10 Design Gifts for the Holidays

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By Allie Strauss

It’s finally that time of the year when we scour our bookmarks folder and unearth blogged-about, artistically pleasing treasures to bestow upon the most deserving of our designer friends (or, let’s be honest, ourselves). From Pantone-hued shoes to 19th-century-style eyewear, here are ten products that caught our eye this year.

Expressions of typographic love

Serif tote bag

$24 Display your fondness for the classical typeface detail with this discreet but visually stunning bag—the antithesis to the ubiquitous American Apparel Helvetica Alphabet tee.

Neutraface Slab pillow

$55

From the designers over at House Industries comes a new way todisplay stylish typefaces in your home. Neutraface Slab in pillow form(small and large available) is still sleek and simple, while theoverlayed ampersand pillow creates abstract fun with the much-lovedsymbol.

Office supplies

Damask packing tape

$7.99

With 27.5 yards of creative ornamenting possibilities, this packing tape is for much more than holding together boxes.

Personal adornment

Glass monocle with chain

$16.95With 5x-magnification and brass-rimmed, 19th-century style, this monocle is a must to accompany your newly grown handlebar mustache.

Nixon Time Teller P Watch

$55

The true meaning of “arm candy:” A watch with smooth style and sugary-sweet colors ranging from “rubine” pink to bright blue to tone-on-tone white.

Sharpening necklace

$180This sterling silver necklace turns the mundane—those curls of wood that spill out from a sharpened pencil—into the precious. It’s designed by Australian jewelry designer Victoria Mason, whose line of charm rings, necklaces and earrings celebrate the beauty in the everyday.

09/63 SeaVees Pantone shoes

$110

SeaVees is commemorating the creation of the Pantone Matching System with its 09/63 line of shoes (named for the date, September 1963, that Lawrence Herbert founded Pantone). These kicks are available in men’s and women’s sizes in seven carefully selected vintage colors such as PMS 163 (Goldenrod), PMS 539 (Navy) and PMS 202 (Red).

Entertainment

Image courtesy of Pentagram.

The Making of Fantastic Mr. Fox: A Film by Wes Anderson based on the Book by Roald Dahl

$35Designed by Pentagram, this coffee-table-worthy tome showcases everything from storyboards and annotated scripts to fabric swatches and character sketches. The cover material even mimics the color and texture of Mr. Fox’s corduroy suit.

Home decoration

Gradient table

call for priceMade of wood and enamel by furniture designer Paul Loebach, this table comes in shades of whimsical blue and was “inspired by the contrast of rough construction techniques and the soft beauty of graduating hues of color.”

CMYK lampshade

$70

An item you can design a room around. Go all the way by pairing the CMYK fixture with the F1/F2 brighter/dimmer option and the distinct orange RSS feed shade.