As we wrap up 2012, we wanted to acknowledge the amazing enthusiasm, support, and creativity of our community. (Wow! Thank you!) The best part of our day is browsing all the newly published Haiku Decks, and we love every one in its own way. Here are a few standouts that particularly knocked our socks off. We could have picked dozens, or even hundreds, for your own presentation inspiration, but we’re keeping it to 12–one for each month in the year, one for each Top Pot doughnut in a dozen (a key component of our own creative fuel), one for each syllable in a haiku. We hope these Haiku Decks of the Year, hand-picked by our team, will inspire you as much as they’ve inspired us.

1. Hot Stuff! Most Viewed Haiku Deck

“Most People”

Presentation inspiration: "Most People" Haiku Deck embedded in Seth Godin's blog

Click to view on Seth Godin’s blog

We’re huge Seth Godin fans, and we were thrilled when he embedded a Haiku Deck to complement his awesome “Most People” post. “Most people don’t care enough to make a difference….Fortunately, you’re not most people, and neither are your best customers.” (Exactly!) Read the short, sweet, gemlike post and check out the most-viewed Haiku Deck of all time here.

2. Va-Va Viral: Most Shared (and Most Artistic) 

“Women in Art Photo Project,” KeseyPollock


KeseyPollock: Women In Art Photo Project – Created with Haiku Deck, presentation software that inspires

When this one came through, time stood still and we all crowded around Adam’s screen to check it out. Created by two young Seattle artists as a low-cost, standout way to build support for their Kickstarter project, this striking Haiku Deck was the year’s most shared across social media channels, and we’re not surprised. Read the full story on our blog.

3. Glengarry Glen Ross Award: Best Sales Pitch

“Base Area Market Analysis,” John James


Base Area Market Analysis – Created with Haiku Deck, presentation software that inspires

When Colorado realtor John James got a last-minute opportunity for a big pitch, he turned to Haiku Deck. In his words, “It took me minutes to put together with Haiku Deck what I had tried to do for hours with PowerPoint.” Haiku Deck helped him focus his message and highlight stunning photos that dazzled the clients, landing him the $1.4M listing. Read the full case study on our blog.

4. Smart Attack: Best Haiku Deck Lesson

“Cell Membrane Bubble Lab,” Jeremy Conn


Cell Membrane Bubble Lab – Created with Haiku Deck, presentation software that inspires

Every day we see incredible Haiku Deck creativity from teachers, students, and even school counselors (we’ve collected some favorites on our Education Pinterest board), but we particularly loved this creative, step-by-step Haiku Deck that Jeremy Conn embedded in the Clear Biology blog.

5. Swiss Army Knife: Most Useful Haiku Deck

“Startup Pitch Template,” Jeremy Caplan

Presentation inspiration: Startup Pitch Template by Jeremy Caplan

Click to view the full Haiku Deck with Notes

Not only did Jeremy Caplan create a great-looking Haiku Deck, he produced a flexible outline that can be used to pull together a pitch for just about any project. He also used the Notes feature effectively to add helpful details to his deck while keeping the slide wording crisp. See more like this on our Templates Pinterest board.

6. Pitch Perfect: Best Small Business Haiku Deck 

“Tapstream,” Slaven Radic 

Presentation inspiration: Tapstream, by Slaven Radec

Click to view the full Haiku Deck with Notes

This Haiku Deck pitch is so awesome that we got on the phone with the Tapstream team to explore using their product for our own business. They also make excellent use of the Notes feature to add more detail about their service.

7. Blinding Me with Science: Best Blog Post Recap 

“Science,” Nathan Cashion

http://www.haikudeck.com/p/bEvCx5Peyp/science

“No psychic ever helped police solve a crime, but scientists did.” A playfully powerful defense of science, paying homage to a classic Bad Astronomer blog post.

8. In a Nutshell: Best “About Me” Haiku Deck 

“Stuff You Need to Know About Me,” Megan Hunt


Stuff You Need To Know About Me – Created with Haiku Deck, presentation software that inspires

Have we met Haiku Deck Guru Megan Hunt in person? Not yet (though we hope to soon). But do we feel like we know her? Heck yes! Megan (who frequently uses Haiku Decks as rich content on her awesome blog) turns out some of the most stylish decks around. This was one of her first (and one of our favorites).

9. Inspiration Please: Best Tribute

 “Steve Jobs,” Barbara Price


Steve Jobs – Created with Haiku Deck, presentation software that inspires

“If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?” We are continually inspired by this choice collection of quotes from Steve Jobs as we attempt to make our own ding in the universe.

10. ¡Fantástico! Most Viewed Haiku Deck en Español 

“10 Razones Para Compartir Conocimiento,” Jorge Avila


Compartir. – Created with Haiku Deck, presentation software that inspires

If you speak Spanish, savor the eloquent case for sharing knowledge in this soulful Haiku Deck. And if you don’t, just try reading it aloud in a deep voice to someone you love and see what happens.

11. Slideshare Rock Star: Most Viewed on Slideshare

“Digital Killed the Book,” George Zarkadakis of XPLAIN

Presentation inspiration: Haiku Deck by George Zarkadakis, as featured on SlideShare

Click to view on Slideshare

This high-impact Haiku Deck by one of Europe’s leading content marketers made it to the top of the Slideshare home page and racked up close to 50,000 views in the process. Read more about Haiku Deck’s seamless integration with Slideshare on our blog, and see more Haiku Decks that have made it to the Slideshare spotlight on this Pinterest board.

12. Sound Bite: Best Use of Haiku Deck + Vimeo

“Understanding Mobile,” Tim Klapdor 

Presentation inspiration: Haiku Deck by Tim Klapdor on Vimeo

Click to view on Vimeo

Tim Klapdor not only created a timely, top-notch Haiku Deck, he recorded himself actually giving the talk and exported the result to Vimeo. More about slidecasting and 23 different ways to share your Haiku Decks on our blog.

More Presentation Inspiration

For even more presentation inspiration, we invite you to take a spin through the noteworthy Haiku Decks added to our Featured Gallery and Most Popular Gallery each week (you can do this from the website or from the app) or browse our Pinterest boards. And if you’ve created a Haiku Deck that you think is worthy of the spotlight, we’d love to see it! Please send us a link at gallery@haikudeck.com, or tweet it with the hashtag #hdgallery.

Here’s to another year of beautiful stories!