Lightning Labels Blog

Even though many stores have been selling Christmas decorations for a month now, the holiday shopping season officially kicks off with Black Friday - just a week from now. If you are wondering what to get your graphic designer - or anyone with a flair for creativity and passion for technology - here are some great ideas to inspire you. Happy Shopping Season, Ya'll!

Fun Yet Practical USB Drives

Mimobot sells USB flash drives that mimic almost any pop character one could think of, from Darth Vader and C-3CPO to Hello Kitty and characters from that Halo video game I've never played but hear is STILL popular.

Did you realize you can download not only tunes but all kinds of data to an iPod Shuffle? Barely bigger than a postage stamp,the clip on this tiny iPod isn't good for workouts - it also lessens the possibility of losing it in a laptop bag or purse. As a bonus, it also comes in a rainbow of colors. The 3rd Generation 2G iPod Shuffle is on sale now for $55 at Target online.

And now I have seen everything. The Scent 2.0 USB not only totes data from computer to computer, but provides aromatherapy right at your desk. The designer on your gift list just needs to add a little of the lavender oil that comes with it, plug it into any USB drive, and enjoy the therapeutic benefits of aromatherapy right in their office(or home or coffee shop). Currently available from ThinkGeek for $5.99.

If the USB jump drives I've recommended so far sound too impersonal for your gift-giving style, take a little time to customize a plain one yourself. Need inspiration? The DIY blog Instructables has step-by-step directions on how to hide a USB flash drive inside a classic pink eraser or a Lego block.

Books & Magazines (The Paper Kind)

The new Zen of CSS Design Book by Dave Shea and Molly E. Holzschlag. Based on the popular website CSS Zen Garden, this book Illustrates the range and potential of Web sites afforded by CSS-based Web design. Currently on sale at Amazon.com for $29.69.

The Encyclopedia of Fonts by Gwyn Headley. $18.21 at Amazon.com. 

A one-year subscription to Communication Arts Magazine includes the Design, Advertising, Illustration, Photography and Interactive annuals plus access to premium online content. $53 when purchased online (63% off the newsstand price).

Tee Shirts - Because You Can't Have Too Many ...

And because many creative types work in casual environments. Pick up a tee with a witty saying or an unusual design at Threadless. Threadless is a community-driven online tee shirt store where graphic designers can submit tee shirt designs and earn cash for those that are picked, get paid up to $2500 plus $500 per reprint. New tee shirt designs are released each Monday; with sales prices starting at $9.

Or if you are feeling creative yourself, turn the tables and create a personalized tee for the designer on your shopping list for as little as $12.95 per tee at Zazzle.com.

More Ideas

Credits to purchase vector artwork at istockphoto.com

Membership to the professional design association AIGA

Go Media Vector Packs

New Pantone Swatchbooks

Moleskine Notebooks

This entry was posted November 20th, 2009 by Christy Correll and is filed under Packaging Design. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.

2 Responses to “Holiday Gift Ideas for Graphic Designers & Other Creative Types”

1. packaging supplier says:

   December 15, 2009 at 5:51 am

   If you're not a designer yourself it's hard to know what kind of specialty software is needed but you can make a great impression by giving clever, artistic, and creative non-computer gifts and books that go beyond the basics.
2. Werbemittel says:

   January 25, 2010 at 3:37 am

   Love this blog, thanks!!