2009 is going to be a good year - I can feel it.  My life is finally starting to settle down in the way I’ve always imagined.  Even though things are beginning to fall into place, I want to make sure I stay on track and don’t get lazy now that I’m content with where I’m at and who I’m with.  What better way than to make a typical "To Do" list for 2009?

This year, I will:

• •  GET MY BUTT TO THE GYM (on a regular basis - no excuses)
• •  Keep up on my Spanish by studying at least 1 hour a week
• •  Get the site design and business plan completed for Aarni & Zay
• •  Go to the chiropractor and get all straightened out
• •  Go on one foreign trip  - even if just for a weekend (Canada does not count)
• •  Teach Aaron how to dance salsa
• •  Start making my jewelry (it’s about time…)
• •  Get Zayden to LOVE SWIMMING….why is this so hard???
• •  Throw a dinner party and cook a 4 course meal complete with drinks and all
• •  Build an interior design blog for my sister and help her fall in love with Chicago
• •  Buy a Polish book and learn some basic words in Polish
• •  Break out the pencils and start drawing again
• •  Take Zayden to his first Sox and Cubs games
• •  Go on a real family camping trip up north
• •  Write my grandma a letter once a month
• •  GET MY BUTT TO THE GYM…

So now that I’ve officially made the switch over to retail (from the oh-so-exciting world of mortgages), I now have an entirely new realm of websites to pay attention to. It’s been quite refreshing so far - especially since there are companies like Target around.

For as long as I can remember Target’s design has always impressed me. They are one of the few retail companies that truly "get" branding. Everything from print, to web, to in-store, to television just radiates "Target". They have achieved what all companies aim to achieve by having a logo fully recognizable alone without any name next to it. Needless to say, I have come to expect good design from them and am no longer surprized by it…

…until I discovered Club Wedd. Club Wedd is Target’s version of a wedding registry site, which they have incorporated right within their main template. The colors, painted illustration style, copy, and functionality all work together brilliantly to create a unique memorable user experience.

I especially love the center (or technically home) page. Registering for a wedding can be an overwhelming task and they have broken it down visually by allowing the user to click on various rooms of the house and ultimately create their list in a more organized fashion. Each category page after that is able to take on the style guide of the regular Target site, while still maintaining the crafty look and feel of Club Wedd by carrying individual category banners.

Club Wedd reminds me that you can still, in some instances, be completely and utterly creative while living within a major retailer’s website. It also shows me what a good balance of water color illustration (which I’ve been so drawn to lately), and web 2.0 style looks like. I guess opposites do attract…sigh…