Accessories
15 Gifts Designers Will Really Appreciate
These things of beauty will be joys forever in the hands of any designer on your holiday gift list
Shopping for designers can be a little rough — we do tend to have higher expectations of the objects we surround ourselves with. I know that my mom tends to worry that I won't like gifts she gives me for that very reason. On the flip side, I love getting the chance to shop for my favorite things and share them, because some of the recipients on my list really don't want these off-the-wall items.
This list covers both the beautiful and the useful. Sometimes designers are happy with just a beautiful thing, but I know I'm much more impressed when a product is both well designed and user friendly, with a solid functional grounding. Plus, I included some fun techie toys to keep everyone happy. Happy holidays!
This list covers both the beautiful and the useful. Sometimes designers are happy with just a beautiful thing, but I know I'm much more impressed when a product is both well designed and user friendly, with a solid functional grounding. Plus, I included some fun techie toys to keep everyone happy. Happy holidays!
Inkling Digital Sketch Pen
The Inkling is a new graphic drawing tablet from Wacom — without the tablet. The stylus converts and saves drawings as you draw them on real paper, making it easy to upload them to your computer later. I so want to try this!
Zenblocks Walnut Desk Decoration
Beautiful designerly objects that you can play with too — these blocks would be great when you need a bit of creative inspiration. Sometimes we just need to use our hands.
Pantone Turquoise Holiday Ornament
What better way to remember the designers in your life than with a Pantone Christmas ornament — pick their favorite color and they'll remember their true calling every Christmas.
Bird by Architectmade
Classics for a reason, these birds are one of those inspirational desktop accessories we designers all would love to have but don't always splurge on for ourselves.
Ceramic Speakers
When you spend hours at your computer designing the next big thing, having the right music and the right speakers becomes paramount to your success. These beauties are as inspirational to look at as they are to listen to.
Instax Mini 7s and Mini 25 Instant Cameras
The new instant-camera revolution! These are great for on-the-fly shooting, whether that means taking inspirational pics, documenting a design or giving a print to a client or friend. I also love the all-white styling.
Original Scribbler, 5mm
I sketch regularly, and finding the perfect pencil is a constant concern. The beautiful lines of this mechanical pencil make it seem like it would feel like perfection in my hand.
ThinkGeek Olloclip iPhone Camera Lens
So many designers are also iPhone addicts. What better way to feed the addiction than by giving them the right camera lens to make on-the-go photos more designworthy?
Reclaimed Wood Geometric Magnets
Even the fridge will look well designed with a set of these geometric wooden magnets. Lots of available colors will keep designers happy, too.
Maple Wood Desk Accessories
Organize the perfect desk with simple, modern desk accessories like these. I find that the better my desk looks, the better my work ethic is.
Bamboo iPad Case
A stylish iPad sleeve is a must but often hard to find. This gorgeous bamboo cover seems sturdy enough to weather rough usage, with a minimalist look that's right up my alley.
Small Utilitarian Ceramic Jar, Pink
Here is the kind of unique artisan-made gift you can't find just anywhere. It's perfect for storing all kinds of goodies — its usefulness almost outweighs its beauty.
Turnkey Pencil Sharpener
For the old-fashioned artist in all of us, a real old-fashioned pencil sharpener just feels good in the hand. Sometimes getting real with our tools is much more satisfying than using an iPad stylus.
Mess: The Manual of Accidents and Mistakes
This amazing book sounds like it has the perfect set of creative exercises to keep designer minds loose and agile. Each page includes a quick instruction to get you started, and the only goal is to be as messy and unintentional as possible.
Moss Terrarium Bottle
Bringing a little live greenery into your home is always invigorating, and these moss terrariums are nearly foolproof. No matter how green your thumb, the moss should stay alive with a little spritz of water here and there.