, a delightful mixture of sound.

What’s on your office playlist? Anything you enjoy listening to that might cause someone to do a double take?

So crank up the volume and get back to work!

A few months ago, I had an idea for a new personal project. Over the years I had amassed quite a few pairs of shoes. Nothing crazy, but a nice, modest collection that I was really into. Just for Kicks started as an idea to illustrate each pair of my shoes and put them together in a blog (and a book). Every shoe will be illustrated and documented. After those are done, I’m moving onto friends’ and colleagues’ shoes. Shoes are one thing we all have in common. We likely all have a favorite pair – and I want to document that.

The idea behind it was quite simple, really: I wanted to illustrate more. And I needed to create something new to keep myself inspired. A fellow designer  (and close friend), Mig Reyes, spoke to the importance of this idea of “passion projects” recently at HOW (PDF). The presentation was great – and I can’t really replicate it  – but essentially:

We need to find something that we’re really passionate about.

This keeps all of our work at a high level. Inspiration is contagious, and one project will flow into another, and into another. Before you know it, you’re treating the most mundane project to come across your desk with that same passion that started with the little personal project you decided to do.

It’s also a fantastic catalyst to learn something new.

I wouldn’t know how to create a Tumblr theme for my site if it weren’t for personal projects. Nor would I have any knowledge of motion graphics. These self-taught skills translated into real applications in projects here at Rule29. The point is: if there is something you want to learn – go out and create a project for yourself to get it done. Challenge yourself. Dream big, and reel it in as you need to. The payoff is two-fold: a great project for yourself, and a new skill/perspective to bring to your paid work.

Do you have a favorite project that keeps you inspired? Any ideas boiling deep down in your soul, just waiting for you to let them out? How about sharing them in the comments? Because once you share the idea with the world, you’re out of excuses! Time to get started!

R29: How fast can you grow a beard?
Not very, but when I hit puberty it will probably come in a little faster. I can rock the creeper mustache from week to week though.

R29: What is your fav movie?
It depends on the genre, Comedy: Anchorman, Indie: City of God, Drama: Requiem for a Dream, Epic battle movie: Star Wars: Empire Strikes Back

R29: Do you enjoy drama in your ever day life?
I dislike it, but it sometimes can be a little fun if your not in it.

R29: Favorite karaoke song?
Well I usually do karaoke every other Thursday so I will list some of my all time favorites.

Elton John – Crocodile Rock

Seal – Kiss by a Rose

Geto Boys – Damn it Feels Good to be a Gangsta

Third Eye Blind – Semi Charmed Life

I sang No Scrubs last week by TLC which I enjoyed.

R29: Do you choreograph your karaoke?
Absolutely, it includes about 90% pelvic thrusting, and the rest some sort of flailing of the arms. The ladies dig it.

R29: Type of food to consume the most of?
Hard-shell tacos. I destroy a Taco Bell at 2 am at least once a week

R29: How many tacos in a month can you eat?
I figure I can do about 6-7 per day, times 30 days, hmmm sooo around 200 on a bad month. For a skinny guy I can sure pack a punch when it comes to tacos.

R29: Batman or Superman?
Possibly Superman.

R29: Surprising thing you’ve learned so far about R29?
Tim likes mainstream rap after 1 pm.

R29: Will you be able to keep the fish alive for a month?
I heard that Kellen, the last intern, killed one of the most respected fish. So I will do everything in my power to keep these beautiful creatures alive and well.

R29: What was your fav moment of your first week at R29?
I got really excited when I got to work on my first real project. As well as all of the Katrina “ism’s”.

R29: What’s your superpower?
I am not sure if it is a superpower, but I do have the power of the wink. The ability to smooth out any awkward situation or comment. It comes in handy on an everyday basis. Its actually a genetic superpower that was passed down from my mom onto my sister and I. If I could I would use my powers to help the Cubs win the World Series in some way.

R29: Do you like office supplies?
Working at an office supply store for 4 years prior to coming here, no. Although, I do enjoy a good sticky note from time to time.

R29: If you’re going to be a verb what verb and why?
Connectify. It was a verb made up in a class for an identity project meaning “to connect”. I feel like that’s what I do as a person, somehow.

R29: If you where a fashion designer what type of clothing would you design?
Strictly neckties. More specifically piano key neckties.

R29: Mac and Cheese: what type of pasta?
Definitely shells if its a special occasion. But I stick with the regular macaroni noodles when money is tight.

R29: Fav PMS?
It would probably have to be 186.

R29: If you could co-host the Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards with anyone living or dead who would it be?
Billy Ray Cyrus, anyone that can rock the mullet through the year 2000 is okay in my book.

R29: If you were to wear a gown down the red carpet, who would be your designer?
My grandma can make a pretty slick gown, does that count?

R29: What made you want to be a graphic a designer instead of a fireman?
Actually fireman was always my fall back plan incase design didn’t work out. But the fact that I’m 6’2” and weight a whole 150lbs, being a fireman probably wouldn’t be the best career choice. I have always enjoyed making things look neat and interesting when I was a kid. But It was probably since I was in a series of bands in high school, and being the only computer nerd of my friends, found myself always making the logo or logotype for the bands. Then I started expanding and making more for other friend’s bands and realized that I really liked creating a mark that represents something substantial. So I started taking graphic design classes, and here I am today.

R29: What do you think our office smells like?
Awesomeness, friendship, and a little bit of Tim’s “musk”

R29: Preferred way to die?
I would probably jump out of an airplane, just because I would never have enough courage to do it thinking I will survive. Either that or getting pelted in the head by a 97 mph fastball from Carlos Marmol.

R29: Can we count on you to help count cards?
I’m not so great at math, but I am very good at baseball like hand signals.

R29: Brady bunch or the Partridge family?
Partridge family for sure. I sing at least 23 songs on a daily basis, so I feel like I would fit right in.

R29: Jonas brothers or Miley Cryus?
Well as I said before I am quite a fan of the Billy Ray mullet, but I’m going to have to go with my JoBros on this one.

R29: If you had to be someone’s foot stool for a day in the office whose would you be?
Seeing as there is not anything in the world that I hate more than feet, I probably would take a pass on that one. Plus I might be to awkwardly tall for a foot stool. That might propose a problem for someone to step up to.

R29: What is the square root of 245?
I love lamp?

R29: Do you prefer to work with the lights on or off?
I actually prefer to work with as much light as electricity will provide me. I have about 7 lamps surrounding my computer at home. I’m scared of the dark.

R29: How do you feel about pants?
I’m quite glad you asked that, love them.

If you have more questions for the new intern let us know and also keep a look out for his posts and crazy adventures at Rule29.

For those of you who are familiar with the traditional Rule29 trip to the Utopia paper mill in Appleton, Wisconsin, it should come as no surprise that this year was as informative, educational, and enjoyable as years past. In fact, this trip was particularly inspirational since we spent the day with our amigos, the talented team from Grip Design along with our hosts from Appleton Coated. But this year, instead of touring the mill itself, we visited the Hamilton Wood Type Museum in Two Rivers, Wisconsin, which was just a short trip from the Appleton farm house.

The Hamilton Wood Type Museum is operated by volunteers from the Two Rivers Historical Society who are dedicated to the preservation, study, production and printing of wood type. Our tour guide, Jim Van Lanen, taught us about the history of wood type, as well as the functional operations of printing with it. We had the opportunity to see the equipment used to print with wood and metal type and even watched as one of the volunteers carved out a letter “C” with centuries-old machinery.

As we walked through the museum, which looked far more like a workshop, it was amazing to consider the evolution and development of both type and typography. Jim had mentioned to us that the catalyst for the creation of the Hamilton Wood type factory in 1880 was that the local newspaper editor wanted to promote a Grand Ball being hosted at Turner Hall. He requested that Edward Hamilton create a block printing surface to be used in the printing of promotional posters for the event. Sitting on his mother’s porch, using a foot-powered scroll saw, Hamilton carved out the type that would be used for the Grand Ball promotion and become the foundation for the J.E. Hamilton Hollywood Type Company.

Running my fingers over the metal and wood type laid out in California Job Cases and little wooden drawers, it was easy to see how this method could produce such beautiful and tactile works of both art and design. From the walls of the museum, examples of this type of work hung as great impressions of a bygone era. And, even a few locally created samples by our favorite pal Jim Sheridan from Hatch Show Print dangled from the ceilings and walls around the museum.

Returning to the farm, we enjoyed a nice evening of playing shuffle board, chess, tossing a football around, and even watching as the international space station passed overhead silently through the night sky. We all really enjoyed spending the day with our hosts from Appleton and our friends from Grip. Special thanks to Ferko and Nicole for all their help and time spent with us over the years.

Take a look at the good times captured on Flickr.

“Textbook” latin scientific names included, Rule29 was given the honor of curating and designing the latest installment of Rockport’s incredibly popular Best of Business Card Design series. It seems like we just started this project yesterday, but in reality, it was more like 14 months ago (but who’s counting). Regardless, it’s been a great honor to be chosen with the daunting responsibility of following up the great work that was done for the previous editions.

Personally, it was a great experience getting to really immerse myself in the publishing process. From organizing the entries coming in (no small task for our small team, mind you) to overseeing the final layout of the book, I was able to learn something from each step. Over time, I became rather attached to the product that we, as a team, were building.

It all began with the cover. Once that design was established, the call for entries was distributed and we began receiving a multitude of great entries (especially during the extended deadline period, because we all know how designers love to procrastinate). And when I say ‘multitude’, I mean it. We received over 2500 entries from all over the world. The chosen cards were then organized into the proper categories and scanned/photographed. Then we began the daunting task of laying out all 240 pages of the book in a way that kept fresh but consistent throughout. Finally, we received a few rounds of revisions and proofs, and before we know it… BAM… we have a book in our hands.

I’m so proud of projects like this because it puts the benefits of working collaboratively out on display for the world to see and experience. It’s not talk of ‘teamwork’. It’s a tangible example of excelling through working together to produce something much more substantial than any one person could do on their own.

The result of months of work, countless manilla folders, and hours upon hours of designing, organizing, and revising is a book that we are genuinely proud of. We’re grateful to Rockport Publishers for including us in the series, and we hope that everyone will find the ninth book as useful as the eight the preceded it.

I almost forgot: You can pick the book up at Amazon for $29.70 (coincidence?) or at many of your favorite bookstores around the country.

With this project under our belt now, I’d love to see what other collaborative projects you, our faithful reader, are proud of making. So, let’s open up and share – don’t be shy.

So Superbowl XLIV is over…great game! All the food has been consumed (Jambalaya made the menu at many of the gatherings; recipe here). Also, I was introduced to the “It’s My Solo Cup.” Have you seen them? Great idea!

But now the real and meaningful conversations begin! No, not arguing about which quarterback will have the higher rating next year or how all of us would like to live in south Florida. We now get to rehash, relive and re-quote the Superbowl commercials!!!

This year, the average cost for the 30 second commercial spot was roughly $3 million, so the longer the conversation lasts, the better for these guys! They tried many different tactics to get our attention. There were the animals: chickens, beavers, and Clydesdales. Athletes from the past pimping products (really Joe Montana? Sketcher Shape-Ups?). There were babies & toddlers talking trash – always a crowd favorite! Another one that, unfortunately, made its way into the mix this year was men in tighty whities.

There were a new ideas that entered the game this year. Focus on the Family, along with Tim Tebow & his mother, choose to talk about Right To Life. They might have just gotten their $3 million worth before the spot ever aired! And, Miller decided to “give” its spot and stay online to small businesses who could really use it. Pepsi went with a whole other approach…no commercial! Instead they wanted to help change the world.

Here at Rule29, we took an exceptionally informal poll, and here are some of our favorites:

#1 ) Snickers/Betty White
#2 ) Motorola/Megan Fox
#3 ) Denny’s
#4 ) E*Trade

What were your favorites? Most disappointing? Most amusing? Did you enjoy the game or the commercials more?

For me, I enjoyed both, but I am finding more people are talking about what was on the TV when the game itself wasn’t on!

(Step back over the past few years. Here is what Rule29 thought of the past few year’s Super Bowl Ads for 2009 and 2008.)

Recently we created a new twitter feed dedicated to the interactions that take place between us, our clients, partners and even random visitors. Sometimes you hear quite memorable and inspiring quotes, and other times errors in grammar reign supreme. From a self negating statement like, “For 40 bucks, you get a month of free yoga”, to a motivational Timspiration™ such as “Zubaz are always a good alternative,” every bit contributes to the experience of the Rule29 culture. As the current intern of R29 I have taken it upon myself to track and archive all the memorable quotes over the past six months. I found myself wondering about how much time it was taking to record these statements and if it would really be adding anything to the overall effectiveness of our work. Soon after thinking about the question, I remembered a book I had read.

In an architecture class many years ago, I read Cradle to Cradle, by an architect named William McDonough and a chemist named Michael Braungart. In the book they cover topics ranging from the current approach to ideas of renewability and sustainability, to using architecture to better your productivity and overall contribution to the workplace. Relating to this Cradle to Cradle mentality, I remembered a particular metaphor that McDonough and Braungart discussed relating to the ecological impact that a cherry tree has on its environment.

“Consider the cherry tree: thousands of blossoms create fruit for birds, humans, and other animals, in order that one pit might eventually fall onto the ground, take root, and grow. Who would look at the ground littered with cherry blossoms and complain, How inefficient and wasteful! The tree makes copious blossoms and fruit without depleting its environment. Once they fall on the ground, their materials decompose and break down into nutrients that nourish microorganisms, insects, plants, animals, and soil. Although the tree actually makes more of its product than it needs for its own success in an ecosystem, this abundance has evolved (through millions of years of success and failure or, in business terms, R&D), to serve rich and varied purposes. In fact, the tree’s fecundity nourishes just about everything around it. What might the human built world look like if the cherry tree had produced?”

It was interesting that although I cannot measure the tangible effects of the humorous and sometimes inspirational dialogue that flow through our workspace, they clearly contribute to the environment and culture of the office. So what is to be learned by the application of these ideas in our everyday interactions? I would contend that even the smallest events and environmental considerations all add up to a sum larger than the parts. Each hilarious comment, video and inspirational quote adds something to our office culture. In my estimation, if the human built world were to operate like a cherry tree, it would look similar to Rule29.

Enjoy some of the Rule29 culture for yourself, and follow our comments on twitter @Around29.com, @rule29 or @designsobriety

Building off of our last post, I’d like to introduce you, our faithful readers, to the newest member of the Rule29 Tenth Anniversary family: The R29 Retrospect.

Over the past decade, the R29 team has completed hundreds upon hundreds of jobs. Naturally, picking out only ten favorites from each year is no easy task. But who doesn’t like a good challenge? So, we have set out to share a few examples from each year.

So, here is how it’s going to work:

Each month, we’re going to post ten jobs from each year beginning with Rule29’s inaugural season, 2000. Pretty simple, yeah? Ten from ten in ten (projects, years, months, respectively).

What are you waiting for? Check it out.

Do you have a favorite Rule29 project? Let us know in the comments; we’d love to hear some feedback while we select projects from the other years.

Now that we’re almost two-thirds of the way through January, it’s safe to say that 2010 is fully under way. And with 2010 comes the 10th anniversary of Rule29. Some of you may be thinking, “It’s just ten years, what’s the big deal?” Well, think of all the great things that come in tens, like sets of bowling pins! That’s all I can think of right now, but trust me… there’s more.

We have some special promotions and events planned to celebrate ten years of Making Creative Matter™, but after several long brainstorming sessions, not all of the ideas were perfect. For instance, one idea was to do a series of movie nights where we’d watch films that correlate to the number 10. Movies like 10 Things I Hate About You, or watching 1/30th of the movie 300, or watching Se7en 1.42857143 times. I know, those are great ideas. And if those are the ones that got cut, imagine what we’re really going to do! Seriously, prepare yourself.

The first 10th anniversary materials to come from our studio were penned by our most recent high school intern, Tyler. Tyler worked on a couple great poster ideas to celebrate Rule29 and the number 10.

To begin, Tyler made some sketches based on those vague guidelines. We wanted to see what his mind saw as important for R29. The first poster was a nice geometric, borderline-abstract representation of rows and rows of buildings. The buildings represented those who we have connected with and affected through the years. The concept was to portray the outward focus aspect of what we do instead of the common theme of looking inward during an anniversary.

The second, and my personal favorite, poster featured the trademark 29 comprised of math equations that all equal the number 10. It’s been a while since we’ve used calculus for one of our projects. Way to go, Tyler!

We have eleven more months of 2010, and we’ve only just begun. Stay tuned for more anniversary goodness coming your way soon!

The number ten is too much fun to just ignore; what kinds of awesome stuff would you do (or have done) to celebrate a ten year anniversary?