Rule29

Most brands are built to stand apart. 9Fold Collective was built to stand together.

Over the last year, we've had the privilege of helping shape the brand, messaging, website, launch, and ongoing storytelling for 9Fold, a collective of independent print, packaging, marketing, and communication companies working together to create something bigger than any one organization could build alone.

What makes the story interesting isn't the logo. It isn't the website. And it isn't the social content we've been creating recently.

It's the idea behind it.

In a world that often rewards competition, 9Fold is built on collaboration.
+ Independent companies sharing expertise.
+ Solving bigger challenges together.
+ Creating more opportunities for clients and each other.

The recent social campaigns have been focused on telling that story. Highlighting the people, partnerships, capabilities, and collective impact that make 9Fold unique. Because the best brands don't just communicate what they do. They help people believe in what's possible.

Congratulations to the entire 9Fold team. Excited to continue helping tell the story. For more check out their site: https://9foldcollective.com/

O'Neil Printing Printing Solutions

The best in the biz: 2026 Logo Trend Report - LogoLounge.com

2026 Logo Trend Report - LogoLounge Logo Trends 2026 Logo Trend Report By Bill Gardner | Jun 5, 2026 This has been a unique year for this report, as it lands alongside the release of my new book, The LogoLounge Guide to Iconic Branding. Share LinkedIn Facebook X Pinterest Email This has been a unique year for this report, as it la.....

Most companies don't have a marketing problem. They have a clarity problem.

When leadership, marketing, sales, HR, customer experience, and operations all describe the company differently, every touchpoint works harder than it should. That's why we built the Brand Roadmap. Not to create another brand document that sits on a shelf.

To help organizations answer questions like:
• Why do we exist beyond making money?
• What promise are we making to customers?
• How do we want people to describe us when we're not in the room?
• What makes us different in a way that actually matters?

When those answers become clear, everything gets easier:
✓ Better websites
✓ Stronger marketing campaigns
✓ More aligned teams
✓ Faster decision making
✓ More consistent customer experiences
✓ Greater trust and loyalty

The strongest brands aren't built from logos or taglines. They're built from alignment.

The Brand Roadmap helps organizations align around their Purpose, Promise, Personality, and Perception before investing in creative, campaigns, websites, or growth initiatives. Because creative works best when everyone knows exactly what they're building toward.

If your team would answer "What do we stand for?" five different ways, it might be time for a roadmap. For more check this out: https://www.rule29.com/brand-roadmap

What SEO, AEO, and GEO Really Mean Now, and What Smart Businesses Should Do Next

Justin Ahrens argues that SEO, AEO, and GEO represent an evolution from traditional search ranking to answer extraction and AI-generated citation systems, meaning businesses now need not just discoverable websites, but clear, credible, and consistently structured brands that machines can confidently understand, trust, and reference.

Read the full feature :

What SEO, AEO, and GEO Really Mean Now, and What Smart Businesses Should do Next – PRINT Magazine Justin Ahrens argues that SEO, AEO, and GEO represent an evolution from traditional search ranking to answer extraction and AI-generated citation systems, meaning businesses now need not just discoverable websites, but clear, credible, and consistently structured brands that machines can confidently...

The best creative work doesn't just entertain us. It helps us see ourselves, our stories, and the world around us a little differently.

That's one reason we're excited about the premiere of Sleeping At Last: Light Carries On - produced and filmed by our long time partner Brian MacDonald from Wonderkind Studios.

Through music, reflection, and honest storytelling, this film explores what it means to create meaningful work and live with intention. Themes that are close to our hearts at Rule29.

If you're looking for something thoughtful, inspiring, and deeply human, we encourage you to give it a watch. Let us know what part of the story stays with you.

🎬 Watch the premiere today and this weekend!!!

https://kinema.com/films/sleeping-at-last-light-carries-on-mxloxy

Reservation 15 of At The Table became a conversation about leadership, uncertainty, AI, burnout, pressure, family, purpose, and what it means to stay connected to yourself and others while the world keeps accelerating around us.

There was no agenda to solve anything. No performance. No pretending certainty. Just honest conversation.

One idea kept surfacing throughout the night: People are craving connectedness more than perfection. Connectedness to meaningful work.

To honest friendships. To teams they trust. To families they feel present with. To lives that actually feel aligned instead of simply productive.

At one point someone said: “The future will belong to leaders willing to admit they’re still learning.” Because underneath all the conversation about leadership and technology was something much more human:

People are tired. Not just physically. Emotionally.
Tired of performing certainty.
Tired of managing perception.
Tired of feeling connected to everything digitally while disconnected from each other personally.

And maybe that’s why nights like this matter. Not because anyone leaves with perfect answers. Because people leave reminded they’re not carrying these questions alone.

Grateful for conversations that help people feel a little more human again. If you are interested in moments like this - check out: https://www.atthetable.is/



Thank you John Pobojewski, Scott Hursthouse, Aveline Hauser, Jonathan Fiala, and Brad Farris for joining!

Some people just feel like a natural fit from day one. We’re excited to welcome Jenn Totten back to the Rule29 team as our new Senior Account Lead.

Jenn brings experience in brand strategy, content development, client leadership, and campaign ex*****on, along with a thoughtful way of helping brands clarify their story and strengthen how they connect with people.

She’s passionate about storytelling, positioning, and turning complex ideas into clear, meaningful action. At Rule29, she’ll help lead key client engagements from strategy through ex*****on while partnering closely with our team and clients to create work that truly matters.

Outside of work, Jenn is usually planning her next trip, redesigning a space in her home, or spending time with her 12 nieces and nephews. Lisbon still ranks high on her list of favorite places, and there’s a good chance a Tito’s and water is involved somewhere at the end of the week.

Welcome back, Jenn. We’re really glad you’re here: https://www.rule29.com/team/jenn-totten

What does it actually take to build a career in comedy?

Apparently it helps if:
+ your family treats the dinner table like an Olympic debate event
+ your dad laughs so hard in church he gets in trouble
+ and your roommate is 91 years old

In this episode of DesignOf Podcast, Nancy O'Connor talks about what it really looks like to pursue stand-up comedy while life keeps handing you material whether you asked for it or not.

We talk about bombing at open mics, awkward dating stories, turning family chaos into bits, and learning that most comedians are basically just observers with a Notes app and unresolved issues.

But underneath all the laughs is something deeper.

This conversation is about finding your voice before you fully believe in it. About doing things before you feel ready. And about realizing that the weird, uncomfortable, everyday moments in your life might actually be the thing worth paying attention to. “I don’t think you decide to be a comedian once. I think you keep deciding.”

Listen here: https://www.rule29.com/podcast/the-design-of-figuring-it-out-on-stage-meet-nancy-o-conner

When everyone can design, what actually matters changes.
AI is making creation faster. Easier. More accessible.

But it is also making one thing clear. Good design is not the advantage anymore. Clear thinking is.

The brands that win will not be the ones who make more. They will be the ones who mean more.

This is why Making Creative Matter matters now more than ever.
Worth the read if you are building a brand, not just content.
https://www.rule29.com/stories/when-everyone-can-design-what-matters-changes

Grateful to Print Magazine for including our writing and our podcast Design Of on their platform.

If you are thinking through what this shift means for your brand, let’s connect.

What happens when an entire industry starts thinking like a platform instead of just a show?

Working with Amusement Expo International, we had the chance to help bring operators, manufacturers, distributors, and innovators closer together than ever.

From strategy and theme to design, AI, advertising, and more, this was about building something bigger than a moment. It was about creating a year-round connection point for the industry.

“Next Is Now: Tomorrow’s industry. Today’s platform.” wasn’t just a line. It became the direction.

Grateful for the trust. Even more excited for what’s ahead.

If you’re thinking about how to evolve your brand, event, or platform, let’s connect. https://www.rule29.com/contact