Animal Crossing: New Horizons is a new game for the Nintendo Switch that was released in September of this year. The game is a side-scrolling action-adventure game that takes place in the town of Tomodachi Life. The town is full of animals and you must help them get to safety before the day is over. One way to help the animals is to design a kiosk for them. This will allow you to sell items and make money. You can also use the kiosk to play games, listen to music, or watch videos. There are many different games that you can play on the kiosk, so it’s a great way to spend some time with your friends.


After you’ve unlocked the Able Sisters Tailor Shop in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, you will have access to a Custom Design Kiosk, allowing you to upload and download custom designs made by other players. Here’s how to search, upload, and download custom designs in Animal Crossing.

Nintendo Online Subscription is Required to Access Designs

When you access the Custom Design Kiosk for the first time, you will be warned that only players with internet access and a paid Nintendo Online subscription can use the custom design feature. This is because the Custom Design Kiosk accesses designs that other players have uploaded to the internet by searching for their User ID or by typing in an ID for a specific design item.

RELATED: What’s Included with a Nintendo Switch Online Subscription?

There are two types of custom designs: Normal patterns and Pro Designs. Pro Designs are locked  within story progression and can be purchased with Nook Miles. Normal patterns have a variety of uses—you can place patterns on the ground, hang them on the walls in your house, or use them as wallpaper.

Pro Designs are crafted for a specific kind of clothing: dresses, sweaters, pants, etc. You can go absolutely crazy with detailing to make an impressively stylish outfit.

When searching for a custom design, the Creator ID will be displayed on the left and the custom design ID will be displayed on the right.

Search for Custom Design by Design ID

After connecting to the internet and accessing the main menu of the Custom Design kiosk, you will be presented with three options: “Search By Design ID,” “Search By Creator ID,” and “Post.”

By selecting the first option, you can search for specific custom designs.

Design IDs will always begin with an “MO.” All you have to type in are the remaining 12 characters.

If you like what you see, you can choose to save the design into an empty save slot in the Custom Designs app on your Nook Phone.

Search for Custom Designs by Creator ID

By selecting the “Search by Creator ID” option, you can look at a player’s entire custom design profile. Everything they’ve created and uploaded to the kiosk will be displayed on their profile.

Creator IDs will always begin with an “MA.” All you have to type in are the remaining 12 characters.

Post your Own Custom Designs Online

By selecting “Post” on the main menu, you can upload your own custom designs to the kiosk. Your Creator ID will be generated as you upload your first design to the Custom Design kiosk.

How to Use the Custom Designs

Whenever you want to use a design you’ve saved, open the Custom Design app on your Nook Phone by pressing the ZL button (the back-left shoulder button) and then press the physical “A” button on your right Joy-Con to view your saved designs and wear or display the design.

If you’re standing outside or inside your home, a few additional options will appear. For example, the “Display On Ground” option is useful for displaying any ground patterns you’ve downloaded.

Where to Find Custom Designs

If you’re on the hunt for custom designs made by your fellow Animal Crossing: New Horizons players, there’s plenty of resources on the internet. One fan went above and beyond to make a website where all custom content creators can post and share their designs—clothes, path patterns for the ground, wallpapers, memes, everything you can think of can be found here.

With this website, you can submit your very own design to share with the community using your Creator ID and Design ID. You can also search by the design title or sort by type.

Additionally, some museums, such as the Getty, are posting world-famous pieces of art online for users to add to their game.

The Custom Designs app offers a robust tool-set-like pencils, fill tools to paint entire sections, and even stamps—go wild, and most importantly, have fun with it.