Hosted by Jeff Gamet and Jay Nelson of Design Tools Monthly.
Gift Guide for Creative Professionals:
We asked some of our contributors for their ideas on what would be good gifts for a graphic designer, photographer, or other creative professional. Below are their suggestions.
Part 1 of 2: (from November 12 podcast)
• Pantone’s Huey Pro ($100). “Simple, automated color management for CRT or LCD displays.”
• iTunes gift certificate ($10+). “A no-brainer.”
• Keynamics’ Aviator ($20). “Revolutionizes the experience of using a laptop on a plane or in a hotel room. Comes in Pink, Gray or Black.”
• External hard drive & SuperDuper ($150). “There’s no excuse to not have a mirrored backup.”
• Griffin Technology’s Elevator laptop stand ($40). “Sexy, affordable.”
• 500 font CD from www.FontSite.com ($40). “An incredible bargain for professional fonts.”
• Book ($27): New Vintage Type: Classic Fonts for the Digital Age, by Steven Heller and Gail Anderson, is a unique guide to using old-fashioned type in modern designs. It displays hundreds of real-world examples, from wood type to Victorian, Art Deco, Modern and Eccentric movements, all used in recent designs. It is inspiring, educational, and beautiful – a perfect coffee table book. Get one for your font-freak friend.
• Sony DRX-830UL-T DVD burner ($120). “There’s no excuse to not have a DVD burner. This one’s the best.”
• USB Flash Drive ($20). “Carry one with you everywhere. Shockingly useful.”
• Tintbook set ($160). “The only reliable way to see how cmyk colors will actually print – and to choose ones you like!”
• G-Drive Mini 120 G ($179). “This portable drive never gets hot – the data and the drive are protected by an integrated cooling system and aluminum enclosure. The leather carrying case protects the drive when traveling. For Santas with fatter wallets, the G-Safe starting at $449 is a dream machine for backing up those priceless photos.”
• Hoodman RAW FireWire card reader ($80 or $50 for USB 2 model) “This FireWire card reader is the fastest card reader I’ve ever used.”
• Hoodman RAW memory card: 2 or 4 GB ($90 or $150). “Fastest memory cards and made in USA.”
• Hoodman Hoodloupe ($70). “Convenient for checking photos on the camera LCD, especially outdoors. It has a diopter wheel so you can set the loupe to your vision.”
• Digital Foci Picture Porter Elite ($349—$449). “This Portable Digital Picture Viewer has a 3.6-inch display, 40/80/120/160 GB hard drive and built-in card reader. Download your pictures to it to clearly see which ones to keep and which need to be re-shot. I also like it for instant gratification, instant picture backup and to show my pictures to friends.”
• Graphic Designer T-Shirts and Gifts ($20+). “Tell the world about your artistic nature and show your fun side. Try the So Many Ideas, So Little Time shirts & bags.”
Part 2 of 2: (from November 19 podcast)
• USB 2.0 Flash reader for camera cards ($20). “USB 2.0 is 20x faster than USB 1.0. Find the best bargain at DealMac.”
• Skype Unlimited account ($30). “12 months of free calls to any phone in u.s. or Canada.”
• Lynda.com membership ($250/yr or $25/month). “Learn from the best, by video, any time, any subject.”
• Ziplinq USB phone-charging cable ($5–$15). “Leave it plugged into your USB hub to charge your phone at your desk. Take it with you on trips.”
• Helvetica (the movie) dvd ($17). “Nothing says ‘I understand you’ like giving a movie about fonts.”
• Plug-ins for Photoshop, InDesign or QuarkXPress. “Some are more valuable than the program they plug into. Browse them at The PowerXChange.”
• Sanyo’s Eneloop Rechargeable Batteries ($8–$30). “A major advance in rechargeable batteries. Lasts 4 times longer than alkalines in a digital camera and works better at lower temperatures than alkaline. Cost per charge = 6 cents. No ‘memory effect’ – recharge anytime. Arrives charged, keeps 85% of charge for 1 year. Handy $20 USB travel charger.”
• InDesign Magazine ($59/yr). “The best source for InDesign info.”
• Belkin FireWire hub F5U526-APL ($45). “Tiny, powered, better than daisy-chaining FireWire devices.” http://www.belkin.com
• Belkin 7-port USB hub F5U237-APL-S ($30). “Small, stackable, reliable, clever.”
• Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) ($35–$150). “Not only provides power during outages, but cleans the power 24/7 before it gets to sensitive equipment. Find a deal at DealMac.”
• Klipsch Ultra 2.0 Pro Speakers ($77–$99). “Designing without music is an invitation to do less than your best without atmosphere and ambiance. These have far better sound than the exotic-looking speakers from JBL.”
• TechTool Protege ($230). “Everyone should have one in their “computer tool kit”. With TechTool Pro loaded, you can plug the Protege into your Mac, click the icon to restart your Mac from the Protege, and then proceed to check and repair your hard drive and your system. It is a no-brainer to use and comes in the tiniest of packages.”
• Spare laptop power supply ($79). “A great convenience to always keep in your laptop bag.”
• Airport Extreme base station with Gigabit Ethernet ($179). “The best wireless router with the simplest set up I’ve ever used. And it has a very small footprint so it can fit on the smallest desk. It just works!”
• Portrait Expodisc (Warm) (about $85). “Having used many white balance tools, the Expodisc seems to give the most consistently accurate white balance for both the Nikon and the Canon cameras, and it is the easiest and fastest system to use. The portrait model adds a bit of warmth to the white balance, making most images appear totally natural.”
• Pina Zangaro Camden Portfolio Cases ($128–$162). “An aluminum portfolio case in a briefcase style. Sleek and timeless, rich black interior lining screams Sophisticated.”
• Card-it Business Card Punch ($30). “This hand-held device punches two diagonal slits into any paper stock, positioned perfectly to hold opposite corners of a business card. Use it on promos, presentation folders – paper or plastic.”
February 4th, 2008 by 
Design Tools Monthly
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