Selecting gifts for graphic designers can be a hard task sometimes, no matter if you're much acquainted with the design field or not. It's probably that time of the year which your graphic designer buddies were born a couple years ago or you just want to give yourself a geeky design gift.
This time we're showing you the path for the best gifts for graphic designers. We've found pretty AMAZING gifts for graphic designers (they're EPIC) and presented them to your attention so you can be amazed with the stuff that's been around 🙂 We also included links and buttons for you to be able to navigate to the source of these cool presents where you can buy one for your special graphic designer who ever 🙂
LET'S GET STARTED
1 - Color Muse Paint Matcher - $59
I just can't think about anything related to graphics and design without the element of color. They're everywhere, anytime and they create our whole world and shape our perception. There are a MASSIVE amount of colors and tones and a creative person usually wants to catch em' all (Pokemon pun intended) histerically. But how can you capture the colors of your surrounding world to enlighten your next big design project???
ANSWER IS COLOR MUSE PAINT MATCHER
Color Muse Paint Matcher is an invention to aid creative people with instant color capture of ANYTHING around them. It consists of a color detector cylinder and a mobile application where you can manage these colors. Color Muse Paint Matcher scans the colors from a surface better than human eye, no matter flat or textured.
Color Muse tells you color codes mainly in RGB, HEX, Lab and others, which means that's what actually a graphic designer needs in her/his artillery.
Color Muse scans the colors and gives you pairs of online products which match the color you've scanned. Color Muse recognizes many paint brands so it's like aware of many industry standards.
If you are going to buy one, you can download the App FOR FREE by clicking here.
This was one of the best alternatives that I've seen around and caught my attention the first time I've seen it 🙂
It's just $59 and the app is free to download! Check it out from down below:
Creative Workshop 80 Challenges - $15.95
Even the best creative people get stuck sometimes. Everyone needs an inspirational boost or a challenge to pump up the right hemisphere of their brain. So, there's a great book to aid every creative worker, be it a master or novice, and it comes up with 80 challanges from many many fields where creative labour is used.
Stuck on a deadline and feel like the world is a horrible place? Need some creativity and self projects to come up with but don't know where to start? This book can be related as one of the holy books of design and it DEFINETELY will show you the way. A great resource to keep you going.
From artwork chalanges that takes a hour or two to self developing projects which you can finish in two days, from plain illustrations to interactive corporate design works such as creating websites to other media. There are 80 EPIC challanges that will hone your skills from basic to mind-bending and it's a resource that every designer should always keep near them.
It has 4.5 stars out of 5 in Amazon and you should just read about what people are saying about this book! Everyone is overly satisfied 🙂
You can buy it from the link below:
Polaroid Zip Mobile Polaroid Printer
Remember the oldschool Polaroid cameras?? They've simultaneously evolved with the technology and now the Graphic Gods present us Mobile Polaroid Printers!! They're great gifts for graphics and photography enthusiast and can demonstrate awesome technological abilities while not losing the little touch of retro.
You want a print of your favourite photos of great moments with friends in a Polaroid styled carcass?? Polaroid Zip Mobile prints your photos from your mobile devices and tablets just in seconds with a sticky-back option if you want to stick them to your wall or refrigerator or wherever you want. Let those great moments live forever!! :))
And this is all made possible with a mobile app which comes with your purchase. Now we all can re-live the retro with new age Polaroid experience. It's an inkless device, which comes with its special printing paper package. Install the software, mount the papers and you're good to go.
Actually by judging the comments of users I can comfortably say that Polaroid is the second best after HP Sprocket Portable Photo Printer. HP Sprocket is the #1 best seller on the market but Polaroid also has a "Gift Bundle" option you can buy and that contains definetely MANY MANY things that will make a designer MORE THAN HAPPY. I mean there is a whole bundle of Sticker sets, a pouch, twin tip markers, stickers and many more, a total gift bundle.
That's why I will present you both of them. Here's the link to Polaroid Zip Gift Bundle, but you can also check out other options of Polaroid from the same page.
And here's the one for HP Sprocket Portable Photo Printer. If you're going to get one, don't forget to buy an additional pouche/carry bag. They're very useful 🙂 You can check it out by clicking the button below
3D Virtual Draving with Google Tilt Brush
Have you ever dreamt of drawing your fantasies on to the air around you?? Well, I've dreamt and NOW IT HAS BECOME A REALITY!!!!
Yes, Google came up with a VR gizmo which enables you to actually paint and draw around you!! This is one of the most awesome things that I've come across my entire life!!
Let's see what amazing things people do with Tilt Brush!
I know it's FANTASTIC 😀 It's a dream becme true for an artist and I definetely am sure that your designer friend or anyone else would die to get their hands on Tilt Brush. I can live in it forever if you ask me..
What Should You Do and How To Use It??
Using Tilt Brush won't cost you much, the software is actually quite cheap for a legendary arts innovation like this. But first of all, you need to get a VR headset for it and not every VR set is compatible with it. That's why I'm writing this section, to guide you folks.
Tilt Brush is compatible with HTC Vive headset or an Oculus Rift VR, so I will provide you sources where you can get.
HTC Vive or Oculus??
HTC Vive is a little bit more expensive than Oculus Rift but it has some advantages. HTC Vive is entagrated with Steam, so by buying an HTC Vive headset you will also be able to play VR games in Steam while oculus uses their own "Oculus" store" and as you know while most gamers are registered to Steam it's more charming to get a HTC Vive but that's just my opinion. Both systems are great and it's you to decide which one you would get.
HTC Vive
HTC Vive is the top dominating name of the VR Headset market and it deserves all the applaus. HTC Vive will probably give you the best VR experience you can get. It's also working with Steam and there are GREAT games which have been re-made for VR which Vive supports. Fallout 4 VR is one of the GREATEST VRRemake titles that I've ever seen and HTC Vive definetely is worth getting for even the sole pupose of Fallout 4.
HTC Vive works with Steam and you can play up to more than 1500 Steam VR games and that's HELL OF A LOT OF GAMES. It's a headset that you won't regret getting 🙂 I will give you the Amazon link to learn more about it and check out the real user comments.
Minuses:
- It's more expensive than Oculus Rift.
- May need a better computer system to support it.
- Some people say that Oculus Rift is more comfortable, but that's a dependent thing per individual.
Oculus Rift
Both of these kickass headsets can be found on Amazon and you can come across some great deals there. By pressing the buttons below you will be directed to the page and you can get much more technical information from there. I would write more but there are many more gifts for graphic designers to show and I don't want to bore you dear visitors with only this 🙂
Here you can get the HTC Vive headset:
And from here you can get the Oculus Rift headset:
And this is how to install the Tilt Brush step by step just in case if you get confused 🙂
Vacom Graphics Tablet - $239 -$429.99
If you want to make a graphic designer REALLY happy, one of the best ideas to buy her/him a graphics tablet. Graphics tablet is one of the best friends of a graphics designer and they're used to draw on computer software just like you draw on a paer with a pencil and almost all professionals in creative industries use it.
This is an example what people can accomplish with a Wacom Graphics Tablet:
I advise you to find out whether the person you're buying this graphic tablet owns one or not. Because buying a vacom tablet to a graphics designer who already owns one can be useless.
BUT, you can STILL BUY a Vacom tablet because they come in many sizes and many models. While some people use small tablets, some serious creative workers work with BATTLESTATIONS which are the size of a gaming monitor and has actual PC components in them. This is an example of a Wacom Battlestation: Wacom Cintiq
Here's the Wacom tablet with a lower model: Intuos Pro. And by lower I don't mean something bad. t's AMAZING. Wacom tablets are the ones which are known as the industry standard in creative works.
I'm starting with Wacom Intuos Pro because they're the cheaper models and usually used by many designers who do mid-range works on their computer. If you're planning on buying the REAL DEAL then I'll show you another Wacom tablet with much more gun power packed up: The Cintiq Series.
Here I'll give you the link where you can buy the Intuos Pro series. There are three different sizes and three different bundles you can select from. There's even a model where you can save your paper drawings 🙂
Click for Wacom Intuos Pro:
If you decide to spend more money, then you can get one of the best equipment out there and this will DEFINITELY give your graphic designer friend tears of joy. There's no way that a graphic designer will be unhappy with t, it's the BEST THING YOU CAN GET 🙂
Here you can find the link to a Cintiq Pad from the link below. And if it's too pricey for you, you can check out other Cintiq models which are cheaper.
Click Here For Cintiq Pad:
AGPTEK Tracing Light Pad - $27.59 - $58.99
If you are aware of what graphic design work involves, then you would know that tracng from rough sketches is a part of the process. For some graphic designers it's one of the most frequently used tools in their workflow and you can make a graphic designer REALLY happy by buying them a tracing light pad!!
And the greatest fact is that it's really AFFORDABLE.. Like I mean, for $58.99 you can get the largest size A3 (14.6 x 18.5 inches) (37 x 47 cm) and that's a satisfaction guarantee for any designer.
Here you can get to Amazon if you're planning to buy one. You can also find much more technical information in Amazon and also real user comments are available to your view. 4.4 out of 5 stars!! A little tip, people LOVE it 😉
iSkelter Slate Mobile Lap Desk
Most of the folks in design field use Apple, as you know. And that may not be true for everyone, but it's a fact and we people usually want to work in the comfort of our couch from time to time(maybe most of the time). And that's when iSkelter Mobile Lap Desk came into the picture. It's probably one of the best lap desk solutions especially for people who use mobile products like Laptops, Macbooks, mini tablets and smart phones.
Skelter is designed to fit most of the laptops and comfortably support Macbooks. Made out of natural bamboo and crafted with top notch craftsmanship to provide you the best mobile lap workstation.
- Made out of natural top qualty polished bamboo and carved out with top quality craftsmanship. Every detail is double-thinked and material is ultra light, very strong and
- Even has a mousepad with thick and heavy duty design.
- It has a mobile phone/tablet display docking station where you can mount your tablet-smart phone and work simultaneously. Even an iPad mini fits into the mobile docking station.
- Has ventilation spaces to prevent your laptop overheating.
So, it's a great idea as a gift and maybe you would like to get one for yourself too :)) You can find it for a great deal at Amazon.com by clicking the button below:
Refold Portable Standing Desk
Who would say that a cardboard could become your next workspace?? With Refold portable desk is redefined.
It's a cardboard box which can be transformed to a cardboard desk which is usable with different height. You can adjust it to become a standing desk or you can arrange it to work by sitting. It weights only 6.8 kg (14 lbs) and it takes less than 2 minues to assembly. Holds up to 85 kg and durable between 1-3 years.
You can carry it anywhere and use anytime you want. A great mobile solution! Check it out from here:
Click Here To Check It Out
Fondoodler
Do you like cheese?? Well, I do. And you don't have to be a rocket scientist to think that a graphic designer would love to make art out of anything. Even with cheese..
You can think of Fondoodler as a hot silicon gun which spits out cheese and the amount of creativity you can get with it is limitless. Just imagine the things you can draw on your tacos at a home party. Look at this Eiffel Tower built with a Fondoodler 😀
You can get one by clicking the button below:
Polaroid Snap Touch Instant Print
You've seen our Polaroid Zip Mobile Printer at the top of this post, but now we're giving you the real deal. It's an actual Polaroid instant camera. The only difference between old Polaroid cameras and these are the improved technology. A new digital screen is added to the Polaroid camera and there are little design tweaks which differ from the original and it's smaller and more compact (which is something good) but the general concept is similar.
You can take instant prints the oldschool Polaroid style 🙂
There are any more KICKASS features which you can get that "Indie" touch such ass Swap Camera, Instant Filters and more stuff like that and these all are manipulated easily with the app. There are many more cool, cute and interesting things that Polaroid Snap Touch houses 🙂
Click here to check it out:
3D Doodler Pen
3D printing is a great thing which has changed the whole world and the art mediums also. Now there are even more limitless artwork options you can create with 3D Doodler Pen added to your creative artillery!
You can't even imagine the things people create with 3D Doodler Pen: Here are some examples:
It's so easy to use and there are many different colors of fillaments you can choose from. Just make your ideas come to life in 3D!!
It's CHILD SAFE so that it doesn't have any contacting hot parts. It's also a great learning tool for youngsters.
You can check it out from here:
Wooden Keyboard and Mouse
Want to spice up your workplace a little?? Maybe a set of new equipment can be the solution.
Wooden Keyboard and Mouse is an actual eye candy that definetely stands out. I actually really like the feeling of wood and I sometimes find myself touching every wood furniture that I see around. With a wooden keyboard and mouse I didn't have to repeat that behavour again 🙂
- Hand carved %100 natural bamboo
- Compatible up to Windows 10
- Mute, internet, calculator and email hot keys
It's a great replacement if you're looking for a new keyboard and mouse which will probably change the workspace of the designer completely in a good way. It's quite minimal, feels great to interact and IT'S A WOODEN KEYBOARD AND MOUSE FOR GOD'S SAKE!!!! 😀
You can get one for yourself by clicking the button below:
Retro Typewriter
Retro Typewriter is a personal favourite of mine! It's the gizmo that is guaranteed to change your whole experience of typing from the root. It's the sexyback of Retro with a slight touch of technology and it amazes everyone. Think about your friends seeing this on your working desk or pulling the Retro Typewriter out in a coffeeshop to start inspirational writing the oldschool way.
Retro Typewriter can be used with ANY device which supports bluetooth, be it your PC, tablet, smartphone or any other device. It aslo has a specifically designed tablet mounting platform which would really conquer the hearts of tablet users.
You can get further imformation about it from here:
Everlast Notebook
Everlast Notebook is the next big thing for the creative minded. Everlast Notebook is a notebook which obviously "Everlasts". It's a reusable notebook with integrated technology which allows you to write, draw and create on it and then easily transfer your pages to cloud. You can even automate it to share the pages in specific social media and to be stored in specific spaces like Dropbox.
Check out the video to get a better understanding:
It's so easy to erase the pages and they can be used FOR EVER! Everlast Notebook started as a Kickstarter Project of two friends. Then it evolved to something amazing: The Everlast Notebook.
You can check it out from here:
Suck UK Cross Stitch Map
Do you love travelling?? Then it may be a great idea to mark your visited destinations in a creative way which can also serve as a great decoration and trophy. Cross Stitch Map is a great gift for travel enthusiasts.
You can click the button below to buy one:
Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!
That is how I feel after having a chance to view all the relevant selections provided on the site.
Although I felt somewhat out of touch not knowing that all these gems were even available.
Your efforts have revealed so many stunning selections to not only save some time but do it in style.
Thanks for the shopping experience!
What is your favorite?
Thank you Robert :)) Your interest means a lot to me!!
Yeah there are many many things that people don’t know about out there, I also don’t know many things but that’s why I’ve started this site 😀
I’m also growing the site and try to regularly add new interesting stuff..)
I have many favourites but my personal favourites are 80 Challenges Book and Google Tilt Brush :))
Graphic designing was something I had thought about trying from time to time and I even took a class on it during school once. That being said, I think each of these gifts would be great in their own way.
The first device which caught my attention has got to be the Google Tilt Brush and seeing as how you can draw stuff in real life, I do not see how any graphic designer could go wrong with it.
One other thing I always wanted to try was printing images taken from my mobile device and to be honest, I had no idea about the Polaroid Mobile printers but the images printed there look very high quality and I like having the option of combining multiple images in one as well as inserting small emoji’s to the photos.
I have also been into gaming for pretty much my whole life so the VR headsets is something I have been wanting to try but never really gotten into. Having more than 1,500 games to play using the device is quite impressive and is a reminder that VR gaming will only get bigger as time progresses!
The Everlast Notebook would definitely be useful for me considering I might want to jot notes down and save them for later while also being able to reuse all of the pages. I can easily see why this was able to raise over a million dollars!
My question is, which of these products would you say caught your eye the most as you were first looking at them? Also, which of these do you already own or are considering getting in the future?
Hey Arie!! I’m glad that this caught your attention :))
Definetely you can’t go wrong with tilt brush and else of Tilt Brush Google also has some other cool design apps such ass grafitti VR and etc but Tilt Vrush definetely is the real bang!!
Polaroid Mobile Zip is also a great gift no doubt and one f my personal favourites either. Great deal that it also has a “Gift Bundle” option, right on spot in an article about gifts for graphic designers 🙂
VR is the future in everything and augmented reality will soon, maybe in 5-10 years, will become a part of our life. It will only keep getting bigger 🙂
I had the chance to experience the Wacom Graphics Tablet and that has every reason to be the industry standard. I also tried out the HTC Vive headset and it’s AWESOME!!! Lİike, PURE QUALITY!!
I don’t have any friends in graphic design, but I do know a lot of people who would still love these gadgets!
The oculus rift is definitely something a lot of my friends would love. I haven’t heard of the HTC Vive before though, I had no idea it was such a big competitor!
The paint matcher would also be a great gift for my gf for Christmas!
Yeah these pieces are great buys for ANYONE!! HTC Vive can be defined as (in my opinion) the “Elitist” of VR headsets. You can’t go wrong with it. But Oculus Rift is cheaper and some people find it more comfy while it doesn’t have an agreement with Steam butboth of them are great headsets and it’s up to personal preference which one you will get.
Color Muse Paint Matcher is definetely a great present for anyoe who likes colors. Don’t even need to be working in the design field.
I’m not even a graphic designer and I want the tilt brush! It is like my childhood fantasies come true. The portable standing desk is brilliant too. Actually, I think that I want the 3-D pen, too.
Awesome list of gifts. Many of these a great even if you are not a graphic designer. You could use the standing desk even if you worked from home or the 3-D pen if you were a teacher.
I want EACH ONE OF THEM!! I can understand you wanting some of them :))
Absolutely yes, you don’t even need to be a graphic designer to get one of them!!
These gifts are awesome! I can’t believe I have never even heard of these gadgets before and I am a graphic designer myself. I especially love the color muse paint matcher. I can recall so many times I have taken a picture of something to take back home and hope that the lighting didn’t mess up the color so I can match it exactly in photoshop. I would love any of these gifts for myself!
Hey Josephine!! I also work with graphics and design stuff. And I CAN’T STOP MYSELF WANTING TO GET ONE OF THESE!!
Color Muse Paint Matcher is definetely a best friend for a graphic designer and I’m also a fa of Google Tilt Brush. The amount of creativity is growing sky high with these tools!!!
Hey, there. Great article. I am a huge gadget nerd. The Color Muse color match gadget caught my eye. My wife is an interior decorator. I was wondering if she could use the device to color match paint in her clients’ homes. The article mentions that the app/device recognize some common paints, but what if it doesn’t? Can Lowe’s or Home Depot use the raw color data output for a match?
Hey there Will!!
Color Muse Color Matcher looks EXACTLY like the gadget that your wife actually needs. Everyone working in the creations and design industry can benefit from Color Muse. And it’s a dream come true for designers.
I suppose it can, but there are many brands in this big wide world and I just don’t have an exact list of brands that Color Muse can match itself. No matter what Color Muse gves you a detailed specification about the color so you can check it out by eye and RGB or HEX if it matches or something near to it.
Hello Durukan
Thanks so much for sharing, this has just come at the right time as I will soon need to print some images, so even to me as a nongraphic designer, this post has really proved useful.
You mention Amazon is the best place to buy, now I`m not a savvy online shopper to be honest, I have never bought any physical products online so I`m not sure how it works.
Is there a chance Amazon ships to Europe? I`m asking as I think Amazon in American company(sorry if I`m wrong) and if they ship to Europe, is shipping cost paid by the seller or will I have to pay shipping?
thanks so much,really appreciate you sharing this.
Hey Roamy!!
I thank you for your apprecition and I’m glad that I coud be helpful 🙂 And there are 2 answers to that question:
1) If you live in a decent civilized country such as European countries you won’t need to worry that much about shipments because Amazon usually ships to those countries. You can easily get to know whether Amazon ships to your country or not by checking the writings under the price, it will usually say “This is item ships to / doesn’t ship to”. If it ships to your country you won’t have any problems.
2) Amazon is a multi-national company now and has many bases-establishments around the globe. Amazon has Europe charters in specific countries such as Amazon Germany, Amazon UK and etc.. and if you can find the product you want from those charters you won’t have to order it from USA and you will save some time and probably some money. Shipping rates are charged seperately by Amazon addied to the price of the actual product.
See you around and check out our other content 🙂
These gadgets are a graphic designer’s dream for sure! I was really taken with the old-fashioned typewriter keyboard but the $568 price gave me sticker shock. Thinking of trying the affordable and very attractive bamboo keyboard but am spoiled with my trackpad and don’t think I could go back to a mouse. Do you know if they offer a trackpad in bamboo? I’m bookmarking this post!
Hey Lauren!!
Thank you for your nice words!! Yeah, I was also amazed by them and that’s why I decided to share my findings with everyone!! I’m glad for your appreciation 🙂 I don’t know an actual bamboo graphics tablet but I know an actual “Bamboo” graphics tablet – it’s the name of Wacom’s lower tablet model.
Click Here To View The Bamboo Graphics Tablet
I’m glad that you liked the article!! Check out our other content for cool stuff 🙂
This is a great list of gift ideas for Graphic Designers and being a Graphic Design I was excited from top to bottom and even plan on adding some of these products to my arsenal.
The product I found the most useful and no graphic designer should have to live without is the Color Muse!
Tilt brush is by far the coolest, just seeing it in action made me wish I had a VR headset! Does it work with the Oculus Rift or is it a Hive exclusive?
Great Post!
Thank you for your appreciation :))
Color Muse is definetely a MUST HAVE!!
And anout Google Tilt Brush.. It actually works with Oculus Rift but you may have to buy it from Oculus Store. Here is a great article about the best vr headsets for pc. Click Here for the best vr headsets for pc
And I’m so glad that you liked the post :)) Don’t forget to check out our other content!!
Hi Durukan
I don,t know anyone that is a graphic designers, but you have some awesome gift ideas. The one that like the most is Muse Paint match, I think that is a gift that anyone can use. It was a nice touch to but the video in your website. We can see exactly what the product can do before buying the product.
Hey Emelda!! Thank you for your interest :))
I’m glad that you liked it and I’m also a fan of Muse Color Matcher :)) Don’t forget to check out more of our content to find some awesome stuff!! And don’t forget to check out the “Best Scaners for Graphic Designer” article!!!!
I didn’t have any idea that any of this stuff was on the market. I like the retro looking stuff like the wooden keyboard and mouse and the typewriter for your Ipad.
Technology has really taken off. The graphics tablet is awesome for the guy or girl artist. Maybe whenever I’m rich I’ll just get all this stuff.
Have a happy new year!
Yeah, it’s pretty aamazing what you can find these days. I also want to buy them all!! When I have enough funds I will definetely take a leap 🙂
Thanks for your nice words and have a great year too!!
Fantastic. Did not know some of these gifts existed. My son is a budding graphic designer so every Christmas and birthday it’s easy to get him a present. I always make sure of the make and model of whatever he is looking for before I buy it.
I’m sure he would be pleased to receive any one of the gifts on your site.
I’ll send him the link and see what is his reaction. Then, I’ll be back to pick up his favorite.
Thanks for the great information.
Ed
Thank you for your interest Ed!! I ave no doubt that your son will be more than appreciating these gfts!! And I also am in love with these gifts!! I consider geting some of them for myself too.
Let me know about your son’s present 🙂