We're at the holidays once again and that means it's one of our favorite episodes, our Design Better holiday gift guide for designers, creatives, and anyone who appreciates well-designed products. This list is perfect for anyone hunting for the ideal gift for that special someone—or, let’s be honest, for themselves. And this year—like last year—we’ve curated some stellar picks.
Watch the video below, or listen above or on your favorite podcast platform
Before we get to the rest of the list, we want to share that Design Better premium now includes new benefits including access to the documentary film Design Disruptors, and for the next week only you can get a year of premium for 25% off, our only sale of the year.
Eli’s list
Solo Stove Pi Fire
Solo Stove, which you might know for their incredible smokeless fire pits, has a pizza oven attachment that I recently picked up. It cranks up to 600 degrees and gives you that authentic wood-fired flavor in just four minutes. I’ve been using madrone and oak wood, and it’s been a hit with the family.
SoloStove PiFire Pizza Oven accessory $189
MagnoGrip Magnetic Wristband
This one’s super simple but really handy—a magnetic wristband for holding screws or small tools while you’re working on a project. It came to mind because I was helping out with a community playground build recently, and I kept fumbling with screws, holding them in my mouth or awkwardly reaching for my tool belt. This would’ve been perfect.
MagnoGrip $15.99
Oddli
Ellie Chen and Jensen Neff, two students from our Stanford product design class, started a company called Oddli. They were inspired to tackle the problem of waste in the fashion industry, specifically “deadstock” fabric that often ends up in landfills.
Oddli focuses on sustainable, high-quality fashion using deadstock and other eco-friendly materials. One great example is their patchwork apron—it’s $98, which is definitely an investment, but it’s beautifully made, unique, and sustainable. This isn’t fast fashion—it’s thoughtful, long-lasting design that helps reduce waste. Supporting a brand like this feels great, especially knowing it was founded by such passionate and talented young designers.
Sophie’s Patchwork Apron by Oddli, $98
Circe by Madeline Miller
My favorite book this year is Circe by Madeline Miller. I’ve been on a bit of a sci-fi and fantasy kick lately, and this one really stood out. Honestly, I’d been stuck in a rut with books that just weren’t grabbing me—but Circe hooked me right away. It’s a fresh take on Greek mythology, focusing on Circe, a minor character from The Odyssey who’s reimagined as the main character here.
Get the book $14
Gyotaku fish prints
One of my creative outlets outside of Design Better is making prints using a Japanese technique called gyotaku. It’s traditionally used to capture impressions of fish, and since I do some spearfishing, I’ve been using edible ink to create prints of the fish I catch—so I can still eat the fish afterward. One of my friends, Nae Hayakawa, who is a Japanese designer helped me create the hanko stamps that are used as signatures on the prints.
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What to Cook When You Don’t Feel Like Cooking
Sticking with the cooking theme, I’ve got a great recommendation from a local author here in Carmel Valley, Caro Chambers. She has a fantastic Substack called What To Cook When You Don’t Feel Like Cooking, and my wife, Courtney, recently picked up her book.
The recipes are super simple but really delicious, and the best part? Even our kids love them. If you’ve got picky eaters, you’ll know how rare that is! Instead of juggling multiple meals, we’ve been making dishes from this book that everyone actually enjoys. Highly recommend it if you’re looking for quick, crowd-pleasing meals!
Get cookin’ $24
Design Better Coffee
We recently sent some Design Better coffee to former guest and New Yorker cartoonist Jason Chatfield, who loved it. Grab some as a gift (or to fuel your own creativity).
Design Better Coffee ☕ $22
Custom gift caricature by Jason Chatfield
Speaking of cartoonist Jason Chatfield (who also has two Substacks here, New York Cartoons and Process Junkie), if you’re looking for a really special gift, he’s available for personalized gift caricatures.
Get a custom caricature $399 and up
DU/ER clothing
One of our newer sponsors, DU/ER, makes fantastic clothing that’s as stylish as it is functional. I’m actually modeling their tech fleece denim jacket right now—it’s soft, durable, and even has a water-resistant coating. They’ve got a great lineup of pants, shirts, and outerwear too.
DU/ER Tech Fleece Denim Jacket $169
Faherty
Sticking with the fashion theme, I have to give a shout out Faherty. A little backstory: Aarron and I were in Savannah, Georgia, prepping for a live show, and I realized I hadn’t packed a good shirt for the stage. Aarron suggested checking out Faherty, and as soon as I walked in, I was hooked.
Their clothes definitely have a California surfer vibe, but they’re polished and really well-made. I ended up getting one of their sweater shirts—it’s incredibly soft and quickly became part of my daily wardrobe. The quality is fantastic, and their return and exchange policy is super generous—60 days, no questions asked. I’ve become a big fan of the brand.
Get the Legend sweater shirt $178
Bespoke Post
This one’s a gift idea for Aarron, and it’s kind of a choose-your-own-adventure. The company is called Bespoke Post, and they create themed boxes featuring products from small or local makers. The themes range from barware to outdoor gear, so there’s a lot to choose from.
Bespoke Post Aged box $49 (for members)
Aarron’s List
Birdie
This small device is like having a fire alarm in your pocket. When you pull the pin it flashes and beeps incredibly loud so you can get the attention of everyone around you. Birdie $30
Cook’s Illustrated: The Science of Good Cooking
Learn the principles of cooking through the lens of science. Lots of great recipes that will help you master the basics. It’s also a fun read!
Get the book $37
The Odyssey, a graphic novel
Gareth Hinds brings this classic and many others to life with beautiful illustrations. A great read for adults and kids alike.
Get the book: $14
The Work of Art: How Something Comes from Nothing
Design Better guest Adam Moss has written a valuable book for anyone doing creative work. Kara Walker, Tony Kushner, Sofia Coppola, Stephen Sondheim, Barbara Kruger, Ira Glass, Samin Nosrat, Marc Jacobs, David Simon, and many more share their approach to the work they do in this book.
Get the book: $27
Mushroom Mountain foraging course
Learn how to forage for tasty local mushrooms safely with an online course run by this North Carolina business. They also share high quality mushroom fruiting supplies so you can grow your own.
Leatherman Signal
Designed for the outdoors, this multi-tool packs a firestarter, hammer, one-handed blade and an emergency whistle.
Leatherman Signal: $140
Quince cashmere pajamas
This is an absolutely decadent gift for someone you love or yourself! Mix and match a cashmere top style with Quince’s cashmere jogger and you have the best pajamas ever! If holiday guests have to see you in your PJ’s, they should be these.
Quince cashmere (men’s): $90 top, $100 pants | Quince cashmere (women’s): $100 top, $100 pants
MasterClass
MasterClass is the only streaming platform where you can learn and grow with over 200+ of the world's best. People like Steph Curry, Paul Krugman, Malcolm Gladwell, Dianne Von Furstenberg, Margaret Atwood, Lavar Burton and so many more inspiring thinkers share their wisdom in a format that is easy to follow and can be streamed anywhere on a smartphone, computer, smart TV, or even in audio mode.
MasterClass: holiday discounts as low as 50% off
Elsa Peretti jewelry from Tiffany
Renowned for her distinctive sculptural, organic aesthetic, the captivating jewelry of visionary designer Elsa Peretti’s jewelry is iconic. Tiffany offers a wide variety of her work in various materials and forms, many drawing upon forms in the natural world.
Elsa Peretti jewelry: $750 and up
Give the gift of education and inspiration
As we wrap things up, we want to express our heartfelt gratitude to all of you who support Design Better. Whether you’re a listener, a subscriber, or someone who shares the show with friends, you make everything we do possible—and we’re incredibly thankful.
Our Design Better premium members get access to 4 full-length, ad-free episodes a month, monthly AMAs with big names in design and tech, discounts and early access to workshops, and our monthly newsletter The Brief.
And this week we’re adding two new benefits: you can get access to the groundbreaking documentary film Design Disruptors, and we’re adding an additional book to our library, Principles of Product Design.
If you’re not yet a member, or if there’s someone in your life who would benefit from the gift of education and inspiration, now’s the perfect time to join. For the next week only, we’re offering our one and only discount of the year: 25% off a full year of Design Better premium.
It’s a great way to dive deeper into the ideas and tools that can help you level up as a designer—or to give someone else the same opportunity. Thank you again for being part of our community. We couldn’t do this without you.
