The gifting season is upon us. And with how rough this year has been for so many, we could all use a bit of cheering up! Whether you’re a UI/UX Designer searching for items to add to your own holiday wishlist, or someone who’s seeking gift inspiration for your creative friends and family, we’ve provided 60 ideas below to help you find the perfect gift.
For the Home Office
1. Start afresh in 2021 with a Stendig calendar that’s forever in style.
2. This super sleek and stylish dry erase writing board is ideal for creating to-do lists, empathy maps, or for quick note-taking.
3. Experience the joy of giving when you gift anything from Hoptimist — the Danish company company known for its bubble lamps and history of putting smiles on people’s faces.
4. This Vitruvi oil diffuser will fill your office with calming scents — and it looks good while doing it!
5. The Casper Glow Light can help you naturally wind down for better, deeper sleep — which means optimal creative productivity the next day.
UI/UX Design Specific Gifts
6. A Designlab 4-week short course in visual, UI, or UX design is the perfect gift for someone looking to build their design skills or make a career pivot.
7. With UI Stencils you can quickly and efficiently wireframe with the most commonly used iconography and interaction techniques.
8. Design better products faster with the 60 cards in the UI Patterns Card Set.
9. Create unique web page structures easily and offline using UX Flowchart Cards.
10. Always know the code for colors that inspire you with the Color Muse tool.
Games to Fuel Creativity
11. The design thinking card game, Make It Pop, is filled with hilarious design prompts to keep you feeling creative.
12. Use your creativity and imagination to solve riddles from visual clues with the Concept game.
13. Celebrate creativity and let your mistakes become your masterpieces with the Bob Ross Happy Little Accidents party game.
14. Put your brand knowledge to the test with the Logo Board Game, which quizzes you on the brands you love using 400 game cards.
15. Maintain your aesthetic while also having fun with Classic Bookshelf Board Games.
Well-Designed Kitchen Tools
16. The vacuum insulated Kinto Travel Tumbler has great heat and cold retention, and maintains the aroma and flavor of drinks for a long time.
17. All the details of the Marimekko Teapot work together to brew the perfect cup of tea.
18. Pantone Espresso Cups or really anything from Pantone, are so on-brand for UI/UX designers.
19. The CHEMEX Pour-Over Glass Coffeemaker offers a timeless and elegant design that all creatives are sure to appreciate.
20. Watching you sip from this Yoda Best UX Designer Mug is sure to put a smile on your co-workers’ faces over Zoom.
Your New Favorite Sketching Supplies
21. The Dot Grid Notebook is perfect for bringing your wireframes and ideas to life.
22. This Wipebook Pro may be the last notebook you ever buy.
23. These Pantone Notebooks should be a right of passage for any UI/UX designer.
24. If you find inspiration often strikes when you’re on the go, try Field Notes.
25. The Huion Tablet is great for sketching digitally, and they're quite affordable.
26. Similar to the Wipebook, the dot-grid Rocketbook Smart Reusable Notebook allows you to write, organize, scan, and reuse.
27. The Baronfig Confidant Hardcover Notebook is the only notebook we’ve found that opens flat, is small enough to go everywhere you go, and is big enough to work with all day long.
Health Must-Haves
28. For UI/UX designers that stare at a computer screen all day long, a Migraine Stick is a true savior.
29. One of these lavender-scented microwavable Warmies is great for stress relief.
30. Blue light glasses can reduce eyestrain, improve sleep habits, and prevent eye disease for people like UI/UX designers that look at screens for long periods.
31. This Manta COOL Mask will soothe your eyes, and can also provide migraine relief with it’s near-blackout design.
32. Sitting at a desk all day can put major stress on the lower back, but a monthly massage membership can help.
Must-Read Books for UI/UX Designers
33. Show Your Work! by Austin Kleon
Promising Amazon Review: “Such a fantastic book for creatively minded people! It’s the kind of book that you can pick up and set down over and over again. A good book to have on your nightstand or—dare I say it—in your bathroom. (Yes, I’m a bathroom reader. ) I’d certainly give it away as a gift.”
34. The Pocket Universal Principles of Design: 150 Essential Tools for Architects, Artists, Designers, Developers, Engineers, Inventors, and Makers by William Lidwell
Promising Amazon Review: “Wow, what a great read. I went cover to cover in a few hours since I couldn't put it down. Get out your highlighter and sticky notes to earmark your favorite pages! Everything from archetypes and colors to decision making methods and design conventions.”
35. 100 Things Every Designer Needs to Know about People by Susan Weinschenk
Promising Amazon Review: “This is a great book. As a UX Designer it's really opened my eyes to new ways of thinking about the why and how people use products. It's an easy read, not too thick. Laid out in logical, digestible chapters that are then broken into sections of information that'll turn you into the office expert in user psychology and get you testing new ideas in no time. Might also help win some pub quizzes!”
36. MC24: Bruce Mau's 24 Principles for Designing Massive Change in your Life and Work by Bruce Mau
Promising Amazon Review: “MC24 coming out by chance in the middle of the COVID-19 Pandemic has been a gift of optimism as well as a brilliant path to move forward in probably one of the most challenging times in human history. A must-read for anyone interested in change, sustainability and a very good account of the enormous body of work of this one of a kind designer.”
37. Mismatch (How Inclusion Shapes Design) by Kat Holmes
Promising Amazon Review: “If you make products and can’t answer ‘who am I excluding’, you should read this book. Every day people have to adapt to make products work for them. You’re one of those people. Think about it: we all experience challenges with objects in our lives because of permanent or temporary disabilities. Kat provides a framework for identifying exclusion and tools to make products that allow everyone to use them. She shares stories and anecdotes that help connect the methods described. Mismatch is an excellent guidebook for anyone creating experiences for customers.”
38. A Book Apart publishes books for people who design, write, and code — and they have gift cards!
39. Writing Is Designing by Michael J. Metts & Andy Welfle
Promising Amazon Review: “Writing is Design provides a warm welcome into the world of UX writing. Through interviews and real-world examples, the book shares tips to write effectively, demonstrates the importance of writing thoughtfully, and provides methods to partner with the wider team to co-create excellent user experiences.”
Useful Tech for Design Professionals
40. Never let your wires get tangled again; store your mouse, chargers, headphones, and more in a Bellroy Pouch.
41. Easily print your favorite memories on sticky-backed photo paper with the HP Sprocket Portable Instant Photo Printer.
42. Yohann Stands are for iPads and MacBooks; they are sleek, dynamic, and super functional.
43. For when you need time away from your screen, the Mighty Vibe Music Player can play your playlists and podcasts.
44. This Desk Mat is both an aesthetically pleasing way to brighten up your workspace, and a highly functional and extra large mouse pad.
45. The Oculus Quest VR game enables you to untether your expectations and play your way.
Creativity Inspo Tools
46. Ignite bright ideas and get unstuck with these Spark Creativity prompts.
47. The Buddha Board helps you master the art of letting go with water painting.
48. Creativity needs constraints; set a 15-minute limit for yourself with the Hay Hourglass.
49. If you get your most creative ideas in the shower, you need the Aqua Notes Water Proof Note Pad.
50. Did you know lavender is known as the scent of creativity? Light up a Lavender Candle and reap the benefits.
Things to Wear
51. This Mask Chain is a stylish way to conveniently take your mask on and off.
52. Discover unique products while support the Museum of Modern Art by shopping on the MoMA website.
53. Happy Socks has cute socks, and even cuter and creative packaging.
54. You’ll be the real MVP with this UX Designer T-Shirt.
Gifts That Keep On Giving
55. Taking time to clean off the white board in your brain and get quiet is crucial for UI/UX designers. Try a meditation app subscription like Balance, Calm, or Headspace.
56. Brand Magazine introduces one well-balanced brand from around the globe in each issue.
57. Try a Tea Subscription Box for consistently calming tea choices.
58. Offscreen Magazine is an independent print magazine that examines how we shape technology and how technology shapes us.
59. The MunchPak Subscription Snack Box is perfect for anyone working from home missing the free in-office snacks.
60. The Horti Plant Subscription Box will provide you with hard-to-kill plants to keep you company while working from home.
We hope this list of gift ideas has helped you gain inspiration for the UI/UX designers and creatives in your life, and also helped you to create your own holiday wish list. Happy holidays!
If you’re interested in exploring a career in UI/UX Design, check out our career-change accelerator program, UX Academy. Or, if you’re new to the field of design, explore Design 101.
