Designers have great taste — and, a lot of times, they’ve got everything they want. But you can still delight the designers in your life with a few thoughtful (and beautiful) items, provided you know what to look for.
To come up with a list of perfect gifts for designers, we asked Lara McCormick, our Head of Design Education what she’d want for the holidays. Here’s what she told us:
Paper Jam Press prints: I love these fun typographic motivational prints derived from classic hip-hop lyrics. I’ve had my eye on a set of the duo prints for my kitchen (and you can’t go wrong with early tribe called quest).
Blank books for sketching/writing. My new favorite is baron fig, it has every feature you could possibly want in a sketchbook! They have two styles, the fancy confidant, and the smaller everyday apprentice. Be sure to read story behind their name.
Anything from the design studio Dirtybandits. They have stores on Etsy and Society 6, full of fun stuff, I want it all. For all you gluten free people, they’ve got t-shirts.
2015 Calendar of Silly Holidays: This calendar has become a tradition in my house. It’s full of extraordinary hand-lettered specimens and illustrations, by one of my favorite designers, Dirtybandits (see above). Every month features a silly holiday that deserves to be celebrated! Napping Day is March 4- I’m on it.
Room shoes (slippers) from Uniqlo: This Japanese clothing company has the best stuff. I buy these as gifts for friends every year, they are super comfy, well designed and come in cool colors and patterns.
House Industries Block set: This type foundry not only crafts whimsical fonts, but also some really cool objects. I’m in love with their block sets (especially the homage to Alexander Girard, who they created a suite of products around.
Design Books: I’m a big fan of Chronicle books, they’ve got a great collection of graphic design books, and a ton of fun titles, all aesthetically on point. right now i’ve got my eye on ‘Meanwhile in San Francisco’ by Wendy McNaughton.
For more great gift ideas that you can make or buy, head over here.
