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Art by Neil Rook

Designer Gift Guide 2019: The best holiday gift ideas for designers

‘Tis the season, Dribbblers! You might find yourself in a pinch racking your brain trying to find the perfect gift for the designers in your life. But we’re here to help, friends! We’ve got some holiday gifts that will avert any gifting disasters and turn you into a hero this holiday season.

So for a moment put aside your last-minute plans to pick up a witty coffee mug or t-shirt, or rush out to the pharmacy for a last-minute Amazon gift card—we’ve got you covered with some thoughtful gift ideas we think will delight the creative practitioner you’re shopping for.

Whether you’re shopping for a graphic designer, UX designer, typography maven, or any manner of design geek, be sure to dive into all the unique gifts in our 2019 Gift Guide!

RELATED: Shop the best Black Friday Deals for designers!

Quality notebooks

Whether your colleague or creative loved one is a dyed-in-the-wool gadget hound who’s glued to a computer screen at every waking hour, there’s something to be said for getting your ideas out on paper. Retro, right? So here are some great gifts that’ll encourage your designer friend to embrace their inner doodler or break open their sketchbook more regularly as part of the process of creativity.


Products:

  1. Baron Fig Starter Kit — $64.00 USD
  2. Grids + Guides: A Notebook for Visual Thinkers — $16.95 USD
  3. Field Notes Project Kit — $54.95 USD
  4. Pantone 10 Notebooks — $19.95 USD
  5. Panobook — $20.00 USD


Desk accessories

Whether you’re hammering away on designs on your Mac in your home office, or firing off smartphone emails from a coffee shop, it’s important to keep all your pertinent documents and tools front and center. Here are a few tools that will help your lucky gift recipient set up all their design gear, whether they’re at home or setting up shop on the go.


PRODUCTS:

  1. Ugmonk Gather Basic Set — $149.00 USD
  2. 2020 Stending Poster Calendar — $36.00 USD
  3. Concrete Desk Set — $50.00 USD
  4. Bellroy Classic Pouch — $49.00 USD
  5. Good Vibes Collection Laptop Case — $25.00 USD
  6. Poketo 13” Minimalist Folio — $58.00 USD


The fun stuff

Who said designer gifts can’t be both functional and fun? We’re going to help you level up your gifting game with some selections that celebrate the triumphs and tribulations of being a designer. That way, whether your recipient is rocking them in the office, or posting about ‘em on social media, these unique gifts will let the world know they’re a designer, and they’re darn proud of it.


Products

  1. Misc. Goods Co. Playing Cards — $15.00 USD
  2. Ampersand Socks — $19.00 USD
  3. Gradient Puzzle — $25.00 USD
  4. CMYK Temporary Tattoo (Set of 2) — $5.00 USD
  5. RGB Temprary Tattoo (Set of 2) — $5.00 USD


Give the gift of learning

Sometimes, the best gift is the gift of knowledge! Whether it’s learning some illustration skills, boning up on your typography tricks or typeface histories, or finding novel ways to think yourself out of a creative rut, we’ve got some great gifts with an educational bent that will make any designer swoon.


Products

  1. Spark Creativity: 50 Ways to Ignite Bright Ideas — $12.95 USD
  2. Vintage Typography Notecards — $14.95 USD
  3. Fifty Type Specimens From the Collection of Tobias Frere-Jones — $24.95 USD
  4. Oblique Strategies — $54.44 USD
  5. Skillshare Gift Card — Various pricing options
  6. A Book Apart Gift Card — Various pricing options


UI/UX design tools

Who says digital designers can’t also get their hands dirty when it comes to sketching out things like user flows, wireframes, or UI elements? These design process tools are not only eminently useful, but they also make nice holiday items for the designers in your life who are building sites, apps, or other digital products.


Products

  1. UX Index Cards — $9.00 USD
  2. User Flow Stencil Kit — $24.00 USD
  3. UI Starter Pack — $65.00 USD
  4. Wireframe Deck — $19.00 USD

That’s it, friends! Get out there and shop for your designer with confidence. We hope our list of gifts will satisfy even the most discerning designer wishlists—happy holidays!

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