We didn’t really need another reason to love ModCloth’s eclectic collection of clothes and accessories, but they’ve given us one anyway: their “Make the Cut” Customer Collaboration Collection. This week, the San Francisco-based online retailer launched a private label comprised mostly of user-submitted designs available for purchase. 

After a call for design sketches on the ModCloth blog last November, their chief creative officer narrowed the almost 2,000 submissions down to a trim 90, then put them up for an open vote on the ModCloth Facebook page. Winners ranged from trained and amateur fashion deisgners to high school students to fashion-loving moms. The winning pieces are now available on Modcloth.com.

Too often, “crowdsourced” competitions result in a watered-down, company-altered version of what consumers really want. However, ModCloth executed a transparent, democratic campaign that carries out the company’s mission to involve customers in the production process, thus creating an engaged (and well-dressed) online shopping community. Votes have already been cast for a second collection of of user-generated designs that will launch in September, and a third, holiday-themed contest will be announced in coming months. Not happy with what’s on the racks? Start sketching!

Filed Under: Inside Outside Lands’ Redesign

This year, Outside Lands is standing out for more than just its awesome lineup. Now in its fifth year, this San Francisco music festival just keeps getting exponentially better, from bigger headliners and more emerging artists to even more local food and wine choices from the city by the bay. 

The standout upgrade for 2012 is Outside Lands’ new brand identity, created by Andrew Holder. Graphic illustrations of nature, music, and SF architecture come together in a triangular pattern to create a bold yet playful final result. Perfect for this easy-going, yet hard-rocking, music festival itself. 

Filed Under: Design Find- Stamp Ring

Why print when you can stamp? Stamping is already a throwback alternative to printing; it’s limitless what you can throw a design onto—cards, letterheads, foreheads, etc. Get even more hands-on with these Stamp Rings from Michelle Romo of Crowded Teeth. Interchangeable magnetic stamps allow you to punch away at paper to create adorable flourishes on everyday notes.  Functional, wearable, and cute. This well-designed package is a guaranteed great gift. 

Check out the Stamp Ring project on Kickstarter!

Filed Under: Moonrise Kingdom Rises

Yes, we’re all (very) excited about Wes Anderson’s latest film Moonrise Kingdom coming out on May 25; a welcome cerebral respite from the slew of big blockbusters blowing up (and tanking) at the box office. In addition to the inherent awesomeness that surrounds every Anderson project, some impressive, albeit unofficial, fan posters have cropped up. Apparently the world’s graphic design talent will be augmenting box office sales. 

(Bottom poster is official.)

Pamela Love may usually find inspiration in the rolling plains of the southwest, but this season she was inspired by the architecture of her home city, New York. We love these architecturally-inspired gems, and that Moda Operandi is showcasing this designer.

Filed Under: Cereal Code

Don’t know much about UX and UI, but this photographic infographic by Ed Lea visually shows how a web application works in a language we all understand—cereal! 

Yes, we loooove our iPads, but even those Apple-fanatics among us can sometimes feel inept and clumsy trying to type on that oh-so-sleek screen. Keyboard cases are a popular fix for those iPad users, but we’re ready to toss ours out to test drive the Celluon Magic Cube, a portable device that projects a keyboard onto your workspace wherever you go. Using an optical sensor and infrared technology, Magic Cube lets you actually type on any flat surface and makes you feel like George Jetson at the same time! The little box connects wirelessly to your iPhone or iPad, the battery lasts 160 minutes, and the projected keyboard even simulates clicking sounds.

Filed Under: Sweet Subscription 

The product-subscription service was at full steam over the past year—you can subscribe to anything from beauty samples or undies to artisan foods. As much as we all love getting surprise packages in the mail, those subscriptions always seem full of things we could get, well, at the store. But there’s a new box at the door—subscription skeptics, reconsider! Umba Box is full of a beautiful curation of handmade goodies like jewelry, home decor, and accessories. No more wading through tons of teeny shops and endless Etsy for the perfect gift; Umba Box offers a streamlined service that takes you straight to design gold. Still stumped for Mother’s Day? Send a special handmade surprise from Umba Box that’s sure to delight!

The steller design team at the Artefact Group just released a Kickstarter project that looks to gamify conserving. The 999Bottle is a reusable water that lets you keep track of every time you fill it up/avoid another plastic bottle that would most likely make its way to a landfill, and a iPhone app that brings to life what your conservation has led to. At 14, the bottle just paid for itself and at 138 you would have been able to stack those plastic bottles as high as a 10-story building.

Gilt Groupe is pulling out all the stops for Mother’s Day with their contest to win a customized Judith Leiber clutch bedazzled with artwork created by the winner’s child. (I can say right now nothing I drew when I was little deserved such luxury treatment.) To enter, interested moms have to Like the Gilt Baby and Kids Facebook page and upload the artwork they’d like to see glittering on a high-end purse. Of course, this reminds me of a mom version of the swan purse Big gave Carrie (yes, I still make SITC references, sorry) but I’m sure it would make some devoted Mama’s day! 

Filed Under: Addicted to SugarSin

It’s always impressive when design can transform something as simple as a candy shop into a compelling place of curiosity. We love London-based SugarSin’s strong but whimsical “sugar and spice” identity created with bizarre black and white images juxtaposed with saccharine sweet rainbows and candies.

(Source: designworklife.com)

This Kickstarter project for a simple add-on to the iPad to improve the sound of the back facing speakers has already reached their goal of 10K with 23 days still to go in their fundraising. Simple, attractive design that serves a purpose. So many great products are coming out of Kickstarter, and it almost feels like the best place to shop right now for interesting and innovative new products. If the goal is reached, you get the product, if not you get your money back.