01OUR STORY
A story worth telling. An impact worth making.
Rule29 is a creative agency for organizations that believe their work matters. We help leaders uncover the clearest and most compelling version of that story. Then we build the brand, tools, and experiences that help people see it, believe in it, and act on it.
StrategyIdentityDigitalPrintMotionEnvironmentsAI
Not a collection of disconnected services. One connected system designed to help people understand who you are, why you matter, and what to do next.
We call that Making Creative Matter®.
And yes, we take the work seriously. Ourselves, slightly less so.
Why we exist
Creative should do more than decorate.
- It should clarify an idea.
- Build trust.
- Move someone to act.
- Help an organization grow.
- Make something better.
That belief has guided Rule29 from the beginning. It still guides every question we ask, every idea we challenge, and every detail we make.
Your story
You have a story worth telling.
But even strong organizations can be misunderstood. A message gets complicated. A brand stops reflecting the business. Teams tell different versions of the same story. What makes you different becomes harder to see.
That is where we come in.
We help uncover what is true, shape it into something clear, and create a system your people can use with confidence.
The goal is not simply to get attention.
The goal is to become understood, remembered, and chosen.
The stakes
Being misunderstood is expensive.
- It costs attention.
- It slows decisions.
- It creates inconsistency.
- It makes good people work harder to explain what should already be clear.
A strong brand closes that gap. It aligns what you believe, what you say, what you make, and what people experience.
How to use this guide
This guide tells two connected stories.
The first is who Rule29 is and why we work the way we do. The second is how that story comes to life through our logo, color, type, language, imagery, motion, and behavior.
Use it as a standard, but not a straitjacket.
Consistency builds recognition.
Creativity keeps it interesting.
Great brand strategy makes those both happen.
02LOGO
A quiet rule. A confident number.
The lowercase r brings warmth and approachability. The 29 gives the mark its strength and distinction. Together, they create an identity that feels clear, modern, human, and ready to move. Our logo should never compete with the work. It should sign it with confidence.
SONIC LOGO
The identity, heard and seen.
The Rule29 sonic logo combines motion, image, and sound into one short introduction.
The Rule29 sonic mark · 2025
Keep it intact. Do not shorten, remix, re-score, or add your cousin’s garage-band outro. We are sure they are talented.
A · THE MARK
The r29 symbol.
This is the most compact form of our identity. Use it when the full wordmark will not fit or when the brand needs to move quickly.
Reversed · brand gradient
SVG + PNG provided · scalable for most uses
B · THE WORDMARK
Rule29 in full.
Use the wordmark when the complete name should be read clearly.
Reversed · brand gradient
SVG + PNG provided · scalable for most uses
C · THE AVATAR
The brand at its most compact.
The rounded tile is designed for:
Navy and violet
Navy and blue
Navy
White
LOGO BASICS
Give the logo room to breathe.
Always
- Use approved artwork
- Preserve the original proportions
- Maintain clear space around the mark
- Choose the version with the strongest contrast
Never
- Stretch, skew, or rotate it
- Rebuild it in another typeface
- Add shadows, outlines, or effects
- Place it over a busy image without enough contrast
- Change the approved colors
- Make it "just a little bigger" seventeen times
Why we exist
Making Creative Matter®
03COLOR WITH A JOB TO DO
Our colors are expressive, but they are never random.
Indigo and blue form the center of the Rule29 palette. Navy gives the system weight. The secondary colors add warmth, contrast, optimism, and range. Every color should help create hierarchy, emotion, or meaning.
Accessibility
Contrast is a design decision.
If the work cannot be read, it cannot matter.
We design digital color combinations to meet WCAG 2.1 AA standards or better. Accessibility is not a final check. It is part of the creative process from the start.
Preferred readable pairings
White on Navy
17.37:1
Peri on Navy
8.39:1
White on Indigo
8.02:1
Navy on Peri 20
15.15:1
Navy on White
17.37:1
Red on White
7.77:1
Green on White
5.22:1
Avoid
Avoid · Fuchsia on Navy
5.13:1
Fuchsia body copy on navy.
Use · White on Navy
17.37:1
Avoid · Tomato on White
3.93:1
Tomato body copy on white.
Use · Red on White
7.77:1
Avoid · Lime on White
2.02:1
Lime body copy on white.
Use · Green on White
5.22:1
Always confirm the live contrast ratio before publishing. Never rely on appearance alone.
04Typography
Three styles. One voice.
Typography gives the Rule29 story pace and personality.
Marlide Display creates expressive moments. Inter keeps information clear. Roboto Mono organizes the details.
Marlide Display
Story matters.
Story matters.
Use for
- Primary headlines
- Campaign statements
- Editorial moments
- Short phrases at display scale
It should feel distinctive, not decorative for decoration's sake.
Clarity you can act on.
Use for
- Paragraphs
- Navigation
- Buttons
- Captions
- Forms
- Long-form digital reading
Inter does the heavy lifting. Clear. Flexible. No drama. Every good team needs someone like that.
MAKING CREATIVE MATTER®
Use for
- Section numbers
- Eyebrows
- Metadata
- Technical labels
- Short calls to action
Use sparingly. Its job is to organize the system, not narrate the whole story.
Type Principles
- Lead with a clear hierarchy
- Keep line lengths comfortable
- Use sentence case in most applications
- Give headlines room
- Avoid long passages in all caps
- Let one typeface lead at a time
Clarity is the goal. Personality is how we get there.
05The signature framework
The 4Ps of Brand™
A brand is not only what an organization says about itself. It is the shared understanding people carry after every interaction. Our 4Ps of Brand™ help leaders understand the forces shaping that perception and bring them into alignment.
01
Purpose
Why you exist beyond what you sell.
Purpose gives decisions a north star. It helps people understand what you believe, what you are working toward, and why the work matters.
Ask
- Why does this organization need to exist?
- What change are we trying to make?
- What will remain true as the business evolves?
When the four work together
Purpose gives the brand meaning. Promise gives it accountability. Personality gives it character. Perception tells us whether any of it is working.
Together, the 4Ps create a shared understanding that guides decisions, behavior, communication, and growth.
06Voice & Values
How Rule29 sounds.
We write like people talk when they know what they mean.
We ask good questions. We make complicated ideas understandable. We choose specific language over inflated claims. We use humor when it creates connection, not when it distracts from the point.
Voice Principles
Be clear
Say what you mean. Start with the point. Make the next step easy to understand.
Be human
Write to a person, not a persona deck. Use warmth, empathy, and natural language.
Be curious
Good work begins with better questions. Leave room for discovery, context, and perspectives beyond our own.
Be confident
Offer a clear point of view without pretending to know everything.
Be useful
Every message should help someone understand, decide, feel, or act.
The Rule29 voice is
In Practice
Instead of:
We leverage best-in-class, integrated solutions to drive transformative outcomes.
Say:
We connect strategy, design, and technology to help the work perform.
Instead of:
We are passionate about creating amazing experiences.
Say:
We design experiences that help people understand what matters and what to do next.
Instead of:
We think outside the box.
Say:
We ask whether the box is helping.
Our Values
How we act when no one is watching.
Values are only useful when they change how people act. These seven commitments shape how we work, how we lead, and how we show up for one another and our clients.
Taking Ownership
- Own the outcome, not just the task
- Step in early, not after things break
- Solve problems instead of passing them along
- Act like it's yours, because it is
Grow or Die
- Stay curious and keep learning
- Push yourself and each other to improve
- Embrace change instead of resisting it
- Get better every day, even in small ways
Entrepreneurial Spirit
- Think like an owner, not an employee
- Take smart risks and move with urgency
- Look for opportunities, not just assignments
- Create value wherever you can
Committed to Each Other
- Show up for the team, every time
- Communicate openly and honestly
- Support, teach, and elevate one another
- Win together, not individually
Strength in Kindness
- Lead with respect and empathy
- Serve others before yourself
- Be confident without ego
- Choose kindness, especially when it's hard
Do What You Say
- Follow through, every time
- Take responsibility when things miss
- Be someone others can count on
- Collaborate with clarity and trust
Enjoy the Ride
- Bring energy into every day
- Celebrate wins, big and small
- Laugh and keep perspective
- Make the work meaningful and fun
How the work holds together
One story.
One connected system.
The Brand Roadmap
A clear path to brands that matter.
Strong brands are not built through isolated projects. They are built by connecting meaning, strategy, identity, experience, and action. Our Brand Roadmap brings that work together.
We begin with meaning
We start with the question that matters most: What does this need to mean, and to whom? The answer shapes the plan.
We connect the whole story
Strategy, design, content, technology, and production move together so the idea does not get lost between teams or channels.
We make complexity useful
You know your world is complicated. We turn what is tangled into something clear enough for your customers, team, and board to understand and use.
We care about the outcome
The measure is not whether the work looks impressive in a presentation. It is whether people understand you differently, trust you more, and take meaningful action.
We keep it human
Technology can make the work faster and more capable. Empathy, judgment, curiosity, and craft are what make it matter.
07Capabilities & Industries
One connected team. Every part of your brand.
We bring strategy, design, technology, content, and production together around one story. That means fewer handoffs, fewer mixed messages, and a brand built to work across the real world.
We custom-made every one of these icons in-house. Available in full-color, light-blue, and white.
Strategy
Find the truth beneath the brand and build a plan people can act on.
Branding
Create identity systems that carry meaning and hold together across every surface.
Websites
Build digital homes that feel like the brand and work like a product.
Digital & Social
Create useful, recognizable stories across channels, campaigns, and feeds.
Advertising
Develop campaigns that earn attention and give people a reason to care afterward.
Video & Motion
Bring brand, story, product, and craft to life in every frame.
Create editorial pieces, reports, collateral, direct mail, and physical experiences people want to hold onto.
Paper still moves people. Sometimes literally. Please lift with your knees.
Packaging
Design the first brand experience many customers will pick up, open, share, and remember.
Experiences
Create events, activations, and environments that let people step inside the story.
Environments
Use signage, wayfinding, and workplace design to turn physical spaces into clear brand experiences.
AI
Build brand-aware assistants, tools, and products that make teams more capable while keeping people in the loop.
We use AI to extend human thinking, not replace human responsibility.
Who we work with
Different challenges. One consistent role.
Different industries bring different pressures, audiences, and opportunities. Our role stays consistent.
Technology
Make complex platforms understandable to the people who buy them, use them, and build them.
Healthcare
Tell human stories with the clarity, care, and discipline a regulated industry requires.
Financial Services
Make trust tangible through brands and experiences as considered as the advice behind them.
Education
Help institutions and education companies recruit, retain, inspire, and stay relevant.
Nonprofit
Turn mission into a clear story that moves donors, boards, partners, and communities to act.
Manufacturing
Reveal the story behind the work: heritage, precision, people, and what comes next.
Food & Beverage
Build brands that work from shelf to screen and make the whole story worth choosing.
Products & Services
Position, name, package, launch, and grow category leaders and ambitious challengers.
Real Estate & Development
Create place brands that welcome residents, tenants, visitors, and neighbors into a shared experience.
A clear path to brands that matter.
08 · The Design Of
The story behind the work.
The most meaningful creative stories are rarely about the finished product. They are about the choices, risks, failures, people, and beliefs that shaped it.
That is why we created The Design Of.
For more than a decade, Justin Ahrens and the Rule29 team have sat down with designers, founders, artists, leaders, and change-makers to explore how meaningful things come to life.
The conversations go beyond portfolios and polished outcomes. They reveal the human process behind the work.
One truth keeps returning: people connect with what is real.
From the show · Season 11
Recent conversations.
Ten-plus years, hundreds of episodes. A few of the guests shaping the current season.
A sub-brand of Rule29
The Design Of as a sub-brand.
The Design Of has its own voice and visual expression, but it shares the same foundation as Rule29.
- Podcast episodes
- Editorial features
- Guest promotions
- Video and social content
- Live conversations and events
Always preserve the approved relationship between The Design Of and Rule29 identities. The show should feel distinct, but never disconnected.
What great creative does
The best brands give people something to care about.
09ON Purpose
From belief to action.
Most organizations have a purpose statement. Far fewer have a system for living it. ON Purpose was created to help close that gap.
Purpose-driven companies outperform the market over time. (EY Beacon Institute)
of employees believe companies must lead with purpose to succeed. (Porter Novelli Purpose Tracker)
It is a framework and community for leaders who want to align what they believe with how they lead, operate, grow, and contribute.
The four commitments
Purpose is not a statement on a wall. It is a practice.
Define the positive difference the organization is committed to making and how that impact will be understood.
Build purpose into strategy, decisions, growth, and the way value is created.
Help employees experience the organization's beliefs through leadership, behavior, systems, and everyday work.
Use the organization's reach, relationships, resources, and influence to strengthen the communities it touches.
What this means for our clients
Brands that perform and mean something.
We design brands to perform in the market and mean something to the people they serve. That means helping organizations:
- Connect belief to behavior
- Build trust through action
- Align leadership, culture, and communication
- Engage employees around something real
- Create growth that supports both business and impact
Rule29 is part of the employee-owned O’Neil family of companies. Ownership shapes how we think. We are invested in the outcome, responsible for the work, and committed to building value that lasts.
Most companies have a purpose statement. Very few have a system to activate it.
From belief to action.
Living ON Purpose sounds good on paper. But most companies stop there.
Live it. Lead it.
ON Purpose®. Created within the employee-owned O'Neil family of companies, designed by Rule29. onpurpose.work
Closing
Make It Matter.
A brand is not a logo. A guide is not a brand. A story is not useful until people can understand it, believe it, and carry it forward.
This system helps us do that consistently. But the system is only as strong as the choices we make with it.
- So ask better questions.
- Protect the idea.
- Respect the details.
- Keep it human.
- And make the work matter.
Making Creative Matter®
Part of the employee-owned O'Neil family of companies.
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