This week we’re taking a slight break from our normal tips format. If you are looking for the right gift to bring a smile to the graphic designer on your holiday list, here are ideas in the $20-$80 range. Plus one extravagant gift idea you might want to reserve for yourself.
Creative Gift #1— Helvetica The Film. On DVD.
Helvetica, a feature-length independent film about typography, graphic design and global visual culture, is finally out on DVD. An essential addition to any graphic designer’s movie collection.
Update: Seattle-area designers can pick up a copy of Helvetica at Scarecrow Video in the U-District. Or you can order Helvetica from Scarecrow’s online store.
Creative Gift #2 — How-to Guides for Making Pop-up Books.
The Pocket Paper Engineer, Volume I
The Pocket Paper Engineer, Volume II
Author and bookbinder Carol Barton has created a beautiful workbook showing how to build pop-up books. What fun. Volume I has been part of the Creativetechs library since summer. Volume II ships in June 2008.
(via Third Place Books in Seattle’s Lake Forest Park. Also mentioned at Boing Boing.)
Creative Gift #3 — Portfolio Books with Thousands of Die-Cut Designs.
Along the same line, here is a gift for designers who need a less frivolous excuse to indulge in some clever paper-folding. These two portfolio books by Josep M. Garrofe showcase hundreds of projects from design firms around the world. A wonderful collection showing how a well-executed die-cut can surprise and delight. Plus, they include a CD which features EACH die-cut profiled in the book.
(via the always wonderful SwissMiss blog.)
Creative Gift #4 — Typographic Goodies from Veer.
Helvetica Coffee Mug ($18)
Kern Zip-Up ($69)
Typography Hoodie ($59)
Pitter Patter Umbrella ($49)
(via Veer’s Merchandise store which has dozens of terrific gift ideas that show your favorite graphic designer how well you understand them.)
Extravagant Creative Gift — Canon PowerShot G9
Canon WP-DC21 Underwater housing for Canon G9
Finally, if you are looking for a great digital point-and-shoot camera, the Canon PowerShot G9 gets great reviews. More importantly (to us) this is the camera we’ve seen several commercial shooters pick as their own casual traveling camera. As an added bonus, Canon makes excellent underwater housing for their digital cameras.
Reviews of the G9 available at: Strobist, Wired, and Chase Jarvis’ blog (scroll to bottom of comments)
