Justin Ahrens

Brand & Marketing Strategist at @Rule29 and @ONeilPrinting: Author #BeingHumanKind, Cyclist, Speaker, Do Gooder, Host @DesignOfPodcast, cohost #RunningAhrens

[Justin Ahrens @justinahrens]

Most of us want certainty.

We want the clean plan.
The perfect idea.
The smooth path.

But life, leadership, and creativity rarely work that way.
The good stuff often shows up in the middle.

In the pause.
In the wrong turn.
In the honest conversation.
In the moment you admit, “I don’t know yet.”

That is where we learn.
That is where we soften.
That is where we become more human.

The process is not just how we make something.
Sometimes, it is how we become someone.
Let it lead you.

#BeingHumanKind #CreativeProcess #DesignThinking #Leadership #MakingCreativeMatter

[Justin Ahrens @justinahrens]

GGGGOOOOOAAAAALLLLLLLLLL!!!

[Barstool Sports @barstoolsports]

The Spanish call of Messi’s equalizer is PHENOMENAL

[Justin Ahrens @justinahrens]

What if your walls could tell better stories?

I’ve always had a thing for posters. A great poster can inspire you, challenge you, make you laugh, or remind you of something you needed to hear.

I just added some new beauties to my collection, including pieces from some incredibly talented artists whose work I admire and am grateful to share.

Take a wander through the collection and see if one stops you in your tracks:

https://t.co/QG4JePd4RA

Which one would you hang on your wall?

#PosterDesign #PosterArt #GraphicDesign #DesignInspiration #CreativeCommunity #Typography #DesignCollection #PrintDesign #MakingCreativeMatter #DesignLovers #CreativeInspiration #ArtCollectors #BeingHumanKind #The29Collection #DesignCommunity

[Justin Ahrens @justinahrens]

🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🌭🌭🌭

[Justin Ahrens @justinahrens]

🇺🇸

[Justin Ahrens @justinahrens]

The Most Iconic American Artwork Is the Hardest to See https://t.co/nrrLEXNCur via @NYTimes

[Justin Ahrens @justinahrens]

Dont yuck my dc yums… https://t.co/rz0NnDCBKO

[Justin Ahrens @justinahrens]

Excellent ending to the @TheBearFX - had everything I was hoping for 👉🐻🍱🥃 https://t.co/Ff5z02kkeY

[ESPN @espn]

2026 WNBA All-Star starters are SET 🤩

See you in the Windy City 🏀🌟

[Justin Ahrens @justinahrens]

Teaching forces you to slow down, question what you know, and turn experience into something useful for someone else.

My LinkedIn Learning course, Design Thinking in the Age of AI, is about that exact tension. AI is changing how we work, we all should know that by now :)

But the real opportunity is not just using AI to move faster. It’s learning how to use it with more intention.

For creatives, that means using AI to explore, prototype, and think in new ways without losing the human insight that makes the work matter.

For business leaders, it means using AI to solve real challenges with more empathy, clarity, and curiosity.

Design thinking has always been about understanding people before solving problems.

AI does not replace that.
It raises the stakes.

Because the better the tool gets, the more important our questions become.
If you’re trying to figure out how AI fits into your creative process, your team, or your business, I’d be grateful if you checked it out.

Design Thinking in the Age of AI: https://t.co/dyjuyd5G7d

#DesignThinking #AI #Creativity #Leadership #LinkedInLearning #BrandStrategy #Innovation

[Justin Ahrens @justinahrens]

@WNBA I’ve been here since Game 1. I watched this league when few people did, and it’s incredible to see the growth. But growth comes with responsibility. The officiating has to improve. If @CaitlinClark22 or any player is injured because officials continue to let unnecessary physical play go unchecked, everyone loses, especially the fans. The talent deserves better. The league deserves better. Get it together or many will stop caring.

[Justin Ahrens @justinahrens]

I've watched people predict the death of print for more than 30 years.

First it was email.
Then social media.
Then digital marketing.
Now AI.

To be fair, our industry has changed. There is less print than there used to be, and AI will continue to reshape how it's produced.

But that's not the whole story.

The print that remains has become more valuable. More personalized. More measurable. More connected to digital experiences than ever before.

The best technologies don't replace great craftsmanship. They raise the standard. AI is helping print become faster, smarter, and more consistent, while giving creative teams more time to focus on what people actually notice and remember.

Research shows 90% of marketing leaders increased their investment in direct mail, and 94% say it improves engagement and conversions alongside digital marketing.

The question isn't whether AI will change print. It already has.

The better question, I think, is whether we're using it to create better experiences for the people we're trying to reach.

#PrintIndustry #MarketingStrategy #AI #DirectMail #CustomerExperience #BrandStrategy #Marketing #PrintMarketing #Innovation #9FoldCollective

[Justin Ahrens @justinahrens]

😎 @PGATOUR #USOpen

[Barstool Sports @barstoolsports]

Wyndham Clark had no idea that his dad took a redeye and was going to be at Shinnecock to see his son win the US Open on Father’s Day

What a moment

[Justin Ahrens @justinahrens]

So proud of the @rule29 team!

#Branding #BrandMarketing #BrandStrategy

[Rule29 @rule29]

A brand comes to life when strategy, story, design, campaigns, digital experiences, and customer touchpoints all work together.

That's what you're seeing here.

New brands.
Brand revitalizations.
Campaign launches.

Products and experiences designed to move people from awareness to action.

Because the goal was never to make something look better. The goal was to make it work better.

To create clarity.
Build trust.
And help organizations grow.

Here's a look at some of the stories we've been helping bring to life. If your organization is preparing for a new chapter, a new audience, or a new opportunity, we'd love to help you tell the story. https://t.co/IsWUPo4905

#MakingCreativeMatter #BrandStrategy #Branding #MarketingStrategy #BusinessGrowth

[Justin Ahrens @justinahrens]

Do you believe you can change the world? It's a question I've asked audiences for years.

Not because I think most of us will change the entire world. But because I think all of us can change someone's world.

A teacher who believes in a student.
A leader who creates clarity.
A friend who shows up at the right moment.
A stranger who offers kindness when it's needed most.

One of the things I enjoyed discussing with Camila on the Shift Happens Podcast was how often we underestimate the impact we have on the people around us. We tend to think change has to be massive to matter.

I've found the opposite is often true.

The biggest changes in my life came from moments that seemed small at the time. A conversation. A mentor. A question. A decision to care.

Thank you, Camila, for the thoughtful conversation and for creating a space to explore leadership, creativity, purpose, storytelling, and the responsibility we all have to leave people better than we found them.

👉 https://t.co/ASX0FGAPFl

I'd love to hear your answer: Who is someone that changed your world?

#Leadership #Creativity #Purpose #MakingCreativeMatter #BeingHumankind #ShiftHappens

[Justin Ahrens @justinahrens]

Leadership is not the transfer of confusion.
It's the creation of clarity.

Too often, leaders feel pressure to have all the answers. But the role of leadership isn't to eliminate uncertainty. It's to help people navigate it.

Your team doesn't need every detail you're wrestling with.
They need direction.
They need context.
They need confidence that someone is doing the hard work of sorting through the noise.
The best leaders absorb complexity and create clarity.
They take competing priorities and establish focus.
They take uncertainty and create understanding.
They take chaos and create calm.

That's why leadership can be difficult. Not because the answers are hard nessacarily, but because clarity requires listening, patience, discernment, and courage.

This whole thought came from one of my fav David Hockney quotes:
"It takes a long time to make it simple."

The same is true of leadership.
One of the greatest gifts a leader can give is not certainty.
It's clarity.

#Leadership #Clarity #LeadershipDevelopment #PurposeDrivenLeadership #BeingHumanKind

[Indiana Fever @IndianaFever]

Caitlin Clark is your WNBA Eastern Conference Player of the Week 🔥

⭐ 3-0 record
⭐ game-winner at WAS
⭐ tied franchise record for most 30-point double-doubles (3)
⭐ WNBA record for most 30+ point, 10+ assist games (3)
⭐ 6th in franchise history in 3PM (183)
⭐ recorded 10th career game with at least 25 PTS, 5 3PM & 5 AST (2nd most in WNBA history)

learn more: https://t.co/Wwt7Szvxq8

[Justin Ahrens @justinahrens]

One of the mistakes we make as leaders, parents, friends, and coworkers is reducing people to their weakest moment.

The employee who missed a deadline.
The friend who made a poor decision.
The teammate who said the wrong thing.
The person who disappointed us.
But none of us want to be defined by our worst day.

People are more than their mistakes. More than their fears. More than their failures. The truth is, we are all works in progress. We are all learning, growing, struggling, and trying to become better versions of ourselves.

I've found that when we choose to see the whole person instead of a single weakness, something changes. We lead with more empathy. We create more trust. And we give people room to grow.

Don't ignore weaknesses. Help people overcome them.

The people who have had the greatest impact on my life weren't the ones who focused on my shortcomings. They were the ones who saw something more in me before I could see it myself.

Maybe one of the greatest gifts we can give another person is refusing to reduce them to the thing they're still working on.

#Leadership #BeingHumanKind #GrowthMindset #Empathy #Kindness

[Jess @FeverBandwagon]

Caitlin being Caitlin. My Iowa demon. 🔥