Magic Potion

Only you can stamp out hideous evites, embedded MIDI files and all. We suggest cozying up to Cocodot, an online invitation and card company founded by four stylish graphics gurus "for those who love design and take pride in the way they communicate." Choose to pay an annual flat rate (currently $29) or a per-use fee to design aesthetically superior, ad-free invitations and greetings; create an event home page and manage responses; and post invitations, greetings, and comments to social networks. Cards can be customized with uploaded photos or with Cocodot's vast library of snappy images and designs. And for once, minimalists can opt for blank backgrounds. Planning a Labor Day bash? Forgo paper invitations and peruse Cocodot's "Last Days of Summer"-themed offerings.

Healthy fast food with a side of social media. That's the idea behind 4Food, a new restaurant concept that will debut next month in New York City. With plans ranging from iPad-based ordering and in-store composting to the use of wholesome ingredients and printing personalized nutrition facts on receipts, 4Food aims to "de-junk fast food" in more ways than one. As for the food itself, the signature offering is the W(hole)burger—a donut-shaped, beef, lamb, pork, turkey, veggie, salmon, or egg patty that is filled with one of 25 "Veggiescoop" centers. Customers who register for online accounts with 4Food can create and name a burger and then receive 25 cents every time someone else orders it. Co-founders Adam Kidron and Michael Shuman hope to both build a community and stoke Facebook- and Twitter-using customers' appetites for self-promotion.

Don't toss out those old Crayolas! Ship them off to the National Crayon Recycle Program, which has collected more than 55,000 pounds of unwanted crayons from schools, restaurants, and art supply hoarders nationwide. Founded in 1993 by LuAnn Foty, the initiative helps to keep the petroleum-based wax used to make crayons out of landfills and repurposes the colorful castoffs. Your old Burnt Siennas, Cornflowers, and Magentas will be reborn as Crazy Crayons, hand-crafted morsels of color that come in a variety of shapes. Ready to recycle your crayons? Just remember to leave the wrappers on, lest the sorters confuse Black, Midnight Blue, and Violet.

"Spec This" only sounds like a slur to hurl at exploitative types who try to shake you down for gratis design work. In fact, it's an online tool that allows designers to quickly and easily estimate printing costs. When you next find yourself with a print project, head to Spec This and fill out the form with the pertinent details, including stock, inks, coatings, finishing, and fulfillment. As soon as you click "submit," the site will send your project specs to any printer(s) you specify, and before you can say CMYK, you'll be comparing quotes—and saving time and money. Think of it as Priceline for printing.

"If we can imagine it, we can make it. If we can make it, we will." That's the motto of Rado, the Swiss watchmaker that prides itself on testing the bounds of technology. Three individuals that exemplify the same visionary spirit will be honored in September with the Rado Unlimited Spirit Award, and the company is crowdsourcing the award statuette with a design contest. Entries "should be innovative in terms of material, aesthetic and visionary in terms of shape" but not unwieldy: think smallish, easily toted sculpture made of metal, wood, rubber, or glass. You've got until July 11 to submit your sketch, rendering, technical drawing, and a brief description of your spirited design. The clock is ticking.

Want to say Happy Father's Day with a card that features your dad's name spelled out in skywriting, in chrome along the fender of a classic car, or on the wings of a butterfly? Forget Photoshop and download PixyMe, an iPhone app that artistically melds your choice of text with photos to create whimsical personalized cards. Developed by Tukaiz Products, the app offers hundreds of images to choose from as well as the option to upload your own. Not into e-cards? Take advantage of PixyMe's analog option: The company will print your card, affix a stamp, and send it via snail mail.