If you have any product designers in your life, then you know that gifting them something is almost always impossible. They usually have everything they need – which basically includes their precious design equipment and gear. But there’s always a product or two on their must-have wish list. They are usually innovative product designs that can really help or support them through their creative process. They add a whole lot of value, and can even make or break their entire design process. And, we’ve curated a whole collection of products that are on every product designer’s secret wish list – making shopping for them a whole lot easier! You can thank us later.
1. Gustav mobile desk caddy
Gustav mobile desk caddy coincides with these foreseen work situations and fits perfectly into anyone’s lifestyle. The accessory is your laptop stand for work from anywhere regime with an organized set of everyday tools to feel right at home.
Why is it noteworthy?
The desk caddy is built in a way to keep the design compact while neatly keeping everything in place. You just have to store things in this caddy and take it anywhere without much fuzz. Then, when you need to have the right ergonomic setup, all you have to do is take out the laptop and phone, place them on the respective stand, and get started seamlessly. The laptop orientation can be toggled, depending on the standing work position or sitting one. Also, things like the pencil stand, portable keyboard, and mouse can be put inside the caddy.
What we like
- Maintains an ergonomic form factor
- Lightweight and balanced design
What we dislike
- No complaints!
2. The YesWelder Firstess CT2050
Designed to work as a versatile welding machine and even a high-power plasma cutter, the YesWelder Firstess CT2050 is a portable beast that lets you turn your humble garage into a full-fledged workshop.
Why is it noteworthy?
The AC/DC TIG feature instantly allows you to work with a whole catalog of materials. DC TIG provides the perfect environment for welding regular metals like stainless steel but proves to be tricky for Aluminum and Magnesium, causing overheating and blackening. That’s where AC TIG comes in, allowing you to work with softer metals that have oxides on them. This AC TIG feature was made achievable due to the presence of two inverters within the CT2050 that create a bi-directional current that simultaneously breaks the oxides and cuts the metal.
What we like
- For working with thinner materials, or around corners and trickier spots, the CT2050 has a Pulse TIG setting
- With both AC and DC settings, pulse also provides welders the flexibility needed for welding corners, pipes, and other hard-to-reach spots for a wide range of materials
What we dislike
- No complaints!
3. V8 Engine block pen holder
The V8 Engine block pen holder is created via a precision-machining process. Depending on your personal aesthetic preference, you can pick a machine finish or a bead-blasted visual. It also features removable pen liners in three sizes-small, medium, and large. This makes sure that all your stationery is securely in place!
Why is it noteworthy?
In a time when work from home has become a norm, and the desks in our home offices are an absolute mess, it’s extremely important to utilize designs that help us organize our desks. The V8 Engine block pen holder does exactly that, but with an innovative twist. It’s a far cry from the standard pen holders we get these days! It features manifold bolt holes, cylinders, bores for fuel intake and exhaust, bores for cam rods, and the crankshaft cavity. Interesting, no?
What we like
- An innovative twist on an ordinary product
- Organizes your desk in a fun + functional manner
What we dislike
- Bulky form
4. The Steno Sit-to-Stand Desk
Gerhardt Kellermann and Ana Relvao of RELVAOKELLERMANN understand the need for people to work eight or more hours each day at their desks. There is a call for more ergonomic tables as such help in providing comfort and increasing productivity, especially on hectic days when you are reminded to reduce stress and be mindful of your health. You can get a comfortable and ergonomic chair for proper support, but it won’t matter if your table isn’t of the right height.
Why is it noteworthy?
The Steno Sit-to-Stand Desk makes an impression with a distinctive silhouette—a wedge-shaped tabletop, a round cable tray, a flat foot, and side brackets that can cover the structure and technology. You can attach other parts like a screening wall to cover your work, a cable tray to hide the cords, and whatever accessories you need to get a job done. Whether seated or standing, you can work with ease, efficiency, speed, and comfort, thanks to the desk’s ergonomics, structure, and durability.
What we like
- The Steno Sit-to-Stand Desk changes its height with a motorized mechanism, making it ideal for modern and industrial offices
- This sit-and-stand desk could be the perfect solution for your work and physical needs
What we dislike
- No complaints!
5. Nominal
Named ‘Nominal’, after the term used during launch when everything is running smoothly and according to plan, this space-inspired pen takes the shape of a miniature moon-lander, in celebration of NASA and SpaceX’s renewed efforts to return to the Moon.
Why is it noteworthy?
Nominal is a space pen with a difference. It isn’t like the space pens from the 90s – now known as gel pens, that can write upside down. This pen literally embodies space, with its launcher-inspired design. Modeled after the Moon Lander that will once again hopefully put humans on our nearest cosmic neighbor, the Nominal Moon Lander pen comes with a sleek, simple design that can rest vertically on any surface.
What we like
- It weighs 66 grams, making it heavy enough to feel really great in the hand, without being too heavy to become cumbersome
What we dislike
- No complaints!
6. The Japanese paper Memo Block
The Japanese paper Memo Block comes in to provide a temporary shelter for those itinerant thoughts of yours.
Why is it noteworthy?
There is nothing more welcoming and more freeing than a blank sheet of paper that’s ready to record those fleeting thoughts, flashes of inspiration, or even tasks that were suddenly dumped on your lap. With no other markings, not even grids or lines, this white Memo Block lets you focus on the simplest task at hand, jotting that note down before you get distracted again. And with its smaller footprint, it’s easy to put a block of paper anywhere on your desk, in any position or orientation, so that it will always be within easy reach when your Muse or your colleague visits you.
What we like
- Its pure black surface challenges the mind as if daring it to put an unconventional and exciting new thought on paper
- Uses high-quality Japanese paper revered by many stationery connoisseurs
What we dislike
- No complaints!
7. Rotio
Not too long ago, a budding startup sought to do what very few in multiple disciplines even bothered to think about. The venerable compass has been around for centuries, but it was still the go-to solution for drawing circles, even if that meant putting holes in your paper. The Rotio was born out of the need to protect paper and other materials while still offering the flexibility and convenience of a compass.
Why is it noteworthy?
Instead of a pin that will puncture a hole on a sheet of paper, Rotio has an “eye” that lets you see the center of the circle you want to draw. You simply press down on it to secure it on the paper, fit the tip of the pen or pencil into one of its holes, and then swivel away to your perfect circle. The minimalist metal design of the Rotio also ensured that it would outlive the often flimsy compasses produced for mass consumption.
What we like
- You don’t have to settle for fixed points and even draw sizes in between those marks
- Features a spring-loaded brass button for its centering
What we dislike
- No complaints!
8. COMM
COMM offers a touchscreen display that shows the different functions. The main functions are as follows: sharing information, reporting, expression of emotions, mutual understanding, and idea suggestions. Your home work environment can “feel” more like a real office with this simple device designed by South Korean designed Eunjeong with Fountain Studio.
Why is it noteworthy?
You can update your computer or maybe by a more comfortable and ergonomic workspace. The goal should always be speed and efficiency when it comes to working so in the area of communication, you must find a better way how to send messages across to a different party. The COMM is a concept device that can help people communicate from home. It’s a simpler way to send and receive messages, give feedback, and deliver what needs to be done. The result is increased work efficiency, especially with the angled screen for more comfortable viewing when sitting down.
What we like
- Helps improve creativity and productivity by showing the information you need sans any distraction
- Better than a smartphone or tablet, as it eliminates the temptation to check other apps
What we dislike
- Limited compared to face-to-face communication, but still not too bad!
What do you think?
9. Modified 3D Printer
A lesser-known YouTuber who goes by the name of filmpjeslader has somehow modded his Prusa i3 to allow it to print in color. The rather complicated modification has a pretty simple purpose – after every layer that the 3D printer prints, the inkjet head adds a layer of color, creating effectively a colored 3D model at the end of the print. It’s sheer genius, and even though the results are less-than-perfect, there’s something very elegant about the idea behind it.
Why is it noteworthy?
A regular printer prints on a flat surface. However, stack multiple flat surfaces upon each other and you’ve got yourself a 3D surface… so why not apply that logic to 3D printing? filmpjeslader’s clever solution does just that! His modification adds a separate color-printing head to the Prusa i3 3D printer.
What we like
- Creates a ‘sandwich’ of plastic and CMYK-based inks to create a nifty 3D model
What we dislike
- The practice is limited to clear PLA only, and the layer thickness has to be a carefully calibrated minimum
- The water-soluble inks from the inkjet printer are transparent too (just like the plastic), which means the result looks translucent and cloudy, instead of opaque
10. The Mover Erase Combo
Reusable like a whiteboard, portable and sticky like a Post-it, the Mover Erase brings one of the workplace’s most effective features to your WFH setup. The Mover Erase turns the whiteboard into a portable setup that you can carry around with you because productivity shouldn’t be limited to a ‘place’.
Why is it noteworthy?
At the heart of this system is the individual Mover Erase tile, a small rectangular element that you can write/doodle on and stick anywhere. Unlike a whiteboard, where you can’t really rearrange stuff that’s written, the Mover Erase’s tile-based system meant you could move blocks around, shifting ideas from one column to another… and unlike Post-its, the Mover Erase tiles were infinitely reusable, with each reusable tile saving nearly 10,000 sheets of paper. The Mover Erase Combo comes along with a magnetic folio case that’s best described as your portable whiteboard. Available in two sizes (a smaller MoverPad and a larger MoverBook), the folio acts as a central system for organizing, ideating, and processing.
What we like
- They say the average human uses 700 pounds of paper each year. The Mover Erase Combo drastically reduces that footprint.
- Extremely portable design
- Works incredibly well for people with ADHD
What we dislike
- The reusable tiles are easy to lose!
