Buying a gift for someone creative is harder than it looks. Designers, illustrators and writers usually already own the pens they like and a shelf of notebooks they haven't finished. A good gift for them isn't more of the same: it's something they'd love to use but would never buy for themselves.
Here's what we've learned about gifts for creative people, as the people who make a notebook for creatives.
What makes a gift for a creative person work
- They'll actually use it. Decorative objects end up on a shelf. Tools end up in a bag. A creative gift should go on the desk, not in a drawer.
- It changes how they work, a little. The best gifts nudge a habit: a new medium, a new format, a different page. Something that makes them want to start a fresh project.
- It shows you know what they do. A gift for a letterer should feel different from a gift for an architect. Even a small detail, like the right color, says you paid attention.
- It's ready to use. Nothing kills a gift like needing to buy something else first.
Unique gift ideas for creatives
A notebook with colored pages, not just a colored cover
Almost every notebook is white inside, whatever the cover looks like. A notebook whose pages are black or blue all the way through is something most creatives have never used, and it changes the work: light ink on a dark page glows, and a blank page stops feeling blank.
That's what we make. Bocetta is one color all the way through: cover, every page, page edges and ribbon. It measures 17.6 × 24.5 cm, has 160 blank pages of 120 g/m² paper, a sewn binding, and comes with a 0.8 mm white gel pen in the box, so they can start on the first page.
- Nero, black pages: for illustrators, letterers and night sketchers. Maximum contrast for white, silver and gold ink.
- Blu, cobalt blue pages: for designers, architects and planners. White lines on blue look like a blueprint.
Not sure which color fits them? Answer our 1-minute color quiz thinking about them instead of you.
Pens made for dark paper
Opaque white, silver and gold gel pens, paint markers and light colored pencils are the tools that show up on dark paper. They're small, inexpensive and most people don't own them. Paired with a black or blue notebook they make a complete kit. A spare white gel pen is a good extra, because the first one tends to disappear into someone else's bag. More options in which pens work on black and colored paper.
A journal for the person who keeps meaning to start one
For writers, songwriters and anyone who journals, a dark page feels more private and more like a diary than a sketchbook. If that's them, read black paper journaling: how to start a journal in white ink and put a note inside the cover with the first prompt.
Time to make something
A class, a workshop, a weekend to draw. Creative people rarely run out of ideas; they run out of time. A notebook plus a promise of an afternoon to fill it is a gift that gets used.
Gifts by profession
If you know exactly what they do, our guide to gifts for designers, illustrators and architects goes role by role.
Gifts for a team or a client
For corporate gifts, a notebook with colored pages stands out from the usual branded merchandise. From 100 pieces we make custom notebooks with your logo on the cover, with a sample before you confirm.
Before you order a gift
- Timing. We pack orders in 1 to 3 business days (up to 5 during launches, sales and holidays). Delivery then takes 2 to 7 business days in Mexico and 7 to 20 in the United States. If it's for a date, order early. Details on our shipping page.
- To the United States, duties and carrier fees, if any, are paid by whoever receives the package.
- Choose the color with care. We don't do exchanges (we explain why in our returns policy). If you don't know their taste, black is the classic choice.
Every creative already has a white notebook. Give them the one with a different color inside. See all colors.