Gifts for Designers 2024
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 bundle 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 Mobile Pixels Geminos, £620
Over-under stacked 24″ monitors are a game changer for productivity while avoiding tech-neck
2 Octaevo Blue Pocket Notes, £14.90
For sketching out ideas on the go, this set of three Mediterranean blue pads can be taken everywhere
3 Wingback mechanical pencil, from £125
Designed in London, this brass beauty will last a lifetime and can feature laser engraved limited edition collaborations
4 Timor desk calendar, £126
Enzo Mari’s classic 1960s design will hopefully keep you right for the future
5 Case Trove desk tidy, starts at £14
Made from cork and designed by David Irwin, no matter how many components you add this modular set-up will tidy your desk with a minimalist look
6 IKEA Staenkregn LED ring-lamp, £8
Help brighten-up those calls with this dimmable, screen-agnostic ring lamp with USB-C connector
Gifts for Designers – Everyone Has Their Vices
7 Kavalan Classic Single Malt, £73
Bicycles, semi-conductors and now single malts – is there anything Taiwan can’t make? This is award-winning stuff for well under three-figures
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, £57
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! 3, from £99
The brilliant bit of easy homebrew design is now on its third generation and available in the USA! Slots into the fridge to chill a huge range of beer or cider recipes before drinking
12 Tony’s Chocolonely Personalised Bars, from £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 PioneerDJ DM-50D BT, £228
PioneerDJ’s new desk speakers have a Class D amp with 5-inch woofers, letting you easily switch from desk to pro DJ mode for Friday drinks
14 Datacolor SpyderX Elite, £159
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 Deltahub Carpio 2.0, from £30
This wrist-support glides across a desk mat, letting you move your entire arm and reducing damaging rotational movements that lead to carpal tunnel
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, £192
Electronics prototyping in-house? Avoid temperature spikes with this solder iron
20 Digital External Micrometers, Oxford, £72
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, £19.50
An absolute must-have for desktop prototyping
24 Headband Magnifier with LED Light, from 4D Modelshop £28
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, £46
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, £126
Using CAD anywhere is great, but this 3D mouse makes it a breeze
27 Arket 24-hour Duffle, £139
Super lightweight recycled material makes this an overnight carry-on bag they can’t live without
28 Jabra Evolve2 65 Flex, £230
Block out the background with outstanding noise cancellation and drop into that Teams call with this headset from Jabra that also plays your music like a dream
29 Antler Clifton Carry-On, £170
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 Design, Lead, Succeed, £20
Former Speedo designer turned design innovation consultant, Chris Johnson pens this excellent guide to help talented designers transition to leading excellent teams
32 Endineering, £16
Joe Macleod sets about challenging our notions of good design with an excellent book on sustainability and ecological principals
33 Space: A Human Story, £22
Only 628 people in history have left Earth. Astronaut Tim Peake traces their lives of some of these giving insight into life in space and the technologies that enable it
34 The Atlas of Car Design: The World’s Most Iconic Cars, £100
Over a century of automotive design, featuring more than 650 models, from more than 190 manufacturers and more than 30 countries
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 Humanise A Maker’s Guide to Building Our World, £16
Toss some money into the wheelbarrow of Thomas Heatherwick 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
