What Rule29 does

Rule29 is a strategic design agency founded in 2000, operating as the creative extension of parent company O'Neil Printing. The firm delivers brand strategy, brand development, human-centered AI integration, and integrated creative production across digital, web, print, video, experiential, and marketing touchpoints for enterprise and mid-market clients. Its proprietary Creative Matters process, Brand Roadmap, and 4Ps of Brand framework anchor a service portfolio that includes AI for Brands (custom chatbots, brand voice assistants, lead gen bots, event AI, AI dashboards), Brand Products (specialty books and custom brand boxes), the ON Purpose values-alignment community, and the Design Of podcast.

The agency engages enterprise clients across nonprofit (Make-A-Wish, UNICEF USA, American Red Cross, Internet Society), technology (Microsoft), financial services (Allstate, Invesco), consumer (McDonald's, Ace Hardware, Fellowes), healthcare (AbbVie), education (Stanford), and hospitality (Great Wolf Resorts). Revenue comes from professional services engagements—primarily custom project-based and retainer arrangements—acquired through direct sales, referrals, podcast listenership, and conference networking. Offices are maintained in Chicago, Phoenix (headquarters), Omaha, and Los Angeles. Thought leadership is amplified through the top-5%-ranked Design Of podcast, a regular blog, conference speaking (Adobe Max, HOW Design Live, TEDx, AIGA), and Justin Ahrens's LinkedIn Learning course.

Rule29 has expanded into applied AI through a certified Chipp Gold Partnership, offering AI strategy, audits, and builds that span generative AI, process automation, knowledge retrieval, optimization, and recommendation use cases. Additional adjacencies include the ON Purpose framework (community), Life Kerning (a Wiley-published book by founder Justin Ahrens), and Design for Good initiatives such as the award-winning Wheels4Water campaign. The company is a certified B Corporation, holds five registered trademarks (Creative Matters, Making Creative Matter, Rule29/R29, 4Ps of Brand), and has been recognized by Fast Company's World Changing Ideas. Following a 2025 rebranding from O'N Creative, Rule29 continues to operate under O'Neil Printing's ownership.

Name

Rule29

Legal name

Rule29 Creative, Inc.

Website

https://rule29.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Rule29 is a strategic design agency founded in 2000 serving enterprise and mid-market clients across nonprofit, technology, healthcare, financial services, and consumer products. It delivers brand strategy, AI integration, and integrated creative production through its Creative Matters process, operating as a subsidiary of O'Neil Printing.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Brand Strategy & Design Services

NAICS

Advertising Agencies (541810), Advertising Agencies (54181), Graphic Design Services (541430)

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311), Services-Advertising (7310)

akta.pro primary industry

Brand Guidelines, Governance & Brand Management (BPAFAEAF)

Keywords

• Brand strategy services
• Strategic design agency
• Creative branding services
• Brand identity design
• Integrated marketing services

Headquarters

HQ city

Geneva

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Strategic Design & Creative Services: Rule29 generates revenue primarily through professional services engagements including brand strategy, brand development, AI integration consulting, web design, print, video production, experiential design, and advertising services. Engagements are typically custom project-based or retainer arrangements targeting enterprise and mid-market organizations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Rule29 is a strategic design agency that develops cohesive brand solutions through its proprietary Creative Matters process and Brand Roadmap framework, spanning brand strategy, branding, AI integration, websites, digital and social, print, packaging, environments, video and motion, advertising, and experiential design. The agency also produces branded specialty products (books and custom boxes) and operates the Design Of podcast. Engagements are typically custom project-based or retainer arrangements delivered to enterprise and mid-market organizations as well as purpose-driven nonprofits.

Product overview

Rule29 is a strategic design agency offering a portfolio of interconnected services organized around the central Creative Matters process. The core offering comprises Brand Roadmap (a proprietary strategic framework) and AI for Brands services (including AI strategy sessions, custom AI builds, and integrations across web, digital, print, video, packaging, and experiential touchpoints). Adjacent products include Brand Products (specialty books and custom brand boxes), the Design Of Podcast (a top 5%-ranked interview series), and ON Purpose (a values-alignment framework and community). AI Variable Data Printing, Custom AI Chatbots, Lead Gen Bots, AI Event Assistants, and the Rule29 Brand Clarity Check-Up are modular add-ons that extend the core capabilities into specific use cases. The agency operates as O'Neil Printing's parent strategic and creative arm, combining decades of creative excellence with expanded resources for brand, communication, technology, production, and fulfillment.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Design Of Podcast: A podcast featuring conversations with creative leaders, artists, entrepreneurs, and thought leaders about design, storytelling, and purpose. Ranked in top 5% of podcasts globally.
• Life Kerning
• ON Purpose
• By a Show of Hands

Products and services

• AI for Brands / Artificial Intelligence Services End-to-end AI services including AI strategy sessions, AI audits, AI roadmaps, and custom AI builds for brands—encompassing AI-trained brand bots, website chatbots, lead gen bots, AI event assistants, brand and voice AI, conference/community/marketing AI, AI dashboards, and internal AI development—delivered through Rule29's certified Chipp Gold Partnership.
• Brand Roadmap Rule29's proprietary strategic framework that helps organizations connect their brand with business goals, audience needs, and industry trends, producing cohesive solutions across digital, web, print, video, experiential, and marketing touchpoints.
• Brand Products Branded specialty products combining strategy, storytelling, design, and print production—including branded specialty books and custom brand boxes that transform simple shipments into memorable brand experiences.
• ON Purpose A framework and community created alongside Doing Good Works and O'Neil Printing that helps leaders and organizations align strategy, culture, and growth with their stated values through storytelling, experiences, conversations, and community engagement.

Quantifiable outcome

• Wheels4Water project reached over 18,000 people with safe water and sanitation training across three African countries
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers18 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

AI capability10 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• O'Neil PrintingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerO'Neil Printing is Rule29's parent company. As Rule29's parent, O'Neil Printing has evolved beyond traditional printing into a connected platform for brand, communication, technology, production, and fulfillment. Rule29 serves as the strategic and creative extension of O'Neil Printing, enhancing brand experiences through storytelling, AI integration, and human-centered strategies.
• Chipp.aicoreTechnology or IntegrationRule29 is a certified Chipp Gold Partner, enabling the agency to offer AI-powered brand solutions including custom chatbots, branded knowledge bases, AI-powered content creation, and interactive brand guides. This partnership ensures Rule29's AI solutions are creative, scalable, ethical, and future-ready.
• ON PurposecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerON Purpose is a framework and community launched by Rule29 alongside Doing Good Works and O'Neil Printing, designed to help leaders and organizations align strategy, culture, and growth with what matters most. The initiative turns values into action for organizations that believe business should serve people and communities.
• Wonderkind StudiosminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWonderkind Studios is a video production and creative studio that has collaborated with Rule29 on multiple projects including the Sleeping at Last music video, Africa-based initiatives (Wheels4Water), presentations at the Apple Store on Michigan Avenue, and various brand experiences. The partnership focuses on combining Rule29's strategic brand expertise with Wonderkind's video production capabilities.
• Life in AbundanceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRule29 partnered with the nonprofit Life in Abundance to create simple visual tools (leaflets, symptom cards, games, campaigns) for Kibera, Kenya and South Sudan to educate citizens about malaria treatment and sanitation practices. The collaboration combined Rule29's design expertise with Life in Abundance's on-the-ground distribution network.
• Lifewater InternationalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRule29 was involved in Lifewater's rebranding efforts and helped raise awareness through the Wheels4Water fundraising bike ride campaign, which raised funds to bring safe water and sanitation to communities in Africa. The partnership combined Rule29's brand strategy with Lifewater's water and sanitation expertise.
• Kent State University School of Visual Communication DesignminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRule29 partnered with Kent State University graduate students to develop visual communication solutions for health education in Kibera, Kenya. Rule29 served as advisor and research assistant while students completed the project as their coursework, helping develop future design leaders while creating malaria education materials.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Pentagram: Pentagram is a partner-led, multi-disciplinary design firm offering brand identity, strategy, and creative services to enterprise clients. Most directly comparable to Rule29's brand-strategy and integrated-design model, though Pentagram operates at significantly larger scale and partner count.
• Siegel+Gale: Siegel+Gale is a global brand strategy and design firm specializing in simplicity-driven brand systems. Comparable to Rule29 in brand-strategy focus and enterprise client base, with similar proprietary frameworks and named methodologies.
• Lippincott: Lippincott is a brand strategy and design consultancy serving Fortune 500 clients with brand identity, naming, and design systems. Closely aligned with Rule29's enterprise brand-strategy offering and creative-process orientation.
• IDEO: IDEO is a design and innovation consultancy with deep expertise in human-centered design, brand, and product experience. Comparable to Rule29 on design thinking, integrated creative services, and purpose-driven work, though larger and broader in scope.
• MetaDesign: MetaDesign is an international brand and design agency with offices in Europe, the US, and China. Comparable to Rule29 in strategic brand design, multi-disciplinary capabilities, and focus on identity systems for enterprise clients.
• Work & Co: Work & Co is a digital product and brand agency designing integrated digital experiences for enterprise clients. Comparable to Rule29 on integrated brand-and-digital execution and enterprise client caliber, with a stronger digital-product emphasis.
• Smart Design: Smart Design is a strategic design consultancy combining brand, product, and experience design. Comparable to Rule29 on multi-disciplinary strategic design and purpose-driven positioning, with a stronger product-design heritage.

Broad incumbents

• Landor & Fitch: Landor & Fitch is a WPP-owned global brand consultancy with brand strategy, design, and experience capabilities. Comparable to Rule29's brand and experiential design services but operating as a much larger incumbent with global reach.
• R/GA: R/GA is an IPG-owned digital and brand experience agency combining strategy, design, and technology. Comparable to Rule29 on the integration of brand, digital, and emerging technology (including AI), but at significantly larger enterprise scale.
• FutureBrand: FutureBrand is an IPG-owned global brand consultancy offering strategy, design, and experience work. Comparable to Rule29's enterprise brand-strategy and creative services, though operating as part of a global holding-company network.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/rule29
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/rule29
• Xx.com/rule29
• Facebookfacebook.com/rule29

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Rule29