Gift ideas by hobby: T-shirts for anglers, gamers and animal lovers

Good gift ideas by hobby have one problem: the person usually owns the gear already. The rod is chosen, the grill is set up, the running shoes are broken in, and anyone who plays games would rather buy them themselves. What is often missing is something that shows what someone is passionate about. A T-shirt with a design from their world is that kind of gift: personal without being pushy, and something you actually wear day to day.

Below you will find ready-made designs from our gallery for six hobbies, each linked to its design page, where you see it on the shirt and order it. And because no two hobbies are alike, every section ends with an idea for describing a design of your own in one sentence.

Gift ideas for anglers

Anglers spend hours by the water, and many recognize a species at first glance. A design that shows their waters lands better than a slogan about when the fish bite.

• Leaping pike at sunrise: a pike bursts out of the lake in linocut style, with the sun rising behind it. As an all-over print, the design fills the entire surface.
• "BESTER OPA" with a trout: a crest with a leaping trout, a fly rod and oak leaves, and on the back a golden retriever by the river with the fishing rod in its mouth. The German banner reads "best grandpa", for the grandfather who taught you to fish.
• Fishing lures as a sketch sheet: several lures with treble hooks, sketched freely in charcoal and pastel, as an all-over print.

Your own idea: "My father in a boat on the misty reservoir, rod in hand, in the style of an old woodcut."

Gift ideas for barbecue fans

At the grill you flip more than meat; you also defend a reputation. Two designs for everyone who never lets go of the tongs:

• Kettle grill "Fleisch ist mein Gemüse": a steaming kettle grill as a vintage emblem, with "Grillmeister" and "Fleisch ist mein Gemüse" on the ribbon; the German joke says meat is the grill master's vegetable.
• Tongs in a ring of flames: open tongs in front of blazing flames and the banner "GRILLMEISTER" (grill master), with two crossed tongs on the back.

Your own idea: "Our smoker in the garden at sunset, smoke rising, in the style of a retro poster, with the line 'Low and slow' underneath."

Gift ideas for runners

Runners collect miles, not more performance shirts. A design shirt is meant for everyday life and the time before and after a run; for the run itself, athletic gear remains the better choice.

• "Läuft bei mir. Langsam, aber läuft": big lettering and a snail with a lightning bolt on its shell; the German line says roughly "it's going well, slowly, but it's going", for everyone who takes their pace with humor.
• Trail runner in woodcut: a runner climbing over rocks, with swirling clouds and mountain peaks in sepia, as an all-over print.
• Running shoes above the city: two trail shoes on a rock above a nighttime skyline, in blue and orange, as an all-over print.

Your own idea: "A winding running route as a fine line over a stylized city map, with the name of our city underneath, reduced to black and white."

Gift ideas for gamers

Gamers pay attention to details: pixels, controllers, level indicators. The only thing that matters is that the design shows a world of its own. We do not print characters, logos or names from well-known games.

• Gamepad "PAUSE IST FÜR ANFÄNGER": a retro controller in front of a circuit-board diamond in neon blue; the German line means "pausing is for beginners".
• Pixel knight "Level 40 freigeschaltet": an 8-bit knight with a glowing sword in a round badge, made for a 40th birthday ("level 40 unlocked").

Your own idea: "Our cat as the final boss in a 16-bit level, with a health bar above her head."

Gift ideas for dog owners

Anyone with a dog loves to talk about it. A design with their own breed is a safe bet.

• "DACKEL-PAPA": a dachshund in a green plaid shirt with its paws on a big coffee cup, in a bold comic style; the German banner means "dachshund dad".
• Golden retriever with a crown: the dog as a monarch with crown and ermine, in copperplate engraving style.
• Border collie with sheep: a border collie herding three sheep in mid-leap, drawn like a woodcut.

Your own idea: "Our Labrador on the beach with a tennis ball in its mouth, as a watercolor in warm evening colors." If you have a photo of the dog, add it after your first sentence under "Add an image" as a photo; the animal in it gets drawn.

Gift ideas for cat lovers

Cats do what they want, and that is exactly what their humans love about them. Three designs between coziness and chaos:

• "Erst Kaffee, dann die Welt": a contented tabby cat hugs her steaming mug; the German line means "coffee first, then the world".
• Cat pushing a vase: three comic panels, a ginger tabby, a table, a vase, and everyone who lives with a cat knows the ending.
• Cat on the wave: a tabby cat sits on a great wave, finely hatched like a Japanese woodcut in the ukiyo-e style.

Your own idea: "Our black cat asleep on the bookshelf, the moon above her, reduced to two colors."

The size, if it is meant to stay a surprise

Lay one of the person's well-fitting shirts flat and measure chest width and length. The measurements of every size are on the design page under "Size chart", separately for each shirt, because an all-over print shirt is cut differently from a cotton shirt. If you are unsure or want them to choose, give the gift card for an amount of your choice: the code arrives by email, and the recipient picks the design and the size themselves.

In time for the holidays

Every shirt is printed only after you order, and delivery takes 5-14 business days. From November until shortly before Christmas Eve, the page Design your own Christmas T-shirt names the last order day for a shirt to usually arrive before Christmas Eve. More occasions, from birthdays to retirement, are on the gifts page.

If none of the designs fits exactly, describe the hobby in one sentence in the design generator and compare several drafts. Designing is free, you only pay when you order; shirts start at €29.99.