Being the type of person who likes to buy sentimental gifts that relate to someone’s personality isn’t always easy.
Especially with designers and creatives in general, it can seem like they already own everything related to their hobby, and it’s easy to be left scratching your head for ideas when the gift-giving season comes around.
If this sounds like you, chances are you need to switch things up and think outside of the box to get your loved one a gift that they will really admire.
This is exactly what we’ve done with this list, providing you with several options your designer loving loved one is bound to enjoy on the next big occasion.
Polaroid Snap Instant Digital Camera
Recommended by CoolThingsChicago, this instant digital camera is bound to be a hit among designers who have a unique appreciation for everything retro or 90s.
These cameras bear significant resemblance to similar models that were created during the height of their popularity but produce pictures with far higher resolution and clarity.
Due to the Zero Ink Printing Technology, your designer friend will be able to complete the entire process of taking a photo and having the finished product in less than a minute.
Not only does this make this a must-have gift, but it could also be incorporated with their marketing if it matches up with the designs that they have for sale.
It could be part of a flat-lay in the background of an advertisement, for example, or as a more central piece with a photo taken on the camera used to give the retro feel to a modern design.
Most modern designers spend much of their time online, creating mood boards on Pinterest, manipulating digital images and corresponding with future clients.
With so much demand behind the computer screen, it can make staying hydrated fall the wayside, becoming the last of their worries.
As a loved one this may worry you, but you can put your concerns aside by investing in this Kool 8 water bottle.
With a large capacity that keeps drinks cold for up to 24 hours or hot for up to 12, this is the perfect accessory for the side of any designer’s desk.
Easily sipped from throughout the day, they aren’t losing their focus, and can easily monitor their hydration while continuing to get through their daily to-do lists with no hassle.
‘I’m Silently Judging Your Font Choice’ Mug
If you’re looking for a jokey gift that will have your designer loved one cracking a smile whenever they make a coffee, this novelty mug is for you.
With the slogan regarding font choice, this closely links to the jobs of most designers and makes a light-hearted joke about the bad designs they’ve probably seen hundreds of times before.
As well as being a novelty, this mug is also practical in the sense that it’s made from high-quality ceramics.
This means that it’s 100% dishwasher and microwave safe, meaning the print won’t fade regardless of how many times they wash it.
These mugs are also created in the USA, making them the perfect last-minute gift if you’ve struggled to find something perfect and are cutting it fine when it comes to finding something.
Bean Box Coffee + Chocolate Gift Box
If there’s a designer who doesn’t enjoy indulging in countless cups of coffee and the occasional bar of chocolate while they’re working, we haven’t met them.
Recommended by giftwits, this gift set provides everything a designer needs to keep them going for at least a few weeks.
With eight different flavors of chocolate and coffee, they provide the perfect caffeine quick that will help your designer friend complete their projects without getting bored.
They also serve as a great reminder that your designer friend should remember to take breaks to enjoy the things they love the most, which can never be a bad thing.
TwinkleInTime Personalized Map
For a gift that perfectly combines designer knowledge with perfect sentimental value, it may be worth looking into gifting them this personalized map.
This gift is an especially good idea if you and your loved one have a special occasion in mind that you both want to remember forever.
The event in question could be anything from your graduation or the very first time you met; simply choosing from the array of options is the only thing you need to get started.
Then, the company will create a poster that perfectly displays the alignment of the stars in a specific location at the time you’ve chosen to replicate how they were on your special day.
There’s also a small section for you to reference what the star alignment represents, but it is otherwise a very minimalistic design that will fit in with any color scheme.
To ensure this, there are a few different black, white and navy options to choose from, which only adds to the personalized aspect of this gift.
If you’re looking for a gift related to fonts for your designer loved one that is more practical than jokey, these flashcards are the perfect ones to go for.
With 80 cards in a pack, your loved one will receive helpful reminders of everything typography related that they can keep on their desk.
The variety of the cards also makes them perfect for both beginners and more established designers; with cards about font moods, things to do and avoid, and the 7 commandments of typographies.
The cards themselves are made from high-quality materials with the intention of lasting users a long time.
In fact, the company is so confident about their cards that they provide a lifetime guarantee on all purchases, meaning you can receive a refund if anything goes wrong even years into the future.
Summary
By this point, you will have hopefully realized that buying a gift for your designer loved one isn’t as difficult as you may have originally thought.
By thinking out of the box, things like retro polaroid cameras and personalized star maps make gifts suitable for anyone in the creative field.
With so many different ideas to suit all subsections of designers, you should have no problems choosing a gift for their upcoming occasion.