Wow! Can't believe that was only a year ago! Is it just me, or has 2009 been a really long, slow year? So much has happened in 1 year, for myself (new kid) and globally. Talk about action-packed!

It's always great to have goals for the new year, but if I write them down, I'm always more motivated to accomplish them. My design goals are meant to push me and not get complacent during the coming year. Looking back at last year's list, I accomplished more than 3 out of the 5 goals, which is not bad, I think, considering how hectic work and personal life has been.

Here's a recap of last year, and my accomplishments:

1. Create a site built on Drupal 6. This was a goal I accomplished in spades! I built at least 6 sites in Drupal this year, including my own. I've been really happy with the switch from the other CMS's I've used in the past, and my D6 skills are getting better and better!
2. Write a children's book. I totally failed on this one. It's safe to say that I did exactly Squatt-O on any of my book ideas. :(
3. Learn jQuery This was a fun exploration, and I'm now a big fan of the Javascript library. I even built a couple jQuery plugins at work which we use on a number of websites now.
4. Build a new website. Still have a bunch of ideas tumbling around in my noodle. I built an interesting social network using Drupal for someone else this year, but it wasn't my idea. (That's why I said "more than 3" of 5 goals.) I also redid my own website, which kind of falls in this category, too.
5. Get a website design listed on gallery site. I got listed in a few places, and even got to the front page of Drupal.org!! While drupal.org is not a gallery, it is the type of recognition I was looking for! I really pushed myself to make something other people would want to see, and learn how it was built. 

So, not bad! I'm bummed about my dismal children's book failure, but I think I did great in the other areas that enhanced my professional ability. Here are my goals for 2010:

1. Write a children's book. Ok, this is becoming a greater priority. I don't care if it gets published or not, it just needs to be written, with 3 complete illustrations!
2. Do some letterpress. I started my design career more than 10 years ago with web, and while I've done a lot of print stuff, it's mostly been regular old business stuff. I want to get fancier this year and do some business cards for myself. I will research papers (I think I want to use French's POPtone) and try out some letter press. Maybe even foil stamp. I do want to keep cost low, but the goal is to make something beautiful! This should be fun!
3. Get a big idea. This is similar to last year's goal with building a website based on a "Big Idea," but this year, I want to come up with the idea. I don't necessarily need to build it, but at least come up with an idea and a direction. Maybe building it can be 2011.
4. Write a white-paper. You may think this is an odd goal, but the point is to help clarify in my own mind the value of design to businesses. So often, business owners just don't fully understand the value, and web design is seen as a commodity, awarded to the lowest bidder. I want to help educate business owners, but first I need to organize what I know and write it down in a clear manner.
5. Administer a user-testing session. I've been reading more and more about methods and practices involved in user-testing and user-centered design. Unfortunately, most of our clients simply don't have the budget for it, especially this past year. I really want to get my hands dirty in this arena, though, so my goal is to make it happen. I'm usually not involved with the sales process, so I'll have to do my best to come up with a really cost-effective method to convince the AE's to sell it.

That's it for me! What are your goals?