16 Gifts for Graphic Designers in 2018

Our number one gift for designers will eliminate those awkward, cramping moments of trying to balance laptops, sketchbooks, and mug after mug of coffee on their laps without spilling and ruining all their hard work. The Lap Tray Stand comes with enough size to fit 15” laptops as well as having enough space to slot their phone or tablet into handy little support sections for fast screen switching.

The lattice-style air holes ensure that laptops will not overheat and allows them to work all day long on projects great and small. There is also space for their mouse pad which keeps it stable and doesn’t risk losing connection or readability. This helps to provide optimum comfort that is not achieved by merely sitting the laptop on the lap. Its bamboo construction means that it is also lightweight, which provides further comfort and prevents pressure no matter what you have on top.

Paper is dead. Well, not dead just yet but if more products embrace the reusability seen in Rocketbook’s Everlast Reusable Smart Notebook, then it certainly will be soon. This product comes with 36 reusable pages that can be synced seamlessly with all manner of cloud storage options from Google Drive to the iCloud and even their own email.

With these functions, it eliminates the need to carry around notebooks or diary planners as well as any tablets, laptops and other gadgets you need and keeps everything safe and secure in one handy spot. It comes provided with a Frixion digital pen that writes across the surface smoothly and without running the risk of staining your hand with ink or stain the page itself. Give the page as much as just 15 seconds to dry, and you can be well on your way.

The perfect gift for creative people and the best of the best gifts for graphic designers, our Premium Choice is the reMarkable Paper Tablet Digital Notepad which further encourages designers to do away with paper and embrace the magic of technology for their work.

Coming with 100,000 pages (which is what puts it above the Rocketbook), graphic designers can sketch, write and scribble to their heart’s content without worrying about running out of space to get everything that is swimming around their head onto the page. The pages themselves feel like real paper, so any initial discomfort from switching from the traditional to the futuristic is eliminated.

Every graphic designer needs something to lug around their pens, pencils, laptop, tablet, and an array of other accessories, and the Timbuk2 Authority Pack is a backpack that helps make that a reality with unrivaled comfort and organization that is impossible with lesser backpacks. It is designed with padded compartments that ensure the protection of all delicate gadgets and is optimized with a 1” suspension gap for extra reliability.

Unlike standard backpacks, the Authority Pack does everything it can to reduce the dreaded and totally uncool bulkiness that plagues other laptop bags. For those with massive amounts of gear, they can store jackets and coats on the outside, to provide more room inside and then use a cinch to tighten the bag when it is not completely full.

With lag-free tracking, this drawing tablet by Wacom has revolutionized the digital design game and has left all others well behind. Provided with the Pro Pen 2, graphic designers can be as gentle or as tough as they please with over 8000 levels of sensitivity at all sorts of angles for immaculately sketched designs that will take the keenest of eyes to appreciate properly.

It can be connected to other devices through Bluetooth, and its multi-touch feature allows artists to switch seamlessly through images at the touch of a button. Also provided are Express Keys, so they can pick their favorite shortcuts and not waste time jumping between windows to find what they need.

If your favorite graphic designer is craving extra space on their desk, then the solution is no other than Royal Craft Wood’s Computer Monitor Stand. It has been designed with a customizable height of up to 3.5 inches to prevent neck and back strain and keep them comfortable well into the night when the project is due the next morning.

This monitor stand comes with space for the monitor itself, two smartphones, pens, pencils, scissors, a coffee mug, and tablets, as well as having space underneath to store the keyboard and mouse.

Designed to expand your USB port capabilities, this 8-in-1 Multi-Port has slots for 3 USB flash drives, micro USB cables, both SD and micro SD, a charging port and HDMI ports to maximize your productivity and transfer files speedily across devices without any boring downtime.

The transfer speed is as high as 5Gbps, allowing for 2TB of data to be moved from one device to another in seconds. Yes, seconds. For designers with a lot on their plate, and different files across a multitude of devices, this is the solution they have been craving.

One of the greatest, trendiest graphic design gadgets, this Grip Pen by Wacom is a great digital pen that brings no fuss or complications and allows designers to get the sketches done with simplicity and comfort. It is a joy to hold and will not rub against fingers or feel uncomfortable like other pens and comes with over 2000 levels of sensitivity to achieve the most accurate detail .

For those who use their tablet and pen up to 15 hours a day, this is the pen for you. It can withstand heavy use while retaining response times and does not require a cumbersome cord or battery that risks the pen failing to operate. Also included is 3 standard black pen nibs for replacement purposes which can be changed with ease.

When it comes to fun graphic design gifts, why not invest in something a little quirky and unique for their home, office or studio. The LED World Clock is just the gift for those who like to decorate their workspace a little differently from the boring norm and it a great conversation piece when hosting guests and clients.

While it doesn’t tell the exact time, it is close enough to give an idea, and most properly organized people will have their own watch on hand (or wrist, we guess) to get an accurate reading. But this gift for graphic designers is not about accuracy, it is about style and is one of the few times you can accept that over substance.

The perfect present for individuals constantly on-the-go, this falls into the category of ‘Cool Gifts for Graphic Designers’. Wacaco’s Minipresso is a brew-as-you-move espresso maker that is designed to keep even the most hard-working designers perked up throughout the day, meet deadlines, and deal with demanding, and often delusional, clients.

The machine allows coffee lovers to determine how much coffee they want from each grind, whether they need just a little pick me up or a fully fledged recharge in just a few minutes. It has a fast-acting operation that brews 50 ml of coffee in just a few minutes and can be done at home, on the train, or at the office if there was no time in the morning, and the office coffee is just bleh.

If someone has a lot of work in the process of being completed and a massive portfolio developed over years of hard work and dedication, it would be an unmitigated disaster for them to lose all of their hard work whether through hard drive failure or hacking. The Synology 2 is designed to keep files safe and secure and provides (almost) unlimited storage capabilities to ensure that everything remains in one place.

This product acts as the designers own personal multimedia server and can store images, music and videos with quality as high as 4K. Despite seeming bulky, it is surprisingly lightweight and will not interfere with the workspace.

For budding graphic designers looking to whet their appetites in the creative world, this Wireless Graphic Tablet from Wacom is the perfect introductory model for them to master their craft before graduating to more expensive devices. It is designed with easy-to-use features that will help cultivate a love for graphic design and everything that the industry encompasses, while they are still learning.

Included in the package is a drawing pen to get started straight away as well as the possibility for easy-use for both left and right-hand users. There are also customizable keyboard shortcuts that can be set once they figure out all the little nuances of the device.

Okay so they might not be graphic designers, yet, but this can inspire them to get into the world of graphic design from an early age. The 3D Printing Pen Set is the first completely child-safe kit which does away with pesky burning hazards as the plastic dries and sets into their creations.

Designed to cultivate creativity, this 3D pen also serves as a great learning tool for budding artists. They will have the chance to learn about different aspects of artistry. It has been developed to make it easy for kids to use and allows them to draw in the air with just one speed and temperature while the plastic hardens quickly, showcasing their ideas in physical form.

If you are stumped about Christmas gifts for graphic designers, then you cannot go wrong with a good book that highlights everything anybody would need to know about the creative process and its rules. Spoiler alert: there are no rules, as you could probably tell by the title. Hegarty on Creativity is written by one of the world’s leading advertising creatives and offers an insight into the mind of the successful creative.

Throughout its 128 pages, readers will be treated to tricks of the trade, ideas for increasing their creativity and encouragement when it feels as if they have completely lost any creative spark and are wholly out of ideas. This is something that all creative types feel at some point, so this kind of talk is great giving themselves the pep talk they need to stop moping and start doing.

Bellroy Micro Sleeve is a great sleek and stylish wallet for graphic designers on the go who don’t want to be bogged down with cumbersome wallets full of flaps and folds and failure. It is designed to slip comfortably into pockets without weighing them down and is perfect for carrying cash and cards, because who wants to bother with small change anymore?

Unlike other wallets, it is easy to remove a card or banknote without rummaging around and holding up everyone behind you in the line. Inside, there are slots to fit up to four cards, and whatever cash you carry in this increasingly cashless world will sit snugly in the folds without sprouting over the op and getting damaged.

Last but not least, our best value product in a long list of extraordinary gifts for graphic designers is the Orange Webnotebook from Rhodia. This comes with dot-grid pages that make it perfect for writing, organization, doodles, sketches and more detailed works and can be carried anywhere with ease and comfort by just slipping into a jacket pocket or backpack without feeling awkward.

The paper is crafted with an excellent quality that does not allow colors to bleed through the pages, which happens with some lesser-quality notebooks. For those who need to get every idea, thought, plan and piece of their schedule down in writing, this notebook will be a lifesaver that they might wonder just how they survived for so long without. When the notebook gets some decent use, its elastic strap will keep it shut in times of transport and ensure that everything stays safe inside.