Graphic designers can be tricky people to buy for, especially if you don't have an eye for design yourself. But never fear, we're here to help. Below is a selection of quality gifts that are sure to put a smile on the face of the designer in your life.
- Christmas gift guide for graphic designers under £20/$25
- Christmas gift guide for graphic designers under £50/$75
- Christmas gift guide for graphic designers over £100/$100
01. Hand Lettering Starter Set
- Price: £45.25/$56.16
- Check out this gift at: Etsy
Breaking the £50 mark once shipping is taken into account, this carefully curated kit is a neat introduction to the on-trend art of hand lettering, and a great gift for anyone taking their first steps into the field. It comes with instructions, four practice alphabets, a Moleskine sketchbook and a variety of art materials, including watercolours and card stock, chalk and chalkboard, Sharpie, micron pen and more.
02. She and He Planter Pair
- Price: £57.95/$71.92
- Check out this gift at: Howkapow
Hand-sculpted by ceramicist Alex Sickling, this pair of quirky planters are ideal to re-home a couple of desk plants in your studio, or alternatively make great storage vessels for your pens, pencils and other odds and ends. You can even drink your morning tea from them if you prefer! Measuring roughly 8cm x 9cm apiece, every pair is hand-painted and thus unique.
03. Criss Cross Hand-Cut Artwork
- Price: £58/$71.98
- Check out this gift at: Not on the High Street
Embrace the ever-popular art of papercraft with this made-to-order artwork by Love & Lily, hand-cut using a criss-cross design to reveal vibrant colours beneath. The beautiful 3D designs are perfect to adorn your walls in the studio or at home, and come in two different sizes – 25cm x 25cm (which takes 5-10 days to create), or 50cm x 50cm (which takes 10-15 days). Each one is signed and dated by the artist.
04. Toolkit For Life Vol. 3
- Price: £60/$74.46
- Check out this gift at: The School of Life
For anyone who appreciates beautifully designed books that can also stimulate the mind, there are six titles from the popular How To series in this special-edition box set, which get to grips with some of life’s biggest challenges and rites of passage – from choosing a partner and making a home, to city living, good leadership, dealing with boredom and being entrepreneurial. A fascinating blend of enlightening thoughts and practical insights to help you live a more balanced and fulfilling life.
05. Cactus Flower Vase
- Price: £62.95/$78.12
- Check out this gift at: Howkapow
If you love the look of cacti but don’t relish the thought of plucking spines out of your fingertips, this quirky vase by Marie Michielssen could be just the thing for you. Measuring 24cm x 22.5cm x 39.5cm and made from glazed porcelain, it’s both whimsical and functional, and a great way to add some extra personality to your studio or home.
06. Cafflano Klassic All-in-One Coffeemaker
- Price: £64.99/$80.66
- Check out this gift at: Amazon
A true Kickstarter success story, raising over £30,000 and counting, Cafflano Klassic is “the world’s first all-in-one pour-over coffeemaker”, which for the non-initiated means coffee-loving designers can enjoy a bean-to-cup brew almost anywhere. This neat little gadget combines a fully adjustable ceramic burr grinder with a pouring kettle, and etched stainless filter dripper, server, insulated tumbler and lid into one easy-to-carry unit that weighs less than 500g. Ideal to get your caffeine hit on the move...
07. Freedom Is A Bike Giclée Print
- Price: £65/$80.67
- Check out this gift at: Not on the High Street
For any bike-obsessed designer (and there are plenty of them), this limited-edition, hand-drawn fine art print by Paul Robson (Muro-Buro) could be just the thing to get them for Christmas. Signed and numbered, each print is reproduced onto quality archival fine art paper using a high-quality giclée printing process with fade-resistant pigment ink. It’s part of a whole series of bike-themed prints by Muro-Buro.
08. Alan Kitching Special Edition: A Life in Letterpress
- Price: £75/$93
- Check out this gift at: Magma
Any self-respecting studio or freelancer has a growing collection of design books for reference, insight and inspiration. And for many, monographs of iconic designers and agencies are one of the staples of that collection. Designed by Simon Esterson and Jon Kielty, this beautiful collectable edition of Alan Kitching’s monograph documents half a century of work by the world-renowned typographer, designer and letterpress practitioner and will surely take pride of place on any studio bookshelf.
09. Pocket Press and Magic Platen
- Price: £78.15/$96.99
- Check out this gift at: Etsy
If you have a passion for hands-on, authentic craft processes but the hand-lettering set featured earlier in this list is a little too basic, this portable kit is designed for linocutters and printmakers who use multiple passes to create more complex, multi-layered artwork. The ‘platen’ (press bed) features built-in registration pins to align the plate with the paper perfectly every time. This setup can be used to print etchings, monoprints, collagraphs and even carefully inked letterpress plates. Several different kits are available from the same Easy shop.
10. DavidDavid New Hex Print Umbrella
- Price: £85/$105
- Check out this gift at: The Design Museum Shop
One of a range of striking geometric-patterned designs available from the Design Museum in London, this premium-quality double-canopy umbrella by DavidDavid features a maple-wood combined handle and shaft, a black reinforced steel fluted framework, and protective printed fabric. If the New Hex print isn’t quite your bag, other variations include Monochrome French Riviera, Check print and Arrow print.
Note: prices listed are based on exchange rates at the time of writing and are subject to change.
