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):

Read the rest of the entry >

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…

Almost ten years ago now, I had one of those moments that impacted the way I have seen the world ever since. It wasn’t a big event. It was a simple conversation. A conversation with a few colleagues about a particular event we were involved in. I asked them how they felt it went.

One responded pretty quickly, “It was good. I thought it went well.”

The other paused for a few moments as he stared the other down. “No it wasn’t. It wasn’t good at all. It sucked. How could you possibly think that was a good meeting? Nobody was engaged. Nobody cares. Everyone simply wanted to walk out the door.”

If you’ve been following Designer Sobriety at all, you’ll understand that we frequently return to a couple of basic concepts. One, is our ability to define reality in a particular situation. The other is our willingness to see different.

Personally, one of my greatest fears in life is eventually becoming like the colleague referenced above – oblivious and/or complacent to reality. It is all too common that at some point in life, we move into a robotic-like mode and say whatever we need to say to not rock the boat.

But often the boat simply needs to be rocked.

As in the situation referenced above, we should welcome the haters. We need the perspective of the other side.

One of the best examples of this in the current marketplace is none other than Miracle Whip. With their new campaign “Are you Miracle Whip?”, they take the plunge in defining reality and a willingness to see different. To do this, they have pushed an online campaign to welcome not on the Miracle Whip lovers, but the haters as well.

It would feel hypocritical at this point if we did not practice what we preach. So, as we invite you to define reality and/or welcome the haters, we want to do the same. Tell us what you love. But more importantly, tell us what you hate.