Design Better
Design Better Holiday Gift Guide
Podcast summary created with Snipd AI
Quick takeaways
- Meaningful gift ideas for designers and creative individuals, including high-quality pens and pencils from Kaweco.
- A fun and engaging game for the whole family is Rummy Cube, which combines strategy and math.
- Experience the classic novel 'Slaughterhouse 5' in a new way with the graphic novel adaptation by Ryan North and Kurt Vonnegut.
- Preserve food and enhance cooking with a vacuum sealer for fresh ingredients and convenient sous vide cooking.
- Explore the iconic designs and creative process of Charles and Ray Eames with the visually stunning book 'Eames Beautiful Details'.
- Support the charity World Central Kitchen by spreading the holiday spirit and donating to provide food during times of crisis.
Deep dives
Thoughtful Holiday Gift Ideas
Looking for meaningful and unique holiday gifts? Consider these thoughtful suggestions:
Everyone's Table Cookbook
Discover the versatile and delicious recipes in Everyone's Table by Gregory Gorday, a James Beard Award-winning chef known for his international cuisine and healthy approach to cooking.
Kaweco Pens and Pencils
For designers and creative individuals, Kaweco offers high-quality pens and pencils that are both functional and beautifully designed. Explore their range of options, including mechanical pencils and fountain pens.
Rummy Cube Game
Looking for a fun and engaging game for the whole family? Try Rummy Cube, a tile-based game that combines strategy and math. It's great for all ages and perfect for bonding and laughter during the holiday season.
Slaughterhouse 5 Graphic Novel
Experience the classic novel in a new way with the Slaughterhouse 5 graphic novel adaptation by Ryan North and Kurt Vonnegut. It provides a fresh perspective on the story and brings the narrative to life with stunning artwork.
Vacuum Sealer
Preserve food and enhance your cooking experience with a vacuum sealer. Keep ingredients fresh and extend their shelf life while also enjoying the convenience of sous vide cooking for perfectly cooked meals.
Eames Beautiful Details Book
Dive into the world of Charles and Ray Eames with Eames Beautiful Details, a visually stunning book that explores their iconic designs, creative process, and the history behind their work.
Red Breast Whiskey
Warm up the holiday season with a bottle of Red Breast Whiskey. Its smooth and flavorful notes make it a delightful gift for whiskey enthusiasts or anyone who appreciates a good drink.
Vitra Nelson Spindle Clock
Add a touch of mid-century design to any space with the Vitra Nelson Spindle Clock. This iconic timepiece, designed by George Nelson, is a true collector's item and makes a stylish and functional gift.
World Central Kitchen Donation
Spread the holiday spirit by supporting World Central Kitchen, a charitable organization that provides food to those in need during times of crisis. Your donation will support their vital work in feeding communities worldwide.
Design Better Plus Subscription
Give the gift of inspiration and learning with a Design Better Plus subscription. Subscribers enjoy benefits like ad-free podcast episodes, early access to episodes, exclusive content, and the opportunity to participate in thought-provoking AMAs with design and technology leaders.
Girls Who Code Donation
Support gender equality in technology by donating to Girls Who Code. This organization empowers young women with the skills and opportunities to thrive in the tech industry. Your contribution helps bridge the gender gap and creates a more inclusive future.
Brain.fm Subscription
Enhance focus and creativity with a subscription to Brain.fm. This science-backed service provides specially curated music and soundtracks designed to optimize your cognitive performance and help you achieve a state of flow.
Brewmetric Watches
Give the gift of style and timekeeping with a Brewmetric Watch. These beautifully designed timepieces are perfect for coffee lovers and anyone who appreciates classic design. Choose from a variety of models and enjoy the perfect blend of form and function.
As designers, we can’t help but be particular about the gifts we give and receive. We’ve put together a list of beautiful and useful gifts at varying price ranges to help you satisfy everyone on your holiday shopping list this year, including yourself.
Wishing you and yours a happy, safe holiday season filled with love, gratitude, and connection.
Your pals,
Aarron and Eli
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For the full gift guide, visit our Substack: https://designbetterpodcast.com/p/design-better-holiday-gift-guide#details
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Gift ideas that support our sponsors and the show
Eli: I'm kind of a coffee heathen, and tend to like really dark roast coffees, old school…and so I was a little skeptical because a lot of Methodical’s coffees tend to be a little lighter or medium roast. But this one that Aarron picked out is just great and I drink it all the time.
Design Better coffee, $22
Eli: You've probably heard us talk about American Giant. They're a clothing company based here in the US. They're all manufactured here in the States. We actually had their CEO Bayard Winthrop on an episode that got a really good reception from folks.
Aarron: It was one of our more popular episodes this year. Bayard's an amazing person. And the company is just so cool.
Eli: And their mission is great about revitalizing manufacturing here in the U. S., and they make great clothing.
American Giant hoodie (m) (w), $138 but get 20% off with code DESIGNBETTER
Eli: Heath Ceramics is another brand that we're really close to. A few years back we had on Robin Petravic who's the current co-owner of Heath ceramics. Their brand is rooted in the Bay Area, another local manufacturer, and they just make these beautiful, very handmade feeling dinnerware, tableware, vases...they're beautiful.
Heath Ceramics: Small Modern Cup $24 dbtr.co/heathceramics get 15% off between now and December 31st with code DBholiday23
Aarron: We’ve been talking with our friends over at Vestaboard, and in this list of awesome gifts, this is like right there at the top. If you're familiar with a split flap display: when you go to an airport, a train station, and you see those [mechanical] displays that show what time your departures and arrivals are, that’s a split flap display.
This is a great office thing as well, and could be a holiday gift to the office. So what's cool about VestaBoard is there's a mobile app that's associated with it. You can connect it to different data sources, like amazing quotes, latest scores in a game that you're watching.
It's wonderful for families to be able to communicate with each other. If you're not at home and you've got a kid that's just gotten home, you can send them a quick message on this. There's so many different creative and cool things you can do.
Vestaboard $3,295
Eli: Some people can't listen to any kind of music while they're writing or focusing on a task but, brain.fm has actually done the scientific work to create soundtracks for your creative or focus work, and it's really great. I've been using it all the time, especially if I'm having to have deep focus and write something.
Brain.fm: $34.99/year
Aarron: DB+, if you haven't heard about it already, it's our subscription service. We've got a really good discount going on it right now through the holidays. You can get ad free versions of the show. You can get episodes of the show early and get invited to our exclusive AMAs with some big names in design and technology. We have one coming up with Meredith Black, who's probably the foremost authority on design and ops.
What we want to create with DB Plus is just a way for the community to get more, to learn more, and we're adding more to that subscription service as well.
DB+ subscription, $3.75 (ad-free episodes 1 week early) or $8.75 (monthly AMAs with design luminaries).
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