Cool fun gifts for architects

Reasons to gift architects or designers

There shouldn’t really be a reason behind giving creative gifts for architects or landscape architects, especially if you really want to, or if you are close with whomever it is you want to gift.

Architects and designers are some of the most inspiring people when it comes to making dreams a plan of action. If you need a little inspiration in giving, here are a few pointers when giving gifts for architects: 

• Motivation. You can give a gift simply to motivate or further motivate. A gift is sometimes all that’s needed to either reignite a dying flame or keep one burning brighter than ever before.
• Creativity. Gifts can often be objects that promote and increase creativity. Gifting to an architect might actually give them their next big inspiration or idea.
• Appreciation. Give a gift to show appreciation. If an architect or designer brought to life your dream room or house, then giving a little something in return is a good way to show gratitude.
• Reward. A gift can be a form of incentive or a means to instill a sense of accomplishment. Doing what you’re good at and love is already great, getting something in return by doing so is an awesome bonus.
• Special occasion, Need we describe this? It’s their birthday, or a holiday, or an anniversary – basically, anything outside of a normal, mundane day can call for a gift.

• Ordinary day. Give a gift just because. Like we said – no reason is needed if you just feel like you really want to send someone a little something.
• Build good relationships. Gift-giving helps foster a sort of give-and-take thing and really helps build good relations. It’s often a gesture of goodwill and that you wish them well.
• Future workflow. A gift can be any of the above reasons or a culmination of all of them. Basically, what you give today, especially if it’s well thought through, may affect how they’ll do in the future. 

How to choose gift for architects?

The best gifts for architects serve better if thought with a purpose.

Personal use

Think about gifting something that they can also use around the house or for themselves, like bathroom and kitchen supplies. Simple household goods will make for okay gifts and don’t necessarily need to be associated with architecture.

Desktop use

Something to help them think or soothe their minds to help pass time also makes for a great gift idea.

A fidget toy or Newton’s pendulum can actually help increase focus and enhance mental clarity.

Creativity use

Remember that architects are critical artists – they put a lot of thought behind their designs and layouts.

Giving items that will help further increase their creativity will be well received.

Something like a small sketchpad, a new drawing pad, or even a model kit will do nicely.

Something techie

Unique gifts for architects can be something techie.

Architects and designers will surely appreciate editing and rendering software. Basically, anything digital that helps them actualize their designs is a plus for them.

You can also give certain hardware such as PDAs and hard e-wallets. 

If you need further ideas, below are some key gifts that you can actually search for.

1. 3D Digital printer

A hot piece of technology in recent times, 3D printers have taken the world by storm.

Their innovative designs and superb performance allow you to basically print anything from puzzle pieces to model prototypes. From this description alone, you could see how useful one of these can be for an architect.

Brands: Monoprice, Formlabs, Toybox

2. Laptop screen extender

Screen extenders of portable monitors are great add-ons that help expand your screen so that you get to see more and, consequently, work on more things at a time – which is basically great for any architect.

Screen extenders can help add as much as 12.5” worth of screen space, at the very least, minus the cost of having to spend to actually buy a laptop with a bigger screen. 

Brands: Mobile Pixels, OFIYAA, Trio

3. Sketch pad/ drawing tablet

These are pretty rudimentary. Sketch pads are old-school and are liked by more traditional architects.

Drawing tablets are for the more digital-savvy – they’re optimized for travel, offer more functionality, and are more versatile. Some drawing tablets double as portable computers, allowing for both design, editing, and processing. 

Brands: Wacom, Apple(iPad)

4. Portable color digitizer

These can be more cool gifts for architects. These gadgets are handy for when you want to really get hands-on and direct with managing and selecting colors and palettes.

Think of these as pocket-sized color scanners that extract and store the exact color and shade of future use. They’re simple to use and are compatible with most smartphones/tablets. 

Brand: Cube 

5. USB port hub

An external connection unit with multiple types of ports that fit in with more modern computer designs.

USB hubs have been around for a while, but have since received higher attention when laptops started taking on sleeker, thinner designs.

These are great especially for working with various external connection types.

Brands: Vava, Anker

6. Digital laser measure

Especially for architects who are hands-on and take measurements on-site, these measuring devices offer more accurate and efficient readings in a fraction of the time required from manual measurements. 

As opposed to traditional measures, laser measures are not as hindered by distance and elevation. Without an adjustable ‘tongue’, they’re also easier to handle and adjustments can be made on the fly.

Brands: Leica, Bosch 

7. Wall multi-scanner

Better known as stud finders, these handy variants allow you to see elements behind a wall.

For demolition, renovation, or remodeling projects, multi-scanners are almost always present before the sledgehammer or ax.

Not only do they tell you the location of studs, but also indicate where there might be live wires, pipes, nails, and other obstructions.

Brands: Bosch, Vivreal, Stanley and Walbo

8. Multi-tool wallet card or key chain

These are basically credit-card-sized Swiss knives. They’re rectangular tools that can do multiple things such as open bottles, wrench, drive and remove screws, even cut!

They fit cozily in a wallet or can hang from the wait or a bag just like a keychain. In fact, some multi-tools were specifically designed to be key chains. 

Brands: Wallet Ninja, Victorinox 

9. External drive

No doubt that architects and designers have a lot of files. Sometimes, built-in commercial computer storage space is enough.

And despite there now being cloud servers to store data online,  it’s always less risky  and easier to access information stored on physical drives like in the event of a fire at the location of cloud storage.  Take note, sometimes cloud storage backups are in the same building.

This is where external hard drives (HDDs) come in. Need more space or a backup? Then a 2 terabyte (TB) HDD the size of a 10000 milliamp power bank sounds pretty reasonable, right? 

Brands: Western-Digital, Buffalo

10. Architect desktop lamplight

Desktop lights make for amazing gifts, especially if the one you’re going to give it to enjoys working late nights. Most models are usually swing-arm and have at least 2 hinge joints.

These are definitely more flexible and versatile than regular lamps, not to mention look sleeker and are more functional.

Brands: Phive, Youkoyi

11. Drafting chair

Drafting chairs are some of the best chairs to have that go along with drafting tables and other elevated work surfaces.

These ergonomic and highly mobile seats are an architect’s best friend which allows them to work long, comfortable hours without experiencing much fatigue.

These are basically very suped-up office chairs with greater adjustable seat height and often, a foot ring, armrests, and padded neck rest. 

Brands: Staples Hyken, Flash Furniture, Office Star 

12. Ballpoint  & fountain pen

Versatility and finesse are two distinct characteristics embodied in the ballpoint and fountain pen respectively. They make for great, very usable gifts that can be used just about anywhere and anytime.

Ballpoint pens have low ink-viscosity when pressed and take longer to run out of ink than most other pens. They can write on almost any surface, including glossy paper! Fountain pens are regal and timeless.

They’re more expensive, but they can last a lifetime and have premium writing quality.

Brands: Rotring, Dong-A, Caran d’Ache, Montblanc  

13. Movable TV mount

Movable or articulating TV mounts help provide some of the most immersive viewing experiences.

Whether it’d be a standard 36” LCD TV to a 50” LED smart TV, articulating mounts not only give you a means to mount your TV neatly and securely on a wall, but also makes it able to tilt, pivot, and even swing out to meet almost any kind of viewing angle for a quality 3D design shown. 

Brands: Sanus, Mantelmount

14. A new camera

Whether it’d be used for vlogging or actual practice, a new camera is an excellent quality gift. 

Architects will oftentimes need heavy visualization of areas or surroundings they’ll be working on. What better way to capture said surroundings than with a camera, right?

The latest and greatest cameras combine innovation, technology, and seamless operation to give you the best photographic experience possible, to help an architect zoom-on-by.

Brands: Nikon, Canon, Leica, FujiFilm

15. Construction backpack

Construction backpacks are rugged, lightweight, pocket-filled carrying powerhouses that’ll let anyone carry just about anything as long as it’ll fit. They’re basically suitcases, but smaller, more durable, and more flexible.

Some have extra padding, while some are lined with water-resistant material. Tools, gadgets, drinks, you name it, this can carry it. 

Although a construction backpack is made more for technicians, Architects can look hip and fit a laptop, laser measure, and camera with the comfort of using a backpack over a dinosaur briefcase.

Brands: Veto Pro Pac, Klein Tools

16. Lego architecture blocks

Yep, no one is ever too old to be gifted a Lego set.

These multi-piece model kits have surprising detail and are even customizable, allowing people to really get creative and let out their inner Picasso.

While they’re very nice and prestigious as a collection, for architects, they can provide the next biggest inspiration. Or it could end up as the next gag gift for an architect.

17. A coffee mug

Almost anyone enjoys a nice cup of coffee or green tea. Especially for architects, who at times really go overboard with projects, a steaming cup of joe can make all the difference.

While coffee on its own can taste superb, nothing beats the feel of drinking already good-tasting coffee from a personal mug.

Brands: Le Creuset, Espro

18. Creative ways to show or send your gift to an architect

• Send it to them during an occasion. In contrast, you can also opt to have it delivered on a completely random date for an extra surprise. 
• If you know that the architect often visits the site, then you can maybe get a hold of their schedule and surprise them with the gift there. If you’re giving something like a chair or lamp, then you can secretly put it in their mobile office blended in with the rest of their furniture.
• You can set up a small scavenger-hunt, and see how well they know a building they designed.
• Use unconventional or construction-related packaging. This will help disguise the gift/s.

Conclusion

No doubt that architects and designers have some of the most brilliant and imaginative minds. While you may be intimidated by the idea of finding a ‘suitable’ gift, remember that regardless of what they do and who they are, it’s the thought that counts.

There are a lot of things, as mentioned above, that can do lots for architects, some are even simpler than you might have first anticipated. With this guide, we hope that you’ll be more confident and excited on your next gift-shopping run.