It’s that time of the year again. Love is in the air…or not. (Valentines Day is really a manufactured holiday anyway, am I right?) But since we’re all suckers for love, real or unreal, and this day of hearts and flowers is growing near, you may find yourself drawing a blank on what to get your special someone. Or worse. You have an actual situation on your hands – you are in love with a designer (digital, interior, product, graphic, environmental, set, clothing, self-described, or otherwise). We’re a quirky, picky bunch. Nothing ordinary or cliché will do; and the ultimate gift – the Apple Watch – won’t be out for at least another month. So I’ve gathered some ideas that have been swirling around the studio:
Creative Cloud Connected Smart Notebook from Moleskine
Show the designer in your life you care by making their workday a bit easier with this cool new journal/sketchbook smart notebook. Using a special Creative Cloud app from the Apple Store*, your love can transfer their sketches and ideas from this notebook straight into Adobe Illustrator or Adobe Photoshop for refinement. How does this benefit you? All the time they will save can now be spent with you. Wink wink.
*Sorry Android users, you’ll have to move on down the road. Seriously, how many designers use Android phones anyway?
The Colour of Song Litho Print
Where there is a love for design, a love for music usually isn’t far behind. This litho print combines these two featuring the titles of 576 tracks that include a color in its title like Yellow Submarine, Purple Rain, Back to Black, Brown Sugar, Pennyroyal Tea and (for all children of the 80’s) Pretty in Pink. It’s also the ultimate color guide that will look “spectacular spectacular” on any office wall.
PANTONE UNIVERSE Coffee and Tea Accessories
Speaking of color, PANTONE color guides are as essential to your designer lover as is oxygen. (Ok, so are you.) But hot caffeinated beverages easily take the second slot in their list of life’s necessities. From sets of six cups to coffee pots and teapots to sugar bowls and travel cups – the folks at PANTONE allow you to give the gift of color. Nice.
With all the love in the air (or potential love), Cupid has a lot to do on Valentines Day. Give the little guy a hand by giving your designer love this serigraph that celebrates the legendary design of Charles and Ray Eames. Not only will you get cool points for knowing who they are (if you don’t – just pretend), seeing this on their wall will be a daily reminder of Cupid’s arrow pointed right at them.
Show your designer you care about their precious MacBook Air or MacBook Pro as much as they do. You know how important that shiny silver piece of machinery is to them, and you know they like to be stylish and unique. This handmade leather case offers both. Hardback covers, reinforced corners and a cushioned spine give solid impact protection, while it’s vintage book design keeps their Mac out of sight – and out of the hands of thieves – wherever they may take it. Voracious reader thieves? It’s possible.
And finally, if a digital or web designer has stolen your heart, this t-shirt may be just what you are looking for. Combining their love of code with poetry is a sure fire way to woo them this Valentines Day. If the second half of this geek prose is confusing to you, don’t worry about it – you’re not supposed to get it.
So love your designer – as difficult as it may be sometimes. We apologize in advance (and always love, love, love you back).
Happy shopping.
Chris Mohler is a Creative Director at Designing North Studios. Away from the studio, she celebrates life’s milestones by illegally drinking champagne on the beach, power shopping, and being a hooper extraordinaire, football lover, wine snob and fearless culinary experimenter. Connect with Chris on LinkedIn.
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