Gifts For Graphic Designers Who Notice Everything

Designers are the worst people to buy for, because they have looked at more objects than you have and rejected most of them.

So aim at the working setup rather than their taste: the machine, the screen, the desk, and the analogue things they enjoy precisely because they stare at pixels all day.

Honest note: we make cards, pin badges and prints in the UK. Laptops, kit and books are recommendations from elsewhere.

The working setup

• The machine itself, if theirs is creaking. A MacBook Air is the obvious big-ticket option here - light enough to carry all day, silent, and the battery genuinely lasts a full day of work. For anyone running the full Adobe suite, the colour accuracy of the display is the part they will notice first.
• A MacBook Air suits freelancers who work in cafes and clients' offices; the heavier Pro machines only make sense for constant video work.
• A proper mouse or a drawing tablet, depending on how they work.
• A monitor arm, which frees the whole desk.
• A colour-accurate calibration tool, if they print anything for a living.

Type and print treats

• A type specimen book or a letterpress print.
• A year of a font subscription or a single beautiful typeface.
• A trip to a print works or a letterpress workshop.
• A print for the wall that nobody else has - Shop the range
• Kerning-joke pin badges, worn ironically and permanently - Shop the range

Analogue, because the screen never stops

• Good pens and a dot-grid notebook, and yes, they do have a brand preference.
• A cutting mat and scalpel for real mock-ups.
• A risograph or screen-printing session.
• A Pantone-ish mug, the standard designer gift, and still funny to them.
• Desk ideas - Read the guide

If you know nothing about design

• Buy plain and well made, never decorated.
• Black, grey, natural wood and one strong colour are safe.
• Avoid anything with a slogan in a font you chose.
• A voucher for a design shop lets them be as fussy as they want.
• A card with a good clean layout, which they will notice - Shop the range

Shop prints

How to write it so it lands

• Buy plain and well made.
• Aim at the setup, not their taste.
• Vouchers let them be fussy.

Where to shop next

• Greetings cards
• Pin badges
• Wall art and prints
• Motivational prints
• Candles
• Gifts for university students
• Gifts for musicians
• Gifts for video editors
• Gifts for teenagers
• Gifts for tech lovers
• Going to university leaving guide
• University room decor ideas
• Graduation gift ideas
• Gifts for music lovers
• Board games for teenagers
• Desk accessories gift ideas
• Planning the party? Birthday party ideas
• How to make a balloon arch
• Photo booth prop ideas
• Pin badges
• All guides

Frequently asked questions

What do you buy a graphic designer?

Aim at the setup rather than their taste: a faster laptop, a drawing tablet, a monitor arm, good pens and a dot-grid notebook, or a letterpress or risograph workshop.

Is a MacBook a good gift for a graphic designer?

It is the standard machine in the industry, so software, fonts and client files all behave. A MacBook Air suits most design work unless they edit long-form video daily.

What should you avoid buying a designer?

Anything decorated with a font you picked, novelty slogans, and clutter for a desk they have arranged deliberately.

What are good cheap gifts for designers?

A specimen book, good pens, a cutting mat, an unusual print, or a pin badge with an in-joke about kerning.

What do freelance designers need most?

Portability and battery life, because they work in cafes, at clients' desks and at home in the same week.

Do you sell laptops yourselves?

No. We design and print greetings cards, enamel pin badges, prints and party decorations in the UK. Laptops and tech are recommendations from elsewhere - the only things linked to our own shop are ours.