Making Creative Matter®

100 Years in the Making

Susan Herda — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 18:03:19 +0000

In 1912, the Titanic sank, Woodrow Wilson was elected President, and painter Jackson Pollock was born. Also that year—on Valentine’s Day, no less—the United States lovingly opened its arms to welcome Arizona to the Union, making it our 48th state. The people of Arizona have lived through so much and have an abundance of unique stories to show for it. Along with Arizona writer Lisa Schnebly Heidinger, O’Neil Printing, Roswell Bookbinding, and countless photographers and historians, Rule29 worked to collect those stories in Arizona: 100 Years Grand—a commemorative coffee table book to celebrate the State’s centennial.

The book’s outline had been in the works since 2006, with author Lisa Schnebly Heidinger working daily on the manuscript for the past two years. She came to Rule29, along with Phoenix-based O’Neil Printing and Roswell Bookbinding, in late 2010 to help bring the collection of stories to the masses. From January to August 2010, the book was in full production, with the first copies rolling off the presses last Fall. Upon seeing the finished book the first time, Lisa admitted it was quite an experience. “I think I laughed, and then I cried. It turned out to be so much more amazing than I’d dreamed…and I’d even seen pictures!” she exclaimed. For all involved, it was a labor of love, but the effort was well deserved since so much of the team had close ties to Arizona. All the generosity of the contributors was overwhelming. Everyone seemed to want to be a part of the project, with Senator John McCain and former Governor Rose Mofford (among many others) providing forewords.

“The tremendous generosity of all those who contributed beyond that point: that photographers spent their own money to travel to take pictures, that the Review Board came together and did everything on their own time…the fact-checkers, the indexer…it was truly a birthday gift from so many people to Arizona!” –Lisa Schnebly Heidinger

All the hard work definitely paid off. Not only was the book honored as “The Official Book of the Arizona Centennial,” it was named as an Official Legacy Project by the Arizona Historical Advisory Commission. Arizona: 100 Years Grand was also chosen as the adult selection for ONEBOOKAZ—a program that encourages communities to read a single book at once and participate in community discussions focused on the material.

With the centennial celebration in full swing (leading up to a big statewide event on February 14th), Arizona: 100 Years Grand is ready for its closeup. The limited edition, hardbound version features a beauty shot of Arizona’s most famous landmark, the Grand Canyon, inset into the cover. Debossed line art inspired by quilt block patterns and metallic copper foil stamping adds the perfect touch for such a special event. Inside the 248-page book, each year is detailed on its own spread and a specific focus. From historic sites and architectural achievements to tales of politics, entertainment, and even alien abductions, Arizona: 100 Years Grand is a compilation of the most interesting accounts of the last 100 years. Who knew Albert Einstein was made an honorary chief of the Hope tribe?! The timeline that runs through the book is so full of unique facts on its own!

To order a copy and help celebrate 100 Years Grand, visit www.az100yearsgrand.com. As a way to give back, we have designated twenty percent of the profits to go to the Arizona Centennial Commission—an organization focused on bringing the community together to celebrate the centennial and create a “vibrant and sustainable future” for Arizona. Let’s keep Arizona beautiful and the stories flowing!

Designs that Changed the World

Kerri Liu — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 16:43:44 +0000

We often say on this blog that design can change the world and we frequently encourage our designer & non-designer friends out there to use their talents to do just that. In this post we wanted to take a look at designs that have in fact changed the world, specifically graphic designs that have had a large amount of influence either on our day-to-day experience or our view of the world.

In our search we have made a couple realizations. First, graphic design, while it can be a means to its own end, can have extraordinary power when used as a vehicle for communicating an idea. Considering this, we have found that the most influential designs are born from a very potent idea that resonates with a large or influential group of people. This is not to say that these designs cannot take on a life of their own outside their original purposes, as many of these designs have done just that. Second, when you encourage people to go out a make a difference, you are taking a risk. Not all design that has had impacted the world has been for good. And not all creators of these designs have understood their potential.

The Stop Sign
Simple and memorable, this design has had huge impact across the globe. This 97 year old design, originating in Detroit, Michigan, has made its way to all corners of the world. The field of bright red and hexagonal shape has become a staple for traffic laws, and lives a life of it’s own in parody. This design ultimately saves millions of lives and millions of dollars in property damage each year.

Coca-Cola logo
Like many brands, the flourished flowing type of this logo can be seen all over the US and Europe. Step outside this boundary though, into less developed areas across the world and you will see this logo there as well. Carrying the hope of Western wealth and prosperity, the Coca-Cola logo adorns the walls of bodegas and small stands in the slums and remote regions of the world. It can be argued that this energetic type treatment is a thin thread of hope that connects people in these otherwise forgotten places to the rest of the world.

Helvetica
This font, created in 1957 in Switzerland by Max Miedinger along with Eduard Hoffman at the Haas type foundry, helped to usher in a new era of modern design that has been adopted around the world. Love it or hate it, this font has done much for bringing well designed typography to the masses and changed the way the world views design.

The Swastika
Not all design has a positive impact on the world, the Nazi’s use of the swastika is the perfect example. Hitler’s regime understood the power of good design and utilized it to their advantage. The style guide for the Nazi regime is hauntingly well executed reminding us that in the hands of certain people design can be a dangerous tool. Even the swastika itself, originating over 3,000 years ago, had been used to promote a myriad of positive things such as life, sun, power, strength, and good luck. But like twisting words, the Nazi’s adoption of this symbol in its white circle on a red field will forever be understood across the world be a symbol for inconceivable evil.

Wave of Peace
Designed by McRay Magleby in commemoration of the 40th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima, Wave of Peace is considered the world’s most memorable poster. And for good reason, not only is the artwork beautiful, but the message of peace it conveys transcends language and race. Prints of this poster can be found around the world and reworks are prevalent giving this design a life and meaning of its own.

This is just a small sampling of influential designs. What others come to mind when you think of designs that have had a large impact on the world?

New-Fangled Giving

Kara Ayaram — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 20:00:05 +0000

As 2011 drew to a close, you probably had giving on the mind. Not just with holiday presents and host gifts, but combined with the many requests for your year-end donations, it all conglomerated to form a whirlwind package of year-end generosity. But of course, giving doesn’t stop when January first rolls around. It’s the more subtle giving that lasts throughout the year that, perhaps, makes the bigger difference for both us and the community and world we live in. As we settle into the blank and fresh 2012, we’d like to take note of changes in the way the world gives, and perhaps write this year’s story of giving a little better than the year before.

There have been three major shifts in how we give. The first is an turning from a one-way donor-to-recipient model to a community-oriented, grassroots partnership model. Instead of giving toward large, multifaceted undertakings, projects are smaller, and communication between donor and recipient is increased, and sometimes even tangible. Therefore, gifts aren’t seen as much as donations, but more of a support partnership. It’s been around for a while, with the likes of microfinance-oriented sites you’ve heard of like Kiva and Kickstarter.

The second big shift, which smaller microfinance projects automatically lend themselves toward, is the connecting with an experience or story. People who give, especially during the upswing of a recession, want to feel connected with their recipients and know their support is making a difference. They want to actually feel a part of a not-so-happy beginning turning into a happy ending. Kiva and Global Giving (among many others) allow supporters the luxury of hearing from recipients first-hand. A more recent evolution of experience-oriented support, specifically in the innovation community, is Quarterly Co. This is a whole new arena that plays off of a subscription model, supporting the work of creative thinkers who send a story-driven gift every three months in the mail. It’s a new (and tangible) way to think about connectedness and support of innovators (and the USPS – check it out).

The third shift is that giving is social. Take ONE, Pepsi Refresh, text message giving, Twitter campaigns, etc. Giving today is more social that ever. It’s a duty, it’s something we take part in together. 52 x 52 is just one of many new platforms that get people together to give more abundantly, and we spoke about the Leap Year Project a few posts back. More than ever, people are able to band together to create positive change.

But underlying it all, there’s a more subtle twist in the giving storyline. The line between giving and consumerism is blurring. Today, conscious consumers purchase with purpose. They are motivated by the story and buy into products with the intent to create positive change. Buying is giving. According to Slavoj Zizek, you are not just buying something, you are buying into something bigger. (Although Zizek goes into a fascinating discussion of consumer motivation of purchasing these goods, that is a discussion for another post. See the full video.) This idea of course started with the likes of (RED) and other charitably-based product lines, which multiplied into grassroots story-driven companies you see everywhere today.

We love giving, and it’s interesting to see how it continually evolves in our culture. Recognizing these shifts has affected the way we as designers think about messaging, how we communicate those messages, and how we give ourselves. The best part of all of this is that there are more ways to be a part of supporting others than ever before. So get out there in 2012 and start giving, and share with us what you do or what you see.

Top 29 Memorable Moments of 2011

Bob Davidson — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 14:31:11 +0000

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?

Tired of Resolutions? Let’s Try Leaping…

Justin Ahrens — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 20:25:01 +0000

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?

TEDxNaperville – See Different, Do Different

Katrina Strich — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 03:28:17 +0000

We are big TED and TEDx fans at Rule29. And we are excited to share Justin’s first TEDx talk – See Different, Do Different. As people who wonder, we are built to see the world differently than most. It’s one of our unique, innovative traits. We all say we want to be a part of changing the world, but how do you actually accomplish this? Watch his TEDx Naperville talk and the other great speakers too.

Best Christmas Episode Ever?

Bob Davidson — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 20:50:33 +0000

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.

And the Winners Are…

Tim Damitz — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 16:49:46 +0000

Thanksgiving has come and past, and with that, our fourth annual By a Show of Hands competition has drawn to a close. The Rule29 crew was faced with the difficult task of setting down our turkey sandwiches and picking the winning examples from an amazing turnout of 134 hand turkeys. It wasn’t easy. There were some fierce arguments over personal favorites but we came to a peaceful consensus on this year’s winners.

Without further ado…

We’ll start with the kids bracket. Coming in the Runner’s Up spot: Nathan, age 13 with the Martian Turkey. Despite the potential Homeland Security risk, this turkey shows us that you don’t have to be from Earth to celebrate the glorious holiday that is Thanksgiving. Nathan, don’t let this Martian Turkey run away back to Mars with your $15 iTunes gift card.

And the winner of the kid’s bracket is… Bailey Curtis, age 11 with the mysterious and apparently startled Handopus! This creature of the deep was a unique, five-armed interpretation of the Turkey of the Sea (which I can only assume is an octopus). Bailey, we hope you enjoy the $25 iTunes gift card!

On to the grown-ups! The runner up for this year’s competition is Erik Michael Garland Fox with his wonderful watercolor (and slightly neon) interpretation of a hand turkey. How our favorite holiday fowl manages to keep a fedora on under water is beyond us, but we appreciate Erik’s sketchy style and excellent use of color throughout. Erik, congratulations on your $25 iTunes gift card.

Now the moment you’ve all been waiting for – the winner of this year’s overall contest is…

Todd McQueen and his “Protect the Ball” turkey. I think it’s safe to say that fall is probably not the turkey’s favorite season due to… well… us eating them and all. But this turkey is making the best of it by enjoying a little pigskin action. We can only assume that this turkey juked its way out of peril to live and play another day. $50 could buy a lot of football apps on iTunes, Todd!

But that’s not all! This year’s turnout was indeed amazing and we’re incredibly grateful for all of those who submitted their depictions of turkeys both big and small. As a result, we’ve decided to bring in an Honorable Mention winner this year. Another $25 iTunes card goes to Carolyn Watson Dubisch for this snapshot of a real life hand turkey captured in the wild. Thank you Carolyn, for your incredible gaggle of turkeys this year!

And with that, the hand turkey season is closed for the year. You can still see all the entries from this year and last on the site, and keep an eye out after Halloween next year, when the fifth annual contest will surely return. Until then, we hope you enjoy your leftovers!

(Winners, please contact us here at Rule29 so we can help get your prize to you!)

Thankful.

Bob Davidson — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 22:16:54 +0000

There is a reason they call it Thanksgiving. It’s not about Turkey. It’s not about football. And it’s not about Black Friday Eve. Simply put, it’s about being thankful. And while the idea might seemed played, or even a bit cliche’ this time of year, there is something about the creating space to be thankful. To thank.

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)

What Matters to You?

Kerri Liu — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 17:17:25 +0000

What matters to you?

I’ve noticed that we ask this question to other people a lot around here. Whether it’s our clients, friends or family members, we are really interested in what matters to others. It means something to us, helps us to understand and live in harmony with each other. Why is it then, that we ask ourselves this question so infrequently?

In the spirit of the season, we would like to change that. So we are posing this question to ourselves and to you.

What matters to you?

We encourage you to take some time to stop and really wonder about it. Don’t be intimidated. Start small. What matters to you today? Is it getting to work on time? Making sure you get through your to do list? Spending a couple quality hours with your family tonight?

Recently we created a space to collect the things that matter to us. It’s a site that holds the words and images that represent what is important to us (take a peek here). We’d love for you to take a look and if you’d like, take those ideas you’ve come up with and add to this collection of things that matter (you can also submit via the #matterstoyou hash-tag on Twitter).

So, try to set aside a moment to pause and consider what matters to you. It could be what’s in front of you right now.

Join us in sharing what matters to you!