Earlier this year we opened our design process with a special contest to create the official Firefox 3 T-shirt – a challenge that was quickly met with global enthusiasm! We received over 2000 submissions representing countless hours of hard work and creative efforts from a passionate design community. The Flickr contest group, with over 3,500 members was bustling with activity, collaboration and discussion. The result was an impressive pool of talent and many amazing works of art, all in support of Firefox.

Our team here at Mozilla tackled the difficult task of selecting the top 5, which were then passed on to you for a final decision. Garnering the overwhelming majority of the votes was the “lineup” design by Tracie Andrews (a.k.a “egirluk”), a talented illustrator and graphic designer from the UK. Tracie was among the most prolific designers and we’re very excited to have her work featured in the Mozilla Store.

Although open to interpretation, the winning design, with iconic symbols of people and a fox, lends itself perfectly to the concept of community – which is an important part of what Firefox is all about. To learn more about Tracie and her creative process, check out her website and John Slater’s post on The Story Behind The Shirt.

Thanks again to Tracie, and everyone who helped make this effort a success!

Each month we share the story of Mozilla community member (and they get a $50 gift certificate for their trouble). The December edition of the Community Spotlight features the tale of Ricardo, a Firefox t-shirt and a very happy IT director:

“Hi guys. Just wanted to share a little episode regarding Mozilla gear. I live in Portugal but I went to Florida in January and seized the opportunity to order 2 Firefox T-Shirts, one for me and another to offer a friend. When I returned to Portugal, I went to visit my friend at the company where he works, he’s an IT director. I gave him the t-shirt and his face lighted with joy, he wasn’t expecting the gift at all. So he undressed his suit jacket and shirt and put the Firefox t-shirt immediately, heading straight to the developers office. He stormed the room and showed the Firefox to the entire team…like “TA-DA!” It was a very very geeky moment, but funny nevertheless. It’s amazing the number of people who smile when they see my t-shirt, Firefox is a widely known product amongst Portuguese users. People are finally leaving IE for the best browser around ”

Do you have a story to tell about your Mozilla Store gear? If so, tell us at communityspotlight@mozilla.com and you could win a $50 gift certificate! Please also include a picture of you with your Store gear as it relates to your story.

Good news…after a few unexpected delays, we’re happy to report that the International Store is now live! It now has the same site design, features and merchandise (plus a few extra goodies) as the US-based Store.

Both sites are set up to detect the visitor’s location so they’ll see the correct version. People in North America should see this, while people everywhere else should see this. Just in case, though, there are links in the footer so you can get back & forth.

Ever since the US-based Store relaunched last summer, we’ve been getting a lot of “when will we get the new stuff?” questions from very patient Mozilla fans around the world, so it’s exciting to have our t-shirts, stickers, bags, etc available to everyone. Happy shopping!

This backpack comes in a fully featured Hi-Tec, two tone nylon. Specially designed and padded to carry and protect your valuable laptop computer, including laptop sleeve, large storage area, Document storage area, and front accessories pockets which features a key clip and multiple pockets. Roomy enough to comfortably fit a 15″ laptop and still hold all of your open source manifestos. Firefox logo and text embroidered on the front. Size: 33 x 41 x 16 cm

Set of 10 Firefox Black Stickers.

Set of 10 Firefox Black Stickers.

Don’t let a little rain stop you from seeing the world – take your Firefox umbrella wherever you go! This snazzy golf umbrella sports both the Firefox and Thunderbird logo and it is large enough to shield you from a brief shower or a torrential downpour. Made of polyester with a metal frame construction.

Set of 10 Firefox White Stickers to stick anywhere.

Even Firefox enthusiasts can get a little chilly, and when they do they reach for this great microfleece pullover to keep out the cold. Made of 100% polyester, this pullover features a half-zip front with the Firefox logo. Other features include an open waist and sleeve cuffs to provide maximum comfort. Black with charcoal accents on the side.

Hit the gym in style with a cool Firefox bag to carry all of your gear! This bag is constructed of rugged 600 denier black polyester with reflective webbing and reflective zip pulls. Comes with two internal elasticated toiletry pockets, one internal hanging zip up coin pocket with key holder, two generous end pockets and one full length front pocket. A great workout or all purpose bag with three zippered outside pockets that allow for added convenience. Dimensions: 66 x 32 x 30 cm