The 2022 Christmas & Holiday Gift List for Designers

The countdown is on and retailers are telling shoppers to get their gift orders in early. So now is the time to get your holiday shopping taken care of.

We’ve collected a list of super cool gift ideas for designers, to help you be the perfect secret (or not-so-secret) Santa this holiday season. We all know that designers can be tough to shop for, so our gift list should be a life-saver!

Find something unique and different for the person close to you, with these wonderful gift ideas.

iPad Pro

The iPad Pro with the new M2 chip is near the top of a lot of wish lists. It’s a video editing dream with lightning-fast speed, amazing performance, and that “cool factor” of Apple. Add a keyboard and pen and you pretty much have a small supercomputer that is adaptable for anything.

DeFeet Woolie Boolie Socks

The Woolie Boolie 6″ Blaze 3-Pack gift box includes three pairs of thick and padded Merino wool socks, suitable for winter cycling, hiking, or everyday wear, with a contrasting yarn across the foot and throughout the sock, creating a heathered appearance. They have a cult following for a reason: wooly warmth, padded comfort, and durability.

Architect’s Cubes

These eight cubes are made of different natural and composite materials: maple wood, bakelite, cork, granite, EVA, silicone, acrylic, and aluminum. The Architect’s Cubes can be combined to create a large cube or arranged individually as sculptural building blocks. Architects John Bennett and Gustavo Bonevardi designed the compellingly tactile set to encourage creative exploration of its forms and materials.

Shhh … Candle

Shhh…I’m Designing is a cute handmade candle that is sure to make you smile. Choose from a variety of highly scented options from the candle made using soy wax, cotton wicks, and reusable jars.

The History of Graphic Design

Jens Müller rounds off the most comprehensive exploration of graphic design to date. With around 3,500 seminal pieces and 78 landmark projects, year-by-year spreads, and profiles of industry leaders, discover how graphic design shaped contemporary society from the 1960s until today, from the hippie movement to new forms of visual language. Volume 1 is also available.

UGEE Drawing Tablet

The large drawing tablet is great if you want to have a real pen-to-paper feel, but digitally. It works with Mac or Windows so you don’t have to worry about compatibility issues with this gift. It’s got easy shortcut keys and is an affordable tablet option.

Que Insulated Bottle

Do your part for the environment with a reusable – and beautifully designed – bottle for hot or cold beverages. The ceramic interior keeps drinks from leaving behind any taste or smell and the double steel wall will keep drinks hot or cold for up to 24 hours.

WTF Notebooks

Take notes with a touch of snarkiness. WTF Notebooks are a fun gift that allows you to share thoughts about how you really feel with a tool that’s practical for any office. (Notebooks in the NSFW category are great for laughs and working from home.

Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700

Maintain peace and quiet while you work and make calls with these stellar headphones from Bose. They are some of the highest-rated headphones on the market when it comes to sound quality. They connect via Bluetooth and have built-in voice control, a 20-hour battery life, and come in stylish colors.

MiniPresso GR

Minipresso GR is a portable espresso machine. Compact, lightweight and versatile, you may use any variety of coffee beans/roasts with plenty of control over coffee prep.

Hatch Wake Up Light

Simulate natural light to wake up more relaxed and boost your mood (it’s something we probably all need right now). This smart clock helps you create a sleep routine and includes a reading and wake-up light, wind-down suggestions, a sound library, and a sunrise alarm.

Bellroy Key Cover

The leather key cover from Bellroy fits 2 to 4 keys with a super slim design that keeps keys from jingling and scratching valuables in your pocket. It has a hinge-out ring for larger items such as car key fobs.

Rocketbook Smart Notebooks

Move your sketches from paper to computer with a smart notebook. What’s neat about this option is that it has two notebooks – with lined and dotted pages – pens, and a cloth to wipe pages clean and start over again.

Mavic 3

The Mavic 3 captures stunning imagery with the Hasselblad camera and has a smooth flight with omnidirectional obstacle sensing.

Oru Kayak

Get off the computer and onto the water with this folding kayak – for real! – from Oru Kayak. Their boats fold into easy-to-carry bags that have a beautiful design and plenty of on-water function.

Mark One Pen

Mark One is a minimal, seamless pen that looks as good as it feels. It’s custom machined, all-metal, retractable pen with a ceramic-based exterior coating for long-lasting durability. These pens are designed to last forever and they will likely be the favorite of whoever gets them.

Pantone Solid Guide Set

Every designer loves a Pantone Guide. The Solid Guide Set includes all five-spot color guides: Formula Guide Coated & Uncoated, Pastels & Neons, Metallics, and Premium Metallics. It includes all 2,678 colors in the Pantone Matching System to provide designers with the greatest array of Pantone’s spot colors.

Displate Metal Poster

Take your poster game to the next level with Displate magnet-mounted metal prints. These posters are way nicer than paper prints and serve as a true talking point in a room. Each print – and there are so many to choose from – features a matte finish on a metal backing using a giclée print process. They even come gift packed to make the holidays that much easier.

“Lettering and Modern Calligraphy”

Hand lettering is a trendy and useful design technique. This book provides tools and techniques for beginners to start drawing letters by hand – it’s a lot like sketching. (Pair it with a nice notebook and pens for a gift that almost any designer will love.)

Gather Desk Organizer

The Gather desk organizer is a minimal, modular organizer. You can adapt it to your workspace by moving elements on the organizer within the sliding grid tray. The design is sleek as well – something designers will love – and it will look great in any workspace. You can also add extra pieces such as a coaster, sticky note holder, headphone stand, and more.

3D Doodler

The 3D Doodler is a pen that allows you to draw real objects. Draw shapes, lines, and anything else imaginable for a sketch that comes to life. It works using click-to-extrude heated plastic which hardens rapidly, allowing you to draw in 3D, freehand, or using stencils. Make art, fix things, design wearable items, build models, and decorate a space. Plus, it brings out your inner child in a hurry.

Wireframe Card Deck

Here’s a card deck that’s fun and practical. The Wireframe Deck includes 80 cards with common website and UI elements to help you arrange and build projects on the tabletop before starting with a computer. It’s a great brainstorming and visualization tool.