Give the gift of a fun surprise that every designer in your life needs.
This article is not for our designer and crafter readers. If you’re all set with buying and wrapping up gifts for your loved ones, then move along. This article is also not for you.
Instead, this is for the rest of you, who knows a designer/crafter in your life, and wants to express your love and appreciation for them. We are calling out to those who are just realizing that we’re already midway through December, currently hyperventilating profusely, and thinking about the list of gifts to buy for your loved ones. To make matters even more of a crisis, you have not gotten a gift for that designer family, friend, or partner that you have in your life!
It can be a tricky thing to purchase a gift for designers. They probably already have every latest high-tech tool in the market to help them with design related work. Or even relatively obscure things, from fashion to collectibles and accessories.
To make searching the Web for the perfect gift for a designer seem a little less impossible, we have come up with a list of unconventional and fun gifts for you to buy for that designer in your life. Why not give them little joyful surprise this year and put a smile on their stressed out faces. We are inviting you to think outside of the box and expect something that’s affordable like enamel pins and colorful books to more extravagant items.
- Designer Enamel Pin Badges
Pros:
- Affordable price
- Supports other entrepreneurial designers
- Fun-sized and not bulky
Enamel pins make great affordable Christmas gifts that designers/crafters will be proud to wear. These pins by Studio Cult Co. are surely to shout out, “Hey, look at me! I understand artwork!” with the classic MS Paint pin, and a clever little paint swatch Pantone pin.
Another great add to the collection is the Glory Art Store, based in Bulgaria with their Creative and Artist enamel pins. It is the perfect gift for him or for her as a trendy design accessory to wear on any given day.
2. Chalkboard Mug
Pros:
- Affordable price
- Inspiration that never goes to waste
- Box of chalk included
Whether the designer who you know prefers either coffee or tea, the chalkboard mug is not here to discriminate! Whatever your poison, capture your morning inspiration with this fully erasable chalkboard mug by New Museum. It is the perfect combination to start your day with a sip of coffee/tea while going crazy on doodling, jotting, or sketching down your ideas.
3. The Quick Brown Fox Jumps Over the Lazy Dog: Card Game
Pros:
- Affordable and educational
- Suitable for all ages
- Great for a fun time with friends
Not an ideal party game for some, but the most exciting for those font and typography enthusiasts! This typeface memory game is sure to bring on some fun times to any designer’s party. The “Quick Brown Fox Jumps over the Lazy Dog” contains every letter in the alphabet, which requires you to guess the 25 variations of fonts printed on different cards. Gain some knowledge with the typographic information included on the letter cards, and learn the evolution of type design with a paired card for each font.
4. Washable Keyboard
Pros:
- Easy to clean and hand-wash-safe
- Comfortable for typing
- Durable and able to withstand washing and pounding
Know that clumsy designer, who is always knocking and spilling things all over their work desk, like their mug of coffee, or their bowl of cereal? It is a huge pain to clean up, particularly if it spills all over your keyboard. First, it will ruin the functioning of your keyboard. Second, keyboards have tiny spaces in between each keypad that it can be hard to get to without using any tools. This washable keyboard by Logitech is for that designer, who constantly struggles with keeping their keyboards free of coffee stains and cookie crumbles.
5. Big Big Cursor
Pros:
- Affordable
- Cute and comfortable size
- Magnet-friendly
From iPads to tablets, everything seems to be touch screen nowadays. Ever miss the classic iconic cursor sometimes? This unique stylus pen serves as a cursor, a real big one! Big Big Cursor keeps your screen clear of any fingerprints and dirt. It is packed with a magnet that allows you to easily affix the cursor to certain magnet-friendly tablet cases — or even your refrigerator for that matter.
6. Design Your Own Watch
Pros:
- Affordable
- Wearable customizable designs
- Tear-resistant
It only comes in white, and that’s the whole point. This tear-resistant paper made from Tyvek is a unique novelty, only if you want it to be. Pair the blank white paper watch alongside a pack of sharpies, pens, pencils, paint, felt-tips, or glitter, as a complete gift collection to get your designer started on some graphics to add some personal touches! The adjustable straps makes it a great gift for any age range for your creative friends.
7. Tipsy Wine Glasses Set of 2
Pros:
- Great conversation starters
- Dishwasher safe
- Comes in set of 2
Etched with a humorous slogan that says, “Drink responsibly… don’t spill it!”, this wine glass set for two is a great conversation starter when used at this year’s Christmas dinner parties. Every wine lover knows to never waste a drop! The curved stem sarcastically holds your drink with a woozy lean is actually ergonomic and an unusual fun two glass set to share. The wide base made from strong crystal is handy for the lightweights as they get tipsy.
8. Jellyfish DIY Lampshade
Pros:
- Can be used as a lamp
- Sustainable
- Includes step-by-step instructions
No lampshade is cooler than this origami Jellyfish DIY Lampshade by etsy store, VasiliLights. Made completely out of paper, the jellyfish lampshade is a neat paper sculpture turned soft glow lamp shade all in one and is sure to capture your designer’s interest. What makes this jellyfish lampshade a novelty for designers — besides the fact that it is completely made out of paper — is its geometric design pattern somewhat like an abstract art piece. Assembling this airy, light, and whimsical lampshade requires some patience, but once pieced together and hung, it will be mesmerizing.
9. Stickable iPhone Notepad
Pros:
- Great for reminders!
- Affordable
- Erasable and reusable
We know many of you are thinking, “The iPhone has an app for that called ‘Notes’!” Nevermind that. Some of us still enjoy taking notes on paper and the satisfaction of crossing of an item on a list with a pencil. The Notepad is also more than just taking down lists of things to do, but can be utilized as a phone cover to add individual graphics and designs. You can jot down notes with any ballpoint pen and erase with any eraser! No special pen and eraser required! The adhesive pad is suitable for both iPhones and your laptop as well.
10. Kano Coding Kit
Pros:
- Coding made fun
- Harry Potter fans alert!
- Make magic
With The Kano Coding Kit, no one — not even Hermione — cares if it’s “leviOsa” or “leviosAR”. All that matters is the full-on coding that you implement to your wand. The Kano Coding Kit invites you to make magic with just a flick of the wand, and some full-on coding. Build your wand with some simple steps and figure out how it works by unlocking its code secrets. Give it a wave and a twirl, then watch the magic happen. This is sure to excite any graphic designer in your life!
So, there you have it. A list of unconventional and fun gifts to give a designer this Christmas. If you think that the list isn’t unconventional or fun enough, let us know! Share with us what you’re wrapping up for your family, friend, or colleague designer this Christmas for those last minute surprise gift inspirations that we all know we secretly need 😉
