Blog
December 2023
Christmas is a time to focus on the things that matter: family and friends.
Of course, ‘focus’ doesn’t need to mean ‘buy them tonnes of stuff’ — there are plenty of ways to show you appreciate someone at this time of year without having to splash the cash. That said, if you did plan on giving gifts to your loved ones this year, and they happen to be a graphic designer, we’ve listed our top gifts from independent businesses below — rather that than feed the Amazon machine.
Handmade in London, The Pin Prick is run by designer Jarrell Goh. Inspired by architecture, design, and the LGBTQ+ community, he creates unique minimalist soft and hard enamel pins and accessories that bring joy to any creative soul. Pins include familiar design tool icons, such as the pen tool and the eyedropper, making for a quirky stocking filler for designers and digital artists.
These salt and pepper mills are here to bring flavour to your plate, and colour to your kitchen. Designed by Ellen Van Dusen, founder of womenswear and homeware brand Dusen Dusen, and known for her celebration of naïve design, her work brings bold colours and joy to anyone’s space. Prefer a more monochromatic look? Why not opt for the limited edition B&W Everybody grinder set instead.
Socks aren’t just for Christmas. Spreading happiness and colour to every corner of the world, Happy Socks aim to inspire authentic self-expression creativity, fun, and socks. This milk carton of socks is a failsafe way to make Monday feel less ‘Monday’. And with reinforced heels and toes for that extra long-lasting comfort.
Kula is a UK based business committed to using sustainably sourced materials. All their bags and backpacks are vegan-friendly using reinforced paper material recognised by the Forestry Stewardship Council (FSC). Washable, showerproof, and as durable as any canvas bag, this everyday backpack has plenty of secure internal pockets for all your gadgets, and a pocket for either a 13” or 16” laptop makes it great for commuting.
Frank’s not a person — it’s a philosophy. Frank Green’s mission is to create lifestyle solutions that are great for the planet and built to last. Their original product with classic curves, perfect proportions, and custom colours, this cup is bound to be the envy of all reusable cups. Easy to operate with one hand, this cup offers stain- and odour-resistant materials and an outer non-slip grip that won’t burn your hand off.
The card game for deeper connections — an important trait for anyone interested in character building and development. With 140 questions across 4 categories, this card game forces you to go beyond small talk. Perfect for really getting to know all your dinner guests this Christmas with guaranteed good vibes. Plus, their use of colour and typography is a thing of beauty.
This 1000-piece jigsaw is the perfect yesteryear activity. Not only do you get to while away a rainy day completing this beautiful puzzle, there’s also a frameable 12x12” art print included to make your wall pretty to stare at once you’ve decided to throw all your digital items in a cupboard.
The design duo Mark Scott-Davies and Kiwi Suumin combine their love of travel, music, and food to create quirky, mid-century inspired art. All prints are professionally printed with vibrant, fade-resistant pigments on gorgeous, museum-quality archival matt paper. A real showpiece for any designer’s home.
Designed by type-lover Matt McMillan, this limited edition risograph print is a celebration of the ampersand. A great backdrop to any Zoom meeting, the unique finish achieved with risograph printing gives a wonderful vibrancy to the colours. Each ampersand is even numbered and referenced for fellow type-obsessed designers.
With lunar movements and plenty of space to jot down those all-important dates, this colourful calendar brings your week’s plans to life. You can even learn some Italian along the way with the inclusion of key Italian vocabulary throughout. RISOTTO is a small team creating products at their in-house workshop in Scotland. They are a great example of the power of small-scale artisan craft.
Yop & Tom started with two friends who couldn’t find the perfect planner for their goals. Creating their own meant they have not only achieved their original goals but also created a business of their own. Using high-grade vegan materials from sustainable sources, Yop & Tom promote digital detoxes that are good for you and the planet.
Speaking of goals, you can organise your hopes and dreams in this easy-to-use 2024 hardback diary. Inside are weekly, monthly, and yearly overviews for ultimate planning. There’s also plenty of space for all your goals and important to-do lists. With paper sourced from FSC certified forests and plastic-free packaging that can be recycled at home, this is a great guilt-free gift.
“A pen as a gift!?” I hear you cry. But this isn’t just any old pen. These pens are the first technical pen to use archival pigment ink making it acid-free, chemically-stable, waterproof, and fade resistant. That means no smears, feathers, or bleed-through on most papers. It is no surprise this range is a firm favourite of artists, writers, and illustrators globally.
If you have a young budding graphic designer in your life, this is the gift for them. With practical advice written in an accessible way, it’s like having a mentor in your pocket. Drew De Soto passes down years of advice on how to think like a creative, a businessperson, and design at a godly level. There are even blank pages for your own references and notes.
‘Big Type’ explores graphic design and brand identity with a heavy typographic focus. It examines how designers can still produce work that cuts through a cluttered world, showcasing a fascinating direction for graphic design, forged by typography and technology colliding together to create new and exciting results.
Annie Atkins is a Welsh graphic designer and prop maker for film and TV. Best known for her work with director Wes Anderson on The Grand Budapest Hotel, Isle of Dogs, and The French Dispatch, she provides readers with a behind-the-scenes look at the extraordinary world of graphic design for film sets.
For only £8 a month, you could have a different independent magazine delivered direct to your door. Launched in 2008, Stack is an independent magazine club helping people discover the best independent publishing around the world. You never know what they’ll send next, but you do know it will be beautiful, engaging, and probably not something you’ve seen before.
Add a unique designer piece to your home with our illuminated word clock from Auraglow. Readable from top to bottom, it displays the time in bright, LED-powered letters which update in five-minute increments. Though it’s there to tell the time, it’s also a unique conversation piece.
Founded in Oxford, husband and wife team Paul and Natalie Sun create stylish, high-end products for the home. This smart book light masquerades as a leather notebook when closed but is transformed into a sculptural lamp when opened. An ambient warm glow emits through the pages that are tear-proof and water-resistant. Assembled by hand, this multifunctional light is great for book lovers.
A 3D film camera that’s small, lightweight, and easy-to-use. What more could you want? This camera simultaneously captures a picture at three different angles, creating a 3D image by stitching them together. You can edit the effect in Photoshop or on Reto’s very own smartphone app to quickly create GIFs.
We’re here to help
Right — back to business! Of course, the greatest gift you could give to your place of work is a clear, effective marketing strategy for the new year. Get in touch with our team of experts today, and we’ll help you wrap up a plan in a neat little bow, ready to make waves in 2024.
We're always up for a coffee and conversation.
Fill in the form, drop us a line at info@transformcomms.co.uk, or call us on 01225 863846. Better yet, drop in to our converted barn and film studio near Bath and Bristol.
Let’s transform.
Together.
