13 Sleek Gifts for Graphic Designers

Designers are known for their finicky love for aesthetics. Give them a gift that celebrates their ability to make the world a prettier place.

Language on deck: This memory game challenges typography lovers to remember the names of various font types. The 50-card kit also includes a typographical glossary detailing the main terms and the evolution of type design.

Find It: Amazon

The screens that some designers need to create clean images can get dirty pretty often. Present your loved one with this whimsical approach to desktop hygiene. The cloud-themed collection includes a cleaning cloth, a misting bottle, and three cleaning stickers, which can can hang out on the back of a smartphone until they're needed.

Find It: Uncommon Goods

Temporary tats aren't just for kids anymore. These non-toxic tattoos from Tattly are made in the U.S. with safe, vegetable-based ink and each of the eight designs feature colorful images by Swiss artist Tina Roth Eisenberg.

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Is there anything more satisfying than a good rainbow gradient? These colorful cards from Brooklyn duo Frederick & Mae are sure to make any artistic giftee swoon. The colorful deck—housed in a thick black box with a silver foil design printed on the front—features a small booklet that explains the history of card decks and various traditional games.

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This bank from Japanese designer Takada is nothing like the traditional change-holding pigs. The mechanical bank resembles a mouth and nose and reacts to touch by beginning to chew. It's unclear if anyone really wants a battery-operated bank that nibbles on loose change, but it's likely to be a hit with fans of the comic artist Joan Cornellà.

Find It: Amazon

Mix up your loved one's routine with a time piece that breaks the mold of traditional clocks by spelling out the time. The out-the-box approach to time is sure to inspire some other groundbreaking ideas.

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Go retro: This Polaroid instant camera is less than 5 inches long and fits neatly into a shirt pocket or small purse. Despite its small size, it has a 10-megapixel sensor and a micro DS that holds up to 32 GB. It uses ZINK to print out vibrant 2 by 3-inch prints that have adhesive backs in under a minute. (That's right—instant stickers.)

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Enamel pins are all the rage. This particular pin is designed after the CMYK color model, which is commonly used in color printing. Cyan, magenta, and yellow overlap to create black (key) at the center.

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These ceramic MyCuppa mugs offer color matching swatches on the inside, designed to help determine the strength of each cup of tea or brew. Each mug has four colors for comparison, ranging from black/just tea to milky.

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Business cards will have a nice home in one of these sleek card holders modeled after Pantone paint chips. They come in real Pantone colors—like Keepsake Lilac, Sunshine, and Indian Teal— but are not meant for color identification. Instead, the vibrant colors are just a celebration of the company and their iconic color matching system. They can fit eight to 10 credit cards or about 20 business cards.

Find It: Amazon

Long hours at the computer can take a toll on anyone. If you know a web designer who's working late into the night, gift the chance to secretly kick back while on the clock. This tiny, 25-inch-long hammock fits comfortably under most desks and includes rope and brackets so that it can be installed just like a regular hammock.

Find It: Amazon

Ever want to eat your keyboard? No? Well, you still can, in the form of a waffle. Give your friend this keyboard-shaped waffle press and then invite yourself over for breakfast. This aluminum iron features a heat-resistant handle, so it can be placed on the grill or a stovetop for quick cooking.

Find it: Uncommon Goods

Art lovers don't have to be restricted to a single, motionless image. With Electric Objects, designs can be changed instantly, right in their frame. Once the EO is installed, a corresponding app will allow the user to change the artwork right from a phone or tablet. Owners can upload their own pieces or choose from the expansive EO library that's filled with over 30,000 different works.

Find It: Electric Objects

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