How much money do you have? Nah, that’s the wrong question. How much money are you willing to spend for a gift? That’s better. The catch is that your friend is a graphic designer, so usual stuff like socks or a bag won’t work. So what do designers love?
Look over her shoulder to see which software she uses. Then, buy stickers of that software Sketch, Adobe, whatever.
Sketch stickers, $3.99. A way to say, “I haven’t opened Photoshop for years,” even if you do it in secret after a short struggle with Sketch’s bitmap editor.
Hint: look for some new or niche products.
Inspirational books, not necessarily from the same design field. Buying architecture books for a graphic designer is okay.
Brutal World by Peter Chadwick is so cool, as well as the rest of the Wired’s list.
Avoid buying theory. Although most graphic designers (including me) would benefit from some education, we don’t take these hints well.
May I suggest Icons8? There are 50k icons like these:
Dancing with Devil icon by Icons8
I work there, yeah. There’s a special offer for Quora users:
Just talk to our support team and refer to this article.
Designed by Apple in California
The book of design by Apple. I find it cheesy and overpriced but irresistible.
Pantone palette or set of palettes
Coated and uncoated are okay ($155). If he’s a UX designer, don’t sweat it; anything goes. We don’t use them, but hey, we’d still like to look like real designers!
If you’re short of money, steal them from a local print shop. Hint: never trust a designer who says he never stole a Pantone palette.
Wacom Cintiq, as Matthew Hartman suggested. It’s such a cool gift that I won’t link it; it’s too expensive. Let’s admire the photo instead.
About the Author
Ivan is a founder of Icons8. He got his first job after drawing a banner with CTR of 43%. After years of creating icons, he specializes in rapid prototyping and backlog grooming.
Your cover may hook them, but the contents page keeps them. Learn how to design…
Because your feed shouldn't look like it was generated by the same three people. (more…)
From bold typography to organic abstracts, explore creative poster layouts with pro tips to adapt…
Everyone's out here saying "don't use Garamond" like it's 2015. Spoiler alert: it's not.
Stop falling for basic color wheel BS. Here's how color psychology actually works in branding.
For most businesses, the website is where the first interaction happens with prospects and customers.…
This website uses cookies.