As 2009 evolved, so did the look of our brand. We felt our brand deserved a new positioning and we also felt strongly that our brand should not overshadow the brands of our clients in our portfolio. Rather, even though we love our mark, it was capable of standing on its own in a monochrome sense. So, we began to move away from our two-color (brown and blue) swatches. The result is something we are quite proud of.
As such, at the end of 2009 we decided to evaluate our paper system to more appropriately reflect how we see our brand. The first item we wanted to visit was our business card. Mechanically speaking, there were a couple of issues we wanted to remedy:

1. The ink from the back of our cards was rubbing off on the front creating an unintentional smudge that created what we felt was a “dirty look.”
2. The weight of the paper stock was on the lighter side, creating a feel we felt was too flimsy.

To address the “ink rub” issue we decided to go with a paper that came from the mill which was solid black on one side and white on the other. A quick trip to the Clampitt Creative Center was in order to see what our options were.

The paper we decided on was Neenah’s Classic Linen 120C Duplex- Epic Black/Recycled Bright White. However this was simply not thick enough for us so we decided to laminate an additional 100C Bright White sheet to it, giving us an incredibly rigid 220C business card.

During this process we collaborated with Dana Millett at Millet the Printer to discuss our printing options. What we decided on was a beautiful matte white/silver foil, letter pressed on the back and a simple two-color printed front.

Overall we’re happy with how this all turned out. The weight and overall feel of the card is substantive. The foil gives the card a nice “pop” on the backside.
We’ve designed our entire paper system and the overall look and feel will closely follow this direction. Looking forward to posting more on how that turns out later.

Recently our favorite Bank, PlainsCapital, joined forces with FirstSouthwest. You probably already know from previous posts that we love the team at PlainsCapital, and now there’s more to love. It has been a substantial effort in creating a new web presence for FirstSouthwest but again we’ve seen what applying the right process within the right team can do for projects like this.

FirstSouthwest came to us with a challenge – to create a website that would incorporate all of FirstSouthwest’s services, while maintaining a consistent overall brand across the website. It was important that each sector have space to showcase their expertise and provide key tools to their clients. We worked together to organize the website in a user-friendly way, with a navigation system that will guide users to the services they’re looking for.

FirstSouthwest, a PlainsCapital Company is a Dallas-based diversified investment bank with 22 offices in 11 states and over 350 employees. Known best for its top rankings in public finance, FirstSouthwest also offers professional expertise in asset management, capital markets, corporate finance, and correspondent clearing. Since its inception in 1946, FirstSouthwest has maintained prominence in the investment banking industry by adhering to its core values of integrity, dedication to hard work and steadfastly putting clients first. Find more information at FirstSW.com.

Thanks to the teams at FirstSouthwest, PlainsCapital, and RD2 for all of the great work!

For each sector, visitors can read Case Studies and view Recent Transactions, updated frequently. Case Studies demonstrate FirstSouthwest’s wide range of experience.

Company bios provide additional information on each team member. FirstSouthwest is known for their personalized client service and enduring relationships with clients.

Check out the World Traveler Internship YouTube channel. While you’re there, watch the 2010 World Traveler Internship application video, and check out many more hilarious videos from 2009!

Our focus and passion is in building beautiful applications that help our clients connect with their communities. Right now, we have a place for someone who can work with an awesome team and who can inspire us with their talents. Please apply if you:

• Have a passion to learn and teach
• Are relentless about seeing great user experiences come to fruition
• Know how to make it happen with today’s technologies

High Level Experience:  A thorough understanding and experience with web technologies such as HTML/CSS, JavaScript and PHP/MySQL are obviously required.

Adding to our team is no small task. Our environment is paramount to our success, and finding the right fit is something we know will not come fast. We’re committed to building upon our momentum, but know this is more of a marathon than a sprint. We’re looking for a Web Application Developer who shares our focus on creating great user experiences. We hope to provide a home for someone who is not afraid to share their experience in a team atmosphere.

If interested, please forward your resumes to jobs@rd2inc.com.

We look forward to hearing from you!

Going on two decades ago I was a bike racer who trained nearly 7 days a week. My training regimen took 3 – 6 hours out of each day. There were two categories that I would put all of my rides into. Every day I was either “Getting Stronger” or “Getting Tougher.”

You see, there were days when it all seemed to fit together and I can remember flying up hill in the biggest gear I could find. The speed was coming from god knows where. My legs just felt great and the burn was actually a feeling that was a welcome, controllable, excellent feeling. Where these days came on training or race days, I purposely made everyone near me as miserable as I could. It’s a strange sickness we bicycle racers have. You know the bad days are near so you take every advantage of the good ones. These are the days that would go into the category of “Getting Stronger.”

Then there would be those days where even though my training was dialed in and I’d been doing everything I was supposed to, my legs would still feel heavy like concrete. They could not spin up the high RPM’s. Whether while training or racing, the idea of acceleration was just a myth to my body. These were the days that tested my mettle. These were the days that I’d want to quit and hang up the bike forever. Every athlete deals with this. There’s an ebb and flow to your training once you reach a certain point. You get to where you’re making monumental efforts for small gains. Then, if you’re lucky, you can apply some strategy to just barely hang on for dear life. These are the days I would put into the category of “Getting Tougher.” Because I certainly did not feel “Stronger.” Nothing would make sense and the mental perseverance of hanging in there was just an exercise in, well, NOT QUITTING.

The days of “Getting Stronger” were the days I’d cherish and they were the ones I held in highest regard. These to me were my most valuable category. The days of “Getting Tougher” were just miserable days of pound/flail, hack pack, 12k Dreaming — these were episodes I’d like to forget in my training.

What’s all this mean and how does it relate to the year 2009? In retrospect, 2009 was a year for “Getting Tougher.” I mean this in every sense, both personally and professionally.

We started the year out with a strategy. We defined our market, discussed our approach and refined our processes. The market continued to change around us and we had to evolve in ways that challenged us. It was like feeling our way around in a dark and unfamiliar room. Not a lot unlike going through a “Getting Tougher” training ride, in 38 degree weather, in the rain. Legs like concrete.

Lots of us had personal tragedies in our lives. I lost my most dear friend and mentor. Someone who influenced my life and my work in countless ways. Again these things leave you feeling your way around that dark and unfamiliar room.

That year, 2009, was also the year I had a tumor removed from my neck. A rare condition of my Thyroid that stopped me in my tracks for more time than I’d like to admit. The fear of cancer followed by a successful surgery with a benign result left me in that dark room again. Then there was the aftermath of learning about how my Thyroid levels were way off and wondering why my level of energy was so low. All this, accompanied by months of nausea and a host of other “unexplainable” symptoms. A few months ago I could not spell “Thyroid” — let alone know where it was located in the human body. Only in the past couple of weeks have I finally begun to feel human again. To feel like my old self.

Lots of people have had it worse, that’s an important reality. Perspective. Still though, there’s a valuable lesson to be had in all of this for me. And strangely, I’ve learned a lesson that I’m back-dating, to ancient history, my cycling days. Those miserable training days from years past. The days of “Getting Tougher.” I’ve learned to think of those days as the most important days of all. Those were the days where you learn intensely about failure, loss, pain, suffering. Those are the days that were going to get me through years like 2009. But there’s a funny way you can look at it. I also recall having days where I was in a “Getting Tougher” category in the middle of a race. Wanting to quit. Hating every second of the experience. These were the days later in my cycling career. I’d learned how Not To Quit. To hang in there and “switch on” the strategy. The strategy where you lean on your experience and know-how. The experience where you lean into the pain. Lean into the Resistance. The experience where you remember how to put yourself in the right place at the right time. To surround yourself with the right teammates. To cross the finish line before anyone else….your legs, heavy like concrete. More gritty, less pritty.

A few months back, while looking at the 2009 finish line from about 500 meters out, I’d imagined saying “good riddance” to that turbulent year. To erase it from the books as if it never existed. This seemed logical. How could I take anything from this year? How can life exist and even flourish beneath these dark clouds? The fact is, life did flourish.

So many things came from 2009. So many lessons. This was a “Getting Tougher” training event for so many of us. We leaned into our strategy. Even the strategy we had to make up as we went along. I had to let go of my business and heal. My team leaned into the business, the economy, and countless challenging projects. I learned the real value of trust as it was forcibly imparted to my team during my absence. I learned and reaffirmed my thinking that we’re not a vendor, but a partner to many great clients who put their trust in us to deliver on projects that are extremely important to their businesses. I’ve learned to step back (and working on this still) and just look at the work. To appreciate the work that has grown out of these partnerships and make note of some amazing results and additions to our portfolio.

I’m thankful for those excruciating training days that happened so long ago. Getting Tougher. I’m thankful for 2009 and for what it taught me. I’m thankful to have been so fortunate to have had a friend and mentor who took enough interest in me to change the direction of my life….and thankful that Dell and Gary Hamel gave me the opportunity to see him several times in the beginning of 2009 while doing business in the Bay area. To have amazing and valuable memories that make me smile and even laugh out loud.

Finally, I’m appreciative of my team at RD2. I’m appreciative of an amazing list of clients (in alphabetical order): CBRE, Dell, FirstSouthwest, Judge Susan Hawk, Microsoft, Online Trading Academy, PlainsCapital, Southwest Airlines, STA Travel, Texadelphia, Tyler Technologies, U.S. Home Team,   and WOW!.

2009 has been a year to remember. It’s been one of those “Getting Tougher” rides that will change things. Ultimately, 2009 will be a year that will make an enormous difference in our future. The value of “never quitting” contrasted against the idea of leaning heavily onto experiences, onto team mates, and into the Resistance.

Within the last week I found this great article on Zen Habits – The Reason You’re Stuck (and the one best way to avoid the six ways that will keep you stuck). It’s a guest post by Seth Godin who recently wrote the book Linchpin (A book on my reading list).

Here’s a paragraph from this recommended read:

The resistance finds excuses, it makes tasks needlessly complex (or oversimplifies so much that you fail). The resistance uses phrases like, “see, I told you it would never work.” The resistance demands that you study the issue more, or grab a Diet Coke, or go visit those friends who are in from out of town and you won’t be able to see them unless you go right now. The resistance invented yak shaving. The resistance is also responsible for giving you an even better idea just before you finish this one… in fact, the resistance will do anything it can to prevent you from shipping.

The article on The Resistance hit home with respect to natural distractions and fears as impediments to controlled thinking. Thinking both quietly and out loud. There are human qualities this article discusses about The Resistance. Being aware is just the first step in addressing this battle.

Zen Habits is one of my favs that will be remaining in my feedreader. Thanks Leo for this great content.

P.S.  - What’s the picture in this post got to do with this article? For me it’s just a picture I took and came across when writing the post. Just a reflection on simplicity and Zen Thinking. A little calm in the face of the fight.