47 Well Thought Out Gifts for Designers

For a designer, 24 hours is not enough. Career designers work day and night to finish countless projects of their clients. Sometimes, most projects require intricate designs and perhaps require strict compliance with the client's specification. Nevertheless, designers don't sleep unless they accomplish something. But, this Philips Wake-Up Light Alarm Clock with Sunrise Simulation is a designer's best friend. This product is clinically proven to help designers feel refreshed after an all-nighter. Working during hours of sleep can disrupt the body clock. This wake-up light alarm clock can help a designer’s body feel like it’s waking up in its normal waking hours, thanks to the sunrise simulation.

Sitting in front of a computer for long hours is painful to the eyes and lower back. Designers may sometimes get too focused on their work that they forget to stand up for a while and stretch. But, who said that designers should aim for less? If being comfortable while working works for most designers, here’s the perfect gift for them. The Herman Miller Aeron Chair is surely a spoil for your designer friend. It has suspension sitting that will surely support the person sitting on it. This chair will definitely improve one’s posture and help them work better. With the Herman Miller Aeron Chair, designers can be at their best without enduring any body pains due to poor posture.

Dedicated and talented designers start from scratch. They recreate their own imaginations and design new ideas that would make their client happy. Part of the design process is choosing the right color. Choosing a color is definitely hard. For designers, colors are not just red, blue, or yellow. There are a lot of colors. One way to put a smile in a designer’s face is to give this Pantone Color Book. This color guide contains 1,867 colors and ink formulations. Indeed, this color guide is best for graphic designers, pre-press professionals, printers, and fashion designers, to mention a few. And when there’s a dilemma of what color to choose, there are about 1,867 colors to choose from.

In reality, the design process doesn’t start at the designing software. Designers don’t immediately hit the computer and conceptualize. In fact, the designing process starts with a piece of paper, pencil, and eraser. Designers, before they do the actual layout or illustration, roughly plots the overall design in a piece of paper and uses it as a guide once they start the actual designing. But, ideas come and go. The best gift to give to a designer is a Behance Dot Grid Book so that your designer friend can materialize any design idea anywhere and anytime.

Seeing one's work in actual print can be rewarding. Also, it can help designers critique their work. Sometimes, there are overlooked minute details that cannot be easily detected on the computer screen. But, going to the nearest printing shop is tiresome. And, what if it's two in the morning? How could a designer test print his or her work? Hence, why not give a designer a printer? Thus, this Epson Wide-Format printer will come in handy. This printer can print up to a 13 x 19-inch paper. Also, it can print without white borders. This printer also contains six colors: cyan, magenta, yellow, red, black, and gray. This wide array of colors will indeed create brilliant printouts and more accurate color output. And to top it all up, it has wifi. No more wires involved.

Graphic designers and illustrators traditionally draw their projects in a piece of paper, scan it and improve it using a computer software. Or, perhaps, a designer doesn't have enough money to buy a graphics tablet. That's why giving a Wacom Intuos Pro Digital Graphic Drawing Tablet to a designer as a gift will surely make him, or her feel like he or she won the lottery. This Intuous Pro Drawing Tablet supports 8,192 levels of pressure sensitivity, lag-free tracking, and tilt response. It also has a multi-touch gesture features that is as easy as the multi-touch features of a smartphone. To cut it short, this graphics tablet is a pot of gold for a designer.

Apple fans assemble! Most designers would recommend Apple products when it comes to designing and illustration. One common comment from artists is that Apple’s Retina display with True Tone Technology is best for color-sensitive projects. For photo editors, color is everything. That’s the reason why most designers and artists recommend the MacBook Pro for intense design work. The 15-inch MacBook Pro has a 6-core Intel Core i9 Processor which enables designing software to run smoothly. In addition to that, this kind of processor can enable designers to run multiple software at the same time without the fear of lagging or hanging.

Apparently, designers are starting to accept another competitive art and design product in the market. What is this? This is none other than the Microsoft Surface Studio. But, what's with this Microsoft product? Designers are starting to love this product because of its well-taught concept. The Microsoft Surface Studio can be a desktop computer and an enormous drawing tablet both at the same time. It can sit up tightly and act like a normal desktop computer, but it has a zero-gravity hinge that can turn the screen into studio mode. Amazing indeed! This product includes a Surface Pen and a Surface Mouse which is intricately designed for designers and artists.

Logo designers learn from both creating logos and studying existing logos. In fact, creating logos is not an easy task. It involves knowing the business model of the organization. It involves analyzing the products and offerings of the organization. It is more than just a catchy and fun-looking logo. Thus, Logo Design Love is the best gift to give to a beginning logo designer. However, this is also a good reference for a professional logo designer. This book contains case studies and sketches that can help young logo designers learn how logos are created and how they use these things when creating their own logos.

Designers need a lot of things. From pens to laptops, a designer should have a bag that fits all. If you want your designer friend to have a bag that is a bring-the-office-with-you type of bag, give him or her this Timbuk2 The Authority Pack. With the Authority on your designer friend's back, he or she can bring all the stuff he or she needs. Though there's a lot of stuff in the bag, it is designed not to look stuffy. It also has a dedicated laptop compartment. It has a side Neoprene pocket for umbrellas, water bottles, and even sunglasses. This is a designer's must-have.

A graphic designer or layout artist always deals with a common problem: choosing the right typeface. For normal people, they won't mind about the font. But for designers and artists, there is always the right typeface for the right mood and theme. That's why giving this book to a designer helps him, or her learn about typography. This book contains a comprehensive and detailed survey of typefaces ever since the start of printing itself. A designer can learn about the characteristics and personalities of different typefaces in this book. It can aid them in choosing the right typeface when doing design work.

The Moleskine Notebook is something that is a must item for most designers and tinker. It is handy and useful. From doodles to design ideas, designers and artist can materialize their ideas in a notebook. An advantage of having a Moleskine Notebook is its versatility and durability. It can be used as a planner. Fashion designers can randomly sketch clothing ideas. Graphic designers can create a mock layout of their project. Architects and engineers can use it for their illustrations. Aside from that, it comes in various sizes and colors. This notebook is just the right gift you can give to a designer.

If the recipient of the gift is a career and professional designer, storage of files will always be an issue. Competitive designers keep their files for future reference. Architects, in particular, keep large amounts of files from past clients. Archiving and keeping files from past projects can help designers keep a collection of ideas and solution from their previous and continuing clients. That’s why a Synology NAS DiskStation is important for a competitive designer. Keeping files in diskless external storage keeps files confidential and reduces the risk of data loss due to the use of disks. If your friend is famous and a well-sought after designer, this NAS external storage will surely make them super happy.

Staring at the computer for hours may cause long-term damage to the eyes. Designers who extensively use computer software to design and layout their projects might experience eye strains and may lead to poor eyesight. However, the blue light from the computer screen may also interrupt the circadian rhythm or the body clock, thus disrupting the body's sleep mechanism. Therefore, in order to protect the most precious asset of a designer which is the eyes, give this Gunnar Gaming and Computer Eyewear to protect their eyes from damage. The lenses have an anti-glare and blue light filter which reduces digital eye strain.

Working on a table can be tiresome since sitting on a chair can be tiresome. It can also not be productive to work on the bed. Putting the laptop on the lap and the mouse on the bed doesn't provide a solid surface, and it is not conducive for designing. For a more productive designing while in bed, this Slate Mobile LapDesk solves the problem. It is made of pure bamboo which makes it lightweight and durable. The desktop has holes to help on the ventilation of the laptop. It has a phone holder with a dock where cables can be inserted for phone charging. Overall, this table is definitely part of a designer’s wish list.

Drafting on a graphics tablet or an iPad can sometimes feel unnatural. Designers originally draft on paper. Paper is a designer’s natural environment. But with the advent of technology, most designers opt for the digital way. However, to rekindle the thousand-year bond between the designer and paper, this reMarkable Paper Tablet is a digital device that looks and feels like paper. This device is best for reading, sketching, and writing. Aside from that, it is sunlight readable so that any designer can have an afternoon sketch under a tree. Indeed, it's a good way to draw on paper without using actual paper.

A designer works on paper and on the computer. But, the biggest problem of a designer is the availability of large and adequate workspace. There is really no large and adequate workspace literally. Adequate workspace means that everything is reachable at arm's length. A designer might need extra space when working. The best gift to give is this Royal Craft Wood Computer Monitor Stand Riser because of its space-saving features. This stand raises the monitor to eye level which also provides space under the monitor. On the top of the stand itself, it has a built-in cup holder, two tablet slots, two smartphone slots, and two accessory compartments. This stand increases the available workspace and helps the designer be organized as well.

Burning the midnight oil? A designer needs a booster during all-nighters. What could be the best booster than a cup of coffee? But, most coffee shops are not open during the wee hours of the morning. Worry no more! This Wacaco Minipresso GR espresso machine solves the problem of every designer. This mini espresso compact, light, versatile, and portable. Designers can bring them at work and not worry about having high-quality espresso shots. Designers who are coffee aficionados as well will definitely want to have this espresso maker.

The Apple MacBook has limited USB ports and designer might need more USB ports for external hard drives, chargers, and chargers. But, this Lenovo USB C Hub is an instant expansion for MacBook users. With more USB ports, SD, and TD slots, designers can increase their productivity and efficiency. This port and card slot expansion also enables device charging while the expansion device is attached. Data transfer can reach the speeds up to 5 Gbps. Aside from that, this expansion device is slim and compact. Also, this device is plug and play, and it requires no special installation.

Designers sometimes rush on projects from clients. And with this, designers sacrifice sleep just to finish their projects. Or perhaps, they have a proposal meeting, and they're running late. Whether it's a meeting or an all-nighter, coffee is every--if not most--designer’s partner in crime. That’s why this Cuisinart Programmable Coffeemaker is the best coffee maker for a busy designer. Why? This coffee maker has brew strength control, temperature control, and automatic shut-off feature. Designers who prefer a specific coffee strength and temperature will surely want this coffee maker.

Clients can sometimes be demanding, not to mention the multiple revisions that they request. And with the stress from work, family, and relationships, clients can sometimes get to the nerves of every designer. Though different people express their anger in different ways, other designers, however, want to express their anger physically. Well, this stress buster punching ball is the best gift for your hotheaded designer friend. Instead of wanting to punch their clients, they could punch this punching ball and unleash the anger. Also, it’s a good way to release stress and maintain cool. Therefore, with the released anger, designers can be more productive.

Color is a designer's friend and foe. It's indeed true that choosing the right color is difficult considering that there is a lot of color variations. Artists as well as share the same burden. Therefore, give this Pantone CAPSURE Color Matcher to a designer friend. With this gadget, designers can match and capture any color he or she sees. This device captures the color of any surface and returns a matched Pantone. To sum it all up, this Pantone CAPSURE Color Matcher is lightweight and portable, and it is best suited for a designer on-the-go. Capture any color and store it for future reference.

Web design is also a field in design that is quickly gaining acceptance from people especially businesses. Corporations and famous brands invest a lot in website establishment and design. But, there are only a few web designers out there. Thus, if your friend is a web designer, give him or her The Web Designer’s Idea Book as a gift so that he or she can jumpstart his or her career as a web designer. Designing websites are never easy, but with competent knowledge about website design. This book contains more than 650 examples. Your web designer friend will surely thank you for giving this gift. He or she will never run out of inspiration if he or she has this book.

Memory cards are not just about the size of the memory. Nowadays, competition arises from the special features that the user can get from the memory card. Take for example this SanDisk Ultra 64GB MicroSDXC memory card. It has a read speed of 30 MB/s. Aside from that, it is waterproof, temperature proof, X-ray proof, and magnet proof. Backup is also easy with the SanDisk 64GB MicroSDXC memory card because backups can be placed in one convenient location using the SanDisk Memory Zone. Designers say goodbye to data loss due. With backup options and extra protection from physical damage, designers could worry less about their most important data.

Management of the workspace is a hard task to maintain. When all projects are constantly stressing the brain of a designer, it is expected that his or her desk is messy. Part of the mess perhaps is the constant tangling of wires. From chargers, cables, and connectors, wires can sometimes tangle, and it would take some time to untangle it. In addition to that, wires can be damaged from when not properly managed and organized. That's why this Toysdone Cordies could every designer with his or her cable management. With five rubber grips that can hold up to four slots, designers can now manage their cables and wires so that these will not interfere with his or her work.

Design work requires a lot of manipulation of visual elements that can be virtually manipulated using the design software. A designer's hand might get overworked after hours of editing and designing using the mouse. But, the suffering ends here. This Logitech M570 Wireless Trackball Mouse is ergonomically designed to give due comfort the hands. The mouse has a trackball that enables the designer to navigate around the desktop without moving the mouse. In addition to that, the mouse's design is a sculpted, right-hand shape which provides more comfort to the hand. It has programmable buttons and easy-to-clean trackball. This mouse is just the right gift for a hard-working designer.

Designers may work most of the time on the computer. However, planning and pre-layout of design happen in paper. But, designers have sudden idea surges which require to be drawn on paper. And if that's the way how your designer friend works, you better give him or her this Portable Wireless Document Scanner so that he or she can scan his or her doodles and scribbles and store them digitally. In this way, he or she can organize and easily locate her notes in his or her laptop. Also, your friend will not have any trouble with finding his or her files physically. In just one swish of the handheld scanner, he or she can carry all of the sketches digitally.

Designers all agree with this one thing: the Pigma Micron Pen Set. When you talk to a designer and ask them about pens, you’ll probably hear about the Pigma Micron pen. It’s the one thing that they’ll recommend. That’s why you should give this as a gift to your designer friend. The reason why they love this pen is that it doesn’t blot and doesn’t fade when exposed to sunlight. Designers especially architects use the Micron pen because of its archival Pigma ink. It doesn’t fade and it lasts for years. If you’re having trouble what to give to a designer, don’t think twice. Just give this Micron pen.

A cup of coffee or tea is best when served hot. But for a designer, he or she might forgot that he or she has a cup of coffee or tea at the first place. Because when the idea starts to kick in, designers work on fire and they forget about the other little things. That’s why you should give this Brookstone Beverage Warmer to your designer friend. He or she will never drink a cold cup of coffee. With this beverage warmer, he or she can just leave his or her cup of coffee all day long and still drink it hot. Ingenious, right?

Lighting is important for a designer. Improper lighting can affect the work of a designer. Too much light can also affect the work of a designer. But, lighting also plays a role in maintaining the designer’s body clock. However, a designer might like this Philips Hue White and Color Ambiance Smart Bulb. The hue of the light can be changed using the app that can be installed in the smartphone. It contains presets that can be used for concentrating, reading, relaxing, and energizing. Indeed, with the proper lighting, it can the designer do more.

Design work takes a lot of time. It even consume the social life of a dedicated designer. With a lot of clients and projects ongoing, it's hard to shift to and from work without sacrifices. If you're designer is a hard worker and a dedicated designer and you think that he or she needs a break, give this 100 Movies Bucket List poster as a gift. This poster contains the top 100 must-see movies. Designers, take a break every once in a while. With proper breaks and relaxation, it can increase the focus and enhance the creativity. Thus, give this to your designer friend. Maybe next you'll see your friend, he or she will probably bantering about the movies he or she watched.

Working outdoors like cafes or at the patio is nice. It is refreshing and calming. But, every laptop owner shares the following problem: glare. Working outdoors could mean that there is no power outlet nearby. But because of the glare, it leaves the designer with no choice but to screen brightness at 100 percent. And with brighter screen is a lesser battery life. To put an end to this, give this RadTech ClearCal protective film to your designer friend. The protective film blocks the reflection of the natural light, thus improving the visibility of the text on the laptop screen.

Every graphic designer should start learning “graphic designing” by studying about the field itself and how it evolved through and through. If you a friend who is still beginning at graphic designing or is a geek in design, Meggs’ History of Graphic Design is the best gift for them. This book is a bestseller and is considered as a go-to reference for most designers. The content of the book contains comprehensive narration of the history and evolution of design together with latest key developments. It also talks about the invention of the writing system, typography, and the developments in postmodern design.

For the designer who prefers to work in the dark like a night owl, the problem ends here. This Huion L4S LED Light Box is the best one for the job. This Huion L4S LED light box contains eyesight protection technology which protects the eyes from strain. It has different brightness modes. The brightness can be adjusted effortless by touching the touch sensitive button. Aside from that, it remembers the previous light setting. A designer can use this for typography, tracing, and calligraphy. A designer can even use to view negative films like X-rays. It even has slippery proof rubber stands which enables for a more stable drawing and tracing.

If you want to give a simple but meaningful gift to your designer friend, maybe you could dwell on the puns and inside jokes that only graphic designers can relate to. Take for example this t-shirt that says “I Shot The Serif” which is ultimately a graphic designer’s joke. Typography is an essential part of a designing and with this kind of funny shirt, a graphic designing will surely love to wear this shirt. Some people may not get it but this will bring laughter and smile to a designer once they see it.

Let's say you have many of designer friends and you want to give them something that they would appreciate. But then again, you have many friends. Well, give one Pantone postcard for a single friend and all of your designer friends will tell you that they really like your postcard. Every designer deals with Pantone colors since color is an important element in design. Thus, to give tribute and respect to designers, a Pantone postcard can be a meaningful gesture and can be a sign of respect to every designer out there.

Hailing from the renowned design software Affinity Designer, the creators of the same software decided to further help young designers have a meaning journey in the field of design. If your designer friend loves designing, give him or her this workbook and he’ll or she’ll probably one of the best designers in the future. This workbook contains 400 full color instructions, guides, and tips about vector and raster design, brand and logo design, design for print, and user interface design. The workbook includes nine projects in which every learning designer should recreate. This workbook can be a holy grail for your designer friend so don’t think and just give it to him or her as a present.

A laptop nowadays may have two to three USB ports. But, a designer needs more than three. If you ask a designer, extra USB ports is an advantage. It can be used for charging and data transfer to and from the device or the computer. Save your designer friend the hassle and give this VOGEK 6-port charging station. This charging station is not any other charging station. VOGEK offers more than fast charging to any designer and only provides the device with the right amount of charging electricity. Though it has six charging ports, every port is expected to provide full speed charging. Give this as a gift to you designer friend for a fast and safe charging of his or her devices.

Coffee is a designer’s fuel for creativity, and also for staying awake and alert. But, coffee shops are not always open. Also, coffee makers are quite expensive for startup designers. However, the manual method for coffee making is also an option for a designer. Give this tea and coffee press to your designer friend now. The best thing about this press is that it is a french press on-the-go. It is not the typical press. It can brew while you carry it around you. This Bodum press-slash-mug is the best for a designer who needs coffee wherever he or she goes. Give this to a designer friend as a gift and if you can, include some crushed coffee beans as well.

Every beautiful designs starts on paper. Whether it's a gown design or a website design, every designer starts with pen and paper. Every designer should have a fully functional workstation. Give this Studio Designs 10053 Vision Craft Station to a designer to further increase and enhance his or her productivity. This workstation has an adjustable tabletop and stool. Don't worry about pencils and pens falling off. The workstation has a pencil tray at the sides that holds the pens still when the table top is tilted. The tabletop is adjustable up to 70 degrees. It has a caster for a freely moving workstation or a floor leveler for a more stable workstation.

Memory games are fun past time games. But, here’s a good memory card game that will surely capture your designer friend’s heart. Give him or her The Quick Brown Fox Jumps Over the Lazy Dog card game. It sounds like a child’s game but it is 100 percent designer’s edition. The images in the cards are not objects. The images are typefaces. It contains 25 pairs of typefaces. This memory game can be a good ice breaker for a designers who collaborate in a project. Or perhaps, it’s a good way to relax the mind and memorize typefaces both at the same time.

Designing a typeface is not an easy task. Some people think that it is easy to design typefaces. But, there is so much technicalities involved in designing a typefaces. If you friend is graphic designer or a typographer, this book will melt their heart. Typography is the heart of visual communications. The success of a design project doesn’t rely solely on the colors and the objects. Sometimes, the right typeface can determine the success of the design. That’s why you should give this to your designer friend so that he or she can learn about typography and how he or she can apply this in his or her future projects.

One of the most important things in the life of any designer is a monitor that can accurately show color on the screen. For designers, colors are everything. Colors are important especially if the design project is for print. If you have extra cash, maybe you can give this Dell Ultrasharp 32” UP3216Q Monitor to your designer friend. The output of this monitor is accurate and precise. The monitor has four color spaces which includes 99.5% Adobe RGB, 100% sRGB, 100% REC709 and 87% DCI-P3 coverage. In case your friend needs recalibration for the monitor, this monitor includes a Dell UltraSharp Color Calibration Solution software.

Designing is a complex job. It requires more exploration than actual designing. Learning design software is easy, but design software is just tools to create good design. Give this book Creating a Brand Identity: A Guide For Designers to your designer friends so that he or she can explore the creative process involved in creating brand identity. For a future brand designer, this book is a building block for the recipient of this gift. This book teaches the reader about analyzing competitors, creating brand identity, logo designs, packaging design, and a lot more. This book is the perfect gift for designers who would like to improve his or her work.

This book is definitely for film bluffs. But for designers, this book is also for them. Why? Design inspirations can be derived in this book. It has creatively and carefully designed infographics about different films. Your designer friend can derive design ideas from this book. Aside from that, he or she can also know about films. It’s a double purpose if you may. The book talks about 150 iconic films reduced to the most important details using pictograms and infographics. This is the perfect gift to a person who loves films and design as well.

If your friend is into funky and funny infographics, this book is the best when it comes to infographic designs. The book contains different--weird but cool--ways to visually transform words into eye-catching infographics. This book enables young designers to see things in a different perspective and be able to inspire them to create better designs.

“How to think like a creative, act like a businessman, and design like a God.” If that line from the book cover didn’t convince you to give this book to your designer friend, then you should consult a doctor. Kidding aside, this book is a practical guide for beginners and professionals. The book contains tips and tricks about designing that normally can be learned from on-the-job trainings. Cut your designer friend some slack and give this to him or her now.