Every year, our team looks forward to unveiling the next company T-shirt – not just because it is a wearable piece of our culture, but because it tells a story.
This year’s design takes us to the stars: a rocket blasting off with a message that is both ambitious and playful “Raise Without Exceptions.” For some, it is a funny nod to Python. For us, it is a reminder of how we work – with excellence, curiosity, and drive.
The Rocket
Rocket represents our shared mindset: always moving forward, exploring new frontiers, and turning bold ideas into reality. Progress does not come from standing still. It comes from daring to try new paths and learning as we go. The rocket shows that innovation means taking off. Sometimes we may not know exactly where we will land, but we can always be confident that we will discover something new along the way.
But it is also about teamwork. A rocket does not launch alone. It takes precision, trust, and collaboration to lift off. The same is true for us: every success is driven by people working together, aligned by purpose, and motivated by curiosity.
Every project we launch is its own journey. Just like a rocket overcoming gravity, we push past challenges together, aiming higher each time.
Raise Without Exceptions
Developers would recognize the phrase “Raise exception” as Python syntax – a way to flag errors. We decided to flip it around. “Raise without exceptions” became our call to excellence: a reminder to rise, learn, and move forward without letting obstacles slow us down.
It is a statement that captures one of our core values – excellence – and the idea that progress is constant. We know challenges are part of progress, but we face them together, learning from every iteration and improving with every line of code, every idea, and every collaboration.
It is technical, a little geeky, and very us – serious about what we do but never taking ourselves too seriously. Because at the end of the day, what we build matters, but how we build it – with creativity, care, and a touch of humor – matters just as much.
To 2026 - and Beyond
This T-shirt reflects how we think and who we want to be. It reminds us that innovation starts with curiosity, grows through collaboration, and succeeds through persistence.
As we step into 2026, we carry that same spirit forward: exploring new ideas, challenging what is possible, and building solutions that reach further than before.
Here is to another year of bold launches, brilliant discoveries, and rising – without exceptions.
Happy New Year from all of us at XLAB
