It’s hard to believe it’s been a year since our third annual hand turkey extravaganza ended with these great winners. The time is here once again, our friends, to charge up the tryptophan motivation and be a kid with some hand turkey works of art. Please check out our updated Show of Hands site, download the form, read the rules or check out the 2010 entries, and be among the first to enter the 4th annual Show of Hands competition. Remember outside of the sheer glory of being named champion, we enhance the sweet taste of victory with some  iTunes gifts to go with it.

PLEASE NOTE – part of your jury selection will be based on tweets, likes and comments. So enter early and enter often. Let everyone know about it and get some social networking love. Get your office into it, break out the crayons or oil pastels, make Grandma bust one out and your kids (oh yeah, we pick a kids winner too). Bottom line: Have some fun.

We are excited to see your tasty turkey creations, let’s get it rolling!

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.

We’ve been up to good stuff this sweet, steamy summer and are excited to share the highlights with you in the latest issue of Creative Matters^®, Volume 28. From new branding strategies, print collateral and glossy pages to good karma websites, hot apps and social media boosts, we’re happy to report that variety really is the spice of life.

At the top of our list comes our work with a leading academic institution, where we’ve developed a new branding strategy along with a full suite of shiny new print materials. Speaking of new, we’ve unveiled a few fresh websites for our friends at JOYRIDE and O’Neil Printing. In keeping with the hot summer spirit, we also helped design MarketDelta’s new Heat Mat App, a perfect tool for those interested in gauging the performance of top stocks and funds. We had the honor of creating three new book covers, and even challenged the concept of worthiness with a breathtaking book of photographs from MacDonald Photography. Lucky for us, we also managed to squeeze in a few healthy getaways to recharge and work on a great tan (have you seen Justin lately?).

There’s more to share and you don’t want to miss a look, so get your issue now and enjoy Creative Matters.

:: Download Creative Matters 28  ::
(It’s tasty)

We also recently updated our Creative Matters section of our site check that out too if you are ready for more goodness.

Thanks,
The Design Monkeys from Rule29

PS: We think Everybody Should Just…

Birds are chirping and it’s getting warm(ish) in Illinois right now, which means it’s time for the first Creative Matters installment of 2011. This early spring edition highlights our newest collaborative documentary filmed in Nairobi, Kenya along with the packaging and promotional materials surrounding it. Check out our latest mobile app project that hits just the right flavor notes – and speaking of tastes, expand your palate with a new website for Niche. View some stop-action whiteboard magic and many other wonderful samples of some delicious strategic creative in this issue.

:: Click here to download Creative Matters 27  ::
(You’ll be glad you did)

New things and creative reminders:

+ Premiering our latest documentary with Life In Abundance and Wonderkind April 7th. For more information check out the This is my Normal trailer

+ We were honored to be featured by Stated magazine – to see the full article go here

+ Going to the HOW Conference this year? Come see Rule29 speak about Seeing and Doing Different

Thanks,
Your Amigos from Rule29

It’s pretty exciting to think less than a month from now we will be entering our 11th year. To think we have worked with over 330 clients and have done thousands of jobs, I’m really blown away and humbled at the opportunity to make creative matter. Recalling past employees, my current team, our many partners and collaborators and the amazing clients really is…well, awesome. This little 10 x 10 microsite has been fun as it has forced me to look back at the work we have done each month, reflect on how we have evolved and what we have learned. I would highly recommend doing that at least once a year.

And after a decade of making creative matter, it’s still about one thing: doing the best strategic design possible. We all come to work each day and strive to do just that (and of course have some fun doing it).

This 10th year installment shows a variety of work, from brand, print, online and cause-related work. We hope you enjoy. Check it out here.

But before you check out the site, what were some of your highlights of 2010? Personal, professional, whatever – in the spirit of the season take time to look back and feel free to share.

PS: We plan to keep posting some of our favorite work on this tumblr as a way for us as a team to choose our favorite 10 projects every year. So stay tuned.