A new job is a big change. New people, new routines, and a desk that belongs to nobody yet. The first weeks are spent in a space that feels borrowed. A small thing that makes it feel like theirs is a kind and practical present.
It is also a gift that is easy to get right. You don't need to know their size or their taste in clothes. You need to know roughly where they will be working. Here is what to give.
First: where will they work?
An office of their own
There are walls, and they are allowed to hang things. Give something for the wall: a framed print or a canvas.
A desk in an open-plan office or a cubicle
Little or no wall. Whatever they bring has to sit on the desk and suit a shared space. Give something for the desk: a desk mat, or a small print they can stand or pin up.
A hot desk
Nothing stays overnight. Give something that goes in a bag: a rollable desk mat, a keychain, a pin.
Home
They have the most freedom and the most need. A home office that looks like a workplace helps with the feeling of going to work. Give wall art, a desk mat, or both.
For the wall
- A framed poster is the best choice for an office. It arrives finished, with hanging hardware, and looks professional. Sizes from 11 × 14 to 20 × 30 inches. For a first office, 12 × 16 or 16 × 20 is right: big enough to matter, small enough to fit anywhere. See the framed posters collection.
- A canvas for someone with a wall to fill, or a home office.
Subjects that suit a workplace:
- An owl. Wisdom, calm and good judgment. Frost Owl, a white owl with pale blue eyes in a misty forest, is quiet and handsome.
- A skyline. Cities suit offices. Starlight City is a city under a starry sky, in deep blue.
- A calm landscape. Blue Mountain Fog. Something to look up at during a hard day.
- Something ambitious. Hand of the Stars, a hand reaching up through starlight, or an astronaut. See astronauts in art.
- A lion. For a promotion or a first leadership role. CRT Lion Retro Wave.
- Black and white. Black Hole suits any office and any colour scheme.
For the desk
A desk mat is the most useful gift for anyone who works at a computer. It protects the desk, quiets the keyboard, gives the mouse a good surface and makes a plain workstation look like someone's own. It rolls up, so it suits a hot desk too. See eight reasons to use a desk mat at work.
For an office, choose a calm or dark design:
- Blue Mountain Fog: pale and neutral.
- Frost Owl: cool blue with a subject.
- Serene Blue Sunrise: a quiet horizon.
- Cosmic Frosted City: a night skyline in blue.
For size, the medium fits a compact keyboard and suits a small or shared desk. The large fits a full-size keyboard. See the desk mat size guide.
Small gifts
- A keychain for the office keys, a work bag or a lanyard. About $15.
- A pin for a bag or a lanyard. About $6.
Good from a colleague, a friend or a former team. See gifts under $20.
What suits a shared workplace
Other people will see it, so keep it appropriate.
- Good choices: landscapes, skylines, space, animals, abstracts, black and white.
- Use judgment with: skulls, very dark or gothic pieces, anything loud and neon. They may be perfect for a creative studio and out of place at a law firm.
- Size: modest. A new starter doesn't want to be the person with the enormous picture.
For a home office, none of this applies. Choose what they love.
By occasion
- First job after graduating: a desk mat and a small framed print. See graduation gifts.
- A promotion: a framed poster or canvas for a new office.
- Starting a business: a statement piece for the wall behind their desk. See wall art for a small business.
- Going freelance or remote: a desk mat and wall art for the home office.
- A colleague leaving for a new role: a keychain, or a group gift of a framed print.
By profession
- Developers: see gifts for a programmer.
- Designers and artists: see desk setups for artists and designers.
- Anyone on video calls all day: a piece for the wall behind them. Canvas, so it doesn't reflect.
By budget
Approximate prices at the time of writing.
- Under $20: a keychain or pins.
- $20 to $45: a desk mat or a poster.
- $70 to $100: a framed poster.
- $100 and up: a canvas, or a framed print with a matching desk mat.
A group gift
A framed print or canvas is a good thing for a team to give together when someone leaves or is promoted. Add a card signed by everyone.
Timing
Everything is made to order: 2 to 7 business days for production and 3 to 7 for US delivery. If you want it there for their first day, order about three weeks ahead. If you are sending it to a workplace, check the full address, including the company name and floor, because a package can't be redirected once it has shipped. Sending it to their home is usually simpler.
Add a note. A line wishing them well in the new job will be remembered longer than the gift. Browse the framed posters and desk mats collections.