Getting a gift for a graphic designer friend can be hard. You want to find them something special which would make them feel appreciated but at the same time you’d have no idea what graphic designers like.
Creative people have different interests than the rest of the world. Getting a notebook might not be exciting for you but for a graphic designer it can be a treasure trove for their next big creative endeavor.
In this article we’re going to relieve you of the guesswork and make it easy to buy a gift for a graphic designer friend. We’ve provided a list of 27 of the best gifts to buy graphic designers that’ll make their day.
27 Best Gifts You Can Buy a Graphic Designer Friend
Before we get to the list, here are the top 5 best present for graphic designer:
Top 5 Best Picks
Wacom One Drawing/Graphics Tablet
A graphics/drawing tablet is a designer's best friend. Drawing and photo editing with a mouse can feel unnatural and difficult at times. But, with a graphics tablet they can unleash their creative potential and be more precise with their designs.
Blu Monaco White Minimalist Desk Organizer
We’ve seen many desk accessories organizers on Amazon but Blu Monaco strikes the perfect balance between beauty, style, and functionality. They have many options with various sizes, colors, and styles. They’ll be the perfect inclusion to any graphic designer’s workspace and allow them to neatly organize their pens, books, and other gadgets to have a distraction-free work session.
Behance Dot Grid Sketchbook
As opposed to the traditional graph notebooks, a dotted grid sketchbook makes sketching and creating concept logos intuitive. Grabbing the Behance dot grid sketchbook for your graphic designer friend will help them jot down their ideas on a piece of paper and give them a much more unique feel compared to a simple sketchbook.
YOREPEK Waterproof Laptop Backpack
Scared of getting water on your computer? The (product name) has your back. For a graphics designer who loves to travel and bring their work along with them it's best to give them a laptop waterproof backpack. Graphic designers look for a good laptop backpack for keeping their laptop safe and secure. Laptop Backpack has Inbuilt USB charger that can charge your laptop whenever it's in need of.
Mixoo Capacitive Stylus
The Mixoo Capacitive Stylus is a great inexpensive gift for graphic designers. Most designers need a tool for writing, taking notes, and drawing. For some it’s even their full-time job to make cool doodles and drawings for their freelance clients.
Now let's dive into all the products we've featured today
1. Selfie Stand
Selfie Stand
A graphic designer who has no videos or meetings? That's unheard of, and that's exactly why a Portable Selfie Stand is one of the best gifts you could get as a graphic designer! Holding the phone all day can be tiring, that's why they will be able to place their phone and take selfies, videos & even join meetings!
The selfie stick can be taken on any adventure as it is durable and can hold up to 2 phones & give perfect lighting to each of them! So now graphics designers & anyone else can easily enjoy their phone without any issue or worry.
2. Wacom Drawing Tablet
Wacom One Drawing/Graphics Tablet
A graphics/drawing tablet is a designer's best friend. Drawing and photo editing with a mouse can feel unnatural and difficult at times. But, with a graphics tablet they can unleash their creative potential and be more precise with their designs.
We recommend the Wacom One tablet as Wacom is the gold standard for graphic designers around the world. The tab itself is pretty responsive and the pressure-sensitive pen gives you precise strokes to make drawing and creating illustrations seamless.
If you're digital artist friend is a beginner, then check out our article on the 5 best drawing tablets for beginners.
3. Ring Light Kit
Neewar Ring Light Kit Set
The Neewer ring light kit provides versatile lighting for creating ads, portrait shots, and even TikToks. It’s also great for making your interviews look professional. It comes with everything you can think of. Handbag carrier, white and orange color filters, and a smartphone holder.
If you’ve been recently hanging around with your graphic design friend you’ll often catch them daydreaming about their own creative studio. Virtual meetings, photo sessions, and interviews are all part of a designer’s career and all of them need one thing to succeed - good lighting.
4. Adobe Creative Cloud Subscription
Adobe Creative Cloud Subscription
Every successful designer and digital artist needs quality software to get their work done. Adobe CC is the industry standard software for creating high-quality graphic designs, digital painting, and includes everything a creative wants: Photoshop, Illustrator, After Effects, etc.
However, most graphic designers are already up to the brim with expenses so not all of them are able to buy a subscription to Adobe CC. This often results in them opting for free alternatives which compromises the quality of their work or gets them behind.
You can never go wrong with gifting your graphic designer friend or relative an Adobe CC subscription and you can rest assured they’ll be over the moon to receive it.
5. Desk Accessories Organizer
Blu Monaco White Minimalist Desk Organizer
We’ve seen many desk accessories organizers on Amazon but Blu Monaco strikes the perfect balance between beauty, style, and functionality. They have many options with various sizes, colors, and styles. They’ll be the perfect inclusion to any graphic designer’s workspace and allow them to neatly organize their pens, books, and other gadgets to have a distraction-free work session.
6. Dot Grid Sketchbook
Behance Dot Grid Sketchbook
As opposed to the traditional graph notebooks, a dotted grid sketchbook makes sketching and creating concept logos intuitive. Grabbing the Behance dot grid sketchbook for your graphic designer friend will help them jot down their ideas on a piece of paper and give them a much more unique feel compared to a simple sketchbook.
7. Pantone Color Book Guide
Pantone 100 Postcard Color Chip Set
Pantone knows its stuff when it comes to color. They release their color guides that graphic designers often use for inspiration for their projects. Getting the separate swatch cards can get pretty expensive so we recommend getting the Pantone Postcard Box from Amazon. These include 100 beautiful colors that act as great gifts for a digital artist to take inspiration from.
8. Light Box
Huion L4S Light Box
Grab this innovative piece of tech that makes tracing and drawing easier. If you have a friend or relative that’s interested in 2d animation the Huion L4S light box can make their frame by frame drawings much smoother and better.
9. Laptop Lap Desk
Laptop Lap Desk
Finally, the perfect gift for graphic designers who are working from home.. sitting on a table at a 90° degree angle can get boring for any graphic designer, that's exactly why the lap desk is on the recommendation list. With this you can easily relax on your sofa, bed, chair or floor and have the lap desk right on you.
It's basically a portable table you can take anywhere to do your work efficiently and effectively. It has space big enough to fit your laptop, regardless of its size & also manage to fit in your coffee mugs for long overnight work or fit your mobile phone or mouse.
10. Laptop Glasses
GAMMA RAY OPTICS Blue light blocking glasses
The best gift to give a graphic designer are laptop glasses. As we know graphics designers have all their work on a laptop and it causes the eyes to stress. These glasses block blue light, which leads to eye fatigue and reduces the quality of your sleep. Having these glasses by your side can help a lot in doing work for hours and hours without getting tired.
11. Moleskine Notebook
Moleskine Notebook
No matter how many Macs or iPads a designer has, nothing beats the classic pen on paper. The Moleskine hardcover notebook has always been a trustee friend for writers, designers, journalists, and travelers.
12. Standing Desk
Atlantic Adjustable Standing Desk
Some graphic designers don't like to lay around and want to remain professional. That's why, gifting an adjustable standing desk which can adjust to the height of the user, so whether you have a short or tall friend, the standing desk can be adjusted accordingly.
A comfortable working station is required for any human, let alone a graphic designer as they will be sitting on their devices for hours until they create their masterpieces.
13. Graphic Designer T-Shirt
Graphic Designer T-shirt
You can’t go wrong with a comfortable t-shirt but this t-shirt seems to take the crown when it comes to defining a graphic designer. This funny shirt is available on Amazon and is available for both Men and Women with sizes ranging from Small to XXXL.
14. Home Office Chair
Amazon Home Office Ergonomic Chair
Sitting for hours is not only boring, but it could be life threatening as it causes bad posture, back pain, neck pain & spinal issues, which are few of the biggest issues for any human who is a graphic designer.
That's why a comfortable adjustable chair is not only a good gift but also can help them not have back pain or bad posture for the rest of their life, not only do you get them a gift but also a solution to their pains which will benefit them in the short & long run. So not only are you a person who got them a gift, but also a friend who might have potentially saved their life too.
15. Graphic Design Books
There are many books that graphic designers can read to enhance their knowledge on the field. Many of these books are hidden gems for designers but not everyone gets the chance to get their hands on them.
Below are the books we suggest to get your graphic designer friend:
Meggs' History of Graphic Design
Comprehensive book covering most major designers in history from a plethora of countries. A must-have for every student going to design school.
Graphic Design Rules: 365 Essential Dos and Don’ts
Great book that sets guidelines for creating successful designs in every field typography, layout, illustrations, and many more
How to Use Graphic Design
A book guiding on modern graphic design and practical examples of how Michael Bierut, famous logo designer and writer, uses graphic design to help his clients solve problems
Graphic Design The New Basics
Great book for design students and beginners trynig to break into the field of design. It goes over graphic design basics and fundamentals and gets you up to speed with all the latest tools and techniques
Graphic Design For Everyone
A book by Cath Caldwell guiding graphic designers through common challenges and the fundamentals of design. It includes 10 step by step projects to follow and learn as you go
16. Wireless Keyboard and Mouse
Logitech Wireless Keyboard and Mouse
Sometimes with wired keyboards & mouses, we pull them out which causes USB issues, or we can't pull them towards us because the length of the wires is too small, that's why this isn't a worry anymore. We can easily place our keyboard and mouse anywhere and use them wireless through Bluetooth connection.
17. Digital Camera
Panasonic LUMIX Digital Camera
Can't decide what to give a graphic designer or content creator? Then what better to give them a digital camera. Making videos from a mobile phone can be tiring and you may not even be satisfied with the result.
These cameras can be taken anywhere and capture all your beautiful moments in just one click. So now designs and creators can easily take pictures or make videos without worrying about the graphics and can be satisfied with the result.
18. Charging Station
Griffin Powerdock 5 - Charging Station
I'm sure everyone struggles with the battery duration in the modern era, however, an efficient charging station is here to take away all your pain. The station can charge up to 5 devices together & also keeps the work station nice and organized!
Graphic designers are always on their toes making new edits for clients or making edits for themselves, thus, they need to make sure all their devices are charged, available & ready for any potential meeting, editing, call, etc. The charging station will do exactly that!
19. Laptop Waterproof Backpack
YOREPEK Waterproof Laptop Backpack
Scared of getting water on your computer? The (product name) has your back. For a graphics designer who loves to travel and bring their work along with them it's best to give them a laptop waterproof backpack. Graphic designers look for a good laptop backpack for keeping their laptop safe and secure. Laptop Backpack has Inbuilt USB charger that can charge your laptop whenever it's in need of.
20. Noise-Canceling Headphones
JBL Noise Cancelling Headphones
Enjoy songs, podcasts, ASMR or whatever like without any additional noise coming from the outside world
Got a friend who always complains about loud noises? Whether they're a graphic designer working at home, who can hear their family argue or at an office where you can hear your colleagues argue, it can definitely be distracting for any person, let alone a graphic designer who needs to be at their best in order to show their creativity.
This is why noise canceling headphones can be the perfect gift for anyone, especially graphic designers. They can enjoy their favorite songs, podcasts, ASMR or whatever they like without any additional noise coming from the outside world. They can simply zone into their own world and focus on their work while listening to the noise in their sound canceling headphones only.
21. Mixoo Capacitive Stylus
Mixoo Capacitive Stylus
The Mixoo Capacitive Stylus is a great inexpensive present for graphic designer. Most designers need a tool for writing, taking notes, and drawing. For some, it’s even their full-time job to make cool doodles and drawings for their freelance clients.
This stylus gives you that pen-on-paper feel for all your devices which makes it convenient and versatile. It features a slim stylish body made of metal, a rubber grip to prevent slipping, and a transparent disc tip for making precise strokes. Whether they plan to use it for their digital art or graphic design, this pen will be a great gift.
22. Online Graphic Design Course
Many designers are able to find online courses on YouTube for free but paid courses from reputable sites like Skillshare gives you direct access to experienced graphic design tutors. Learning from the best can lead you to the hidden gems of the industry and skyrocket your growth as a graphic designer.
On Skillshare you’ll find a course for everything, Fine Arts, Graphic Design, Animation, Photography, and many more. If you know which field your graphic designer friend is most passionate about, you can get him a course relating to that.
23. Watercolor Book and Markers
Primorsia Watercolor Book and Markers
The set features 60 watercolor markers with both brush and fine tips. They can also be used as excellent highlighters for school work and coloring larger pieces of art.
Sometimes graphic designers can’t seem to find their creative touch. If you’ve seen your graphic designer friend looking a bit down or burned out, suggest they try out a new hobby. This watercolor book with markers can be the perfect thing to wind down, relax, and create some beautiful illustrations.
24. Portfolio Site Subscription
You know how awesome your friend is at designing logos, flyers, or cards but unfortunately others don’t seem to acknowledge their talent. Many designers have no idea how and where to display their work so you can encourage them to create a portfolio by getting them a portfolio site subscription.
Getting your graphic designer friend an online portfolio subscription will give them a headstart in their career. You can try Squarespace as they have a range of portfolio themes which your graphic designer friend can experiment with to showcase his best work and let clients know their rates.
25. Printer
HP Wireless Color All-in-One DeskJet Printer
Graphic designers usually need to print out their designs to make sure they look as good as they do on the computer. As prices are going higher everyday, the cost of printing pages at a shop is increasing or being dependent on a friend to print for them is a constant stress.
That's why a printer can be an amazing gift, a wireless printer can be carried around anywhere and can be connected to through Bluetooth. This device will definitely make your friend's life easier.
26. Bluetooth Speaker
JBL Charge 4 Bluetooth Speaker
These waterproof Bluetooth speakers can be a perfect gift for your friend, all they need to do is connect through their Bluetooth and can enjoy non-stop songs all day long while at the ease of their station creating amazing content.
"Music and art are the guiding lights of the world." - Pablo Picasso.
Now imagine gifting this to a friend who loves both art & loves music. When someone is enjoying their music, they will automatically become more creative.
27. Kindle Paper
Kindle Paper
What better way to increase your knowledge other than book reading? This is why the kindle paper can be a great gift for a friend. Not only will they be away from any distractions since the Kindle Paper doesn't give any notifications. It's basically like holding a portable book around on which you can open any book without any issue.
The battery life lasts up to weeks. It includes an audible subscription package where if you don't feel like looking at the screen or reading, you can easily just turn on the audio feature and listen to your favorite book at ease.
Conclusion - Get The Best Gift for a Graphic Designer Friend
Having a graphic designer friend rant about his clients or talk you through his creative process can lead to a lot of fun and memorable conversations. If you want to show your graphic designer friend how much you appreciate them, get them a gift to show for it.
The above list includes many gift ideas for graphic designers, some inexpensive and some costing upwards of $200+.
Just remember that when buying a gift it’s the thought that counts. Getting them a color book or a set of markers may not seem like much but you can rest assured you’ll constantly see it on their desk reminding them of how much you care.
