These gifts will inspire them to create more and do their best work for the year ahead. This guide was put together by the design team from their personal wishlists. This means you’ll find a wide variety of design goodies at different budgets. Your design friends will be thrilled that you’ve found gifts that match their personal aesthetic.
NASA Graphics Standards Manual
Every designer wishes to learn how to properly document the brand they’re creating. This ultimate brand book showcases one of the most loved design brands there is. Any designer would be more than happy to receive this book, even if they have it already.
https://order.design/project/nasa-graphics-standards-manual-reissue
Rapha Long Sleeve Core Jersey
https://www.rapha.cc/ca/en/shop/womens-core-long-sleeve-jersey/product/WJC02LSFWT
https://www.rapha.cc/ca/en/shop/womens-core-long-sleeve-jersey/product/WJC02LSFWT
Rapha is perhaps one of the first brands to truly understand designers and capture the idea of designers looking their best, whilst trying to be the fastest on the road. If your designer is a rider, this should do the trick to put a smile on their face.
Grind x Poppy Crew Compostable Coffee Pods
https://grind.co.uk/pages/grind-poppy-crew
Help your designer friends start their morning a with an eco-friendly twist. Illustrator and tattoo artist, Poppy Crew and London based coffee company, Grind have come together to create compostable coffee pods.
According to Grind, 29,000 aluminium and plastic coffee pods end up in landfill every minute. This limited edition and Poppy’s design reflects decomposition in a gorgeous way that is perfect for the conscious designer.
Handcrafted, Fairtrade Felt Hanging Decorations
https://www.wrapmagazine.com/collections/hanging-decorations
During Christmas season, you’re never too far from a tree. And nobody likes a bare, lonely looking one. Adorn your tree with these beautiful decorations. Created in Nepal as part of a fair trade development project, they’re perfect for that designer who is obsessed for the festivities, as well as cats and dogs.
Sustainable 3D Printed Design Accessories by bFRIENDS
https://www.batch.works/en-eur/pages/bfriends
bFRIENDS accessories are a real winner when it comes to style and sustainability. They’re 3D printed using bio-plastics, with a wide range of accessories from organisers and hangers to decorations and vases. Because they are made of bio-plastic, it’s totally recyclable should your wonderful gift should stop coming to use in years to come.
Bicoca Portable Lamp
https://www.marset.com/en/indoor-lighting/portable-lamps/bicoca-table/
Yep, it’s a lamp. But it’s portable. It has a tilting head. You can stick it to the wall. There’s some other handy add-ons which mean you can even hang it over a bed or a sofa. After all, designers are usually still playing with creative ideas long after they’ve left their desk. Working from home means that our desk is wherever we choose for it to be. There’s a color for everyone, and their website images show you just how this lamp comes into its own.
Deadlines Candle by Pretend Store
https://pretendstore.co/products/deadlines-candle
Get stuff done whilst the candle reminds you there’s a deadline to meet. We all know that deadlines can be stressful. But maybe it’s better with a nice fragrance in the air. We don’t know whether the smell of sage actually helps with productivity, but the design is sleek. It’s one we would all love to have on our desk, or somewhere close by.
Dusen Dusen Slippers
https://www.dusendusen.com/products/dusen-dusen-for-moma-subu-slippers-net
Dusen Dusen have collaborated with the MoMa Design Store to bring you stylish and warm feet. These slippers are bold and colourful, with each pair coming in a matching dust bag made from the same fabric.
That dust bag doubles up nicely as a tote bag to carry your lunch or use it around the office. Even better, you can wrap the slippers up in this amazing paper.
Corkcicle Tumblers
https://corkcicle.com/collections/canteens
A dehydrated designer is a less creative one. If you’re anything like us, we like our water bottle to match our aesthetic. Corkcicle has a very stylish design with tonnes of variations. They’re super functional, and just the right amount of bold.
Logo Beginnings
It turns out that logos for Rolex, BMW and the New York Yankees have remained unchanged for over 100 years. This book by Taschen showcases a history into logo design from 1870 through to 1940.
Logo Beginnings is an amazing visual insight for any designer that is curious about design history, and they can get heaps of inspiration by looking at the thousands of logos between its pages.
Pantone Postcards
https://www.pantone.com/uk/en/products/lifestyle/pantone-postcards
Some sound advice is for a designer to head to new places for inspiration. Whilst they’re busy globetrotting, wouldn’t it be nice for them to document their travels?
These Pantone postcards are a neat size to fit into a backpack, with 100 colored cards included from the famous Pantone Matching System. Just make sure they know to send a postcard back to you. After all, you did send them this lovely gift.
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