As someone who knows a bunch of designers, I’ll attest to the fact that it’s mighty hard finding a creative gift for someone who’s entire job revolves around creativity. Buy them something and there’s a sizeable chance that either they already own it or don’t like it. It’s rare to find something they’ve never seen before… something that takes them by surprise and delight, but you’re in a fair bit of luck if you’re reading this and looking for something to gift a designer friend, relative, colleague, or the person you got in the Secret Santa sweepstakes at work.
Retro Patents’ graphical posters literally put design history on your walls. Taking graphical representations and diagrams from actual patent files available at the US Patent and Trademark Office, Retro Patents turns them into posters you can hang on your wall. Their catalog spans a bunch of products and services, but we have our eye on three of the most recognizable products of our time… the original iPhone, iPod, and the Macintosh computer which put Apple on the map. All three posters feature the patent images taken directly from the open-source files, complete with the patent number, application name, and the holder of the patent. The posters are printed using Epson UltraChrome water based HDR ink-jet technology on Ultra Premium Luster Photo Paper for the finest results, before being framed and shipped.
Designer: Retro Patents
