Gifts for Designers 2023
Having spent time in all kinds of design studios and offices around the world, we’ve put together a round-up of some of the best gifts for designers, to make the work of the designer in your life just that little bit more pleasurable.
Whatever your budget and wherever they are in the world, you can always sign them up for a free subscription to DEVELOP3D Magazine.
WIN
To start off the New Year with a bang, one lucky DEVELOP3D subscriber will win a stack of items featured on this list. To be in with a chance of winning this prize, make sure you’re subscribed to receive the digital or hard copy versions of DEVELOP3D Magazine, as well as our monthly news mailers, by clicking here. Good luck!
Gifts for Designers – Desirable Desk Kit
1 Twelve South iPad Hoverbar 2nd Gen, £84
Perfect for multi-tasking, referencing and taking those conference calls on your iPad without clogging up your main monitor
2 Octaevo Blue Pocket Notes, £15.50
For sketching out ideas on the go, this set of three Mediterranean blue pads can be taken everywhere
3 Wingback mechanical pencil, from £115
Designed in London, this brass beauty will last a lifetime and can feature laser engraved limited edition collaborations, like this octopus from illustrators Lást Maps
4 Kal 2023 Wall Calendar, £34
Countdown to the weekend with this minimalist and timeless design
5 OYOY Living Kasa Table Lamp, £209
A chic silhouette, this desk lamp will add serious style to their workplace
6 Hoji Pencil Holder, £46.50
Helping keep everything in its rightful place is this Danish oak desk tidy
Gifts for Designers – Everyone Has Their Vices
7 Dam Vintage Sloe Gin, £25
Mix them a Negroni on another level this year with Oxford Artisan Distillery sloe gin, packed with wild damsons, sloes and matured in a rich vintage port barrique
8 Salcombe ‘Island Street’ Rum, £35
This transatlantic spiced gold rum will take their tastebuds somewhere tropical, with hints of soft brown sugar, coconut and pecan
9 Aromatherapy Associates Deep Relax Bath & Shower Oil, £55
Instant relaxation away from the design studio, helping them slide into slumber however hectic the deadlines
10 Re-Engineered Brown Betty Teapot, £48
Ceramicist Ian McIntyre has released this design classic brew-beauty, reintroducing previous innovations like the non-drip spout and locking lid for their tea break
11, Pinter! 2, from £99
A brilliant bit of easy homebrew design, slots into the fridge to chill a huge range of beer or cider recipes before drinking
12 Tony’s Chocolonely Personalised Bars, £6
Use the festive templates or go completely custom with your wrappers for these amazingly tasty chocolate bars
Gifts for Designers – Long-hours Luxury
13 Ultimate Ears Hyperboom, £299
Remote working means taking that essential playlist with them, and Ultimate Ears has just the thing
14 Datacolor SpyderX Elite, £118
Rapid monitor calibration and multiple customisation controls that will have them seeing in perfect colour for visualisation work
15 XenceLabs Medium Tablet SE Bundle, £272
Our hands-on experience puts this tablet, controller and pens bundle up there for pro users, while the new colourway adds to its desk appeal
16 3DConnexion Keyboard Pro with Numpad, £85
Created with designers and engineers in mind, this excellent ergonomic option allows them to customise their desk for the long term
17 VLUV Seating Ball, from £82
That yoga ball they sit on ‘for their posture’ looks like it was robbed from a sweaty gym – instead grab them one of these fabric-wrapped weighted numbers
18 Levee Espresso Machine, £15,500
Yes, you could fly them 5-star to Florence to drink coffee all week for this price, but just bloody look at it! And it makes coffee! Read about its design by Pininfarina here.
Gifts for Designers – Workshop Wonders
19 WE1010 Solder Station, Weller, £183
Electronics prototyping in-house? Avoid temperature spikes with this solder iron
20 Digital External Micrometers, Oxford, £49
Make sure they have all measurements covered – right down to the tiniest parts. Imperial measurements available for heathens.
21 Engineer Screw Pliers, £19
Multi-purpose pliers with a twist – jaws shaped to grab and turn those screws that can’t/won’t be budged
22 Bahco Side Cutters, £39
Help them clean-up those 3D prints faster with these ergonomic and super sharp Swedish cutters
23 A2 Cutting Matt from 4D Modelshop, £17
An absolute must-have for desktop prototyping
24 Headband Magnifier with LED Light, from 4D Modelshop £25
Get them closer to the details with this headset that offers 5 different magnifying lenses
Gifts for Designers – First Class Travel
25 Corkcicle Coffee Mug, £37
Wrapped-up rugged and ready, this triple skin coffee mug with lid will keep their brew warm wherever they venture
26 3D Connexion Space Mouse Compact, £139
Using CAD anywhere is great, but this 3D mouse makes it a breeze
27 Arket 24-hour Duffle, £119
Super lightweight recycled material makes this an overnight carry-on bag they can’t live without
28 Atom Studios flat universal charging cable, £22
If they’ve got more gadgets than sense then this has all their charging needs covered in one neat cable, thanks to the included aluminium interchangeable heads
29 Antler Clifton Carry-On, £159
Pack them off with this UK-designed hard-shell, in one of many stand-out colours
30 Datacolor ColorReader, £99
Give their CMF inspiration a boost with this digital colour sampler for accuracy on the move
Gifts for Designers – Reading Matters
[Order from your local highstreet bookshop]
31 Bauhaus 1919 – 1933 (2022 Updated Edition), £50
The ultimate 400 page guide to Bauhaus design, updated for the school’s centenary
32 Endineering, £16
Joe Macleod sets about challenging our notions of good design with an excellent book on sustainability and ecological principals
33 Biomimetics for Designers, £30
Examples of nature’s most fascinating processes and applications in the real world
34 Barber Osgerby, Projects, £60
From Olympic torches to desk lamps and everything in-between from these UK design staples
35 Women In Design, £15
A comprehensive intro to women’s legacies in design, and a long-overdue corrective to bloke-centric histories of design
36 Invention: A Life, James Dyson, £7
Toss some money into the wheelbarrow of this kindly, salt-of-the-earth, impoverished old man this year…
Or alternatively, donate the amount to a small charity where the money would be hugely appreciated and make a difference
All gift guide information correct at time of first publication
WIN
To start off the New Year with a bang, one lucky DEVELOP3D subscriber will win a stack of items featured on this list. To be in with a chance of winning this prize, make sure you’re subscribed to receive the digital or hard copy versions of DEVELOP3D Magazine, as well as our monthly news mailers, by clicking here. Good luck!
