How to buy the perfect present? As a rule, I take a quality-over-quantity approach and, if I don’t know the recipient very well, stick to comestibles. But there’s value to bringing a bit of design theory into the thought process too. US cognitive scientist Donald A Norman – the author of such seminal titles as Emotional Design – advocates for the creation of functional products with personal appeal as a way of ensuring utility and longevity. To that end, he suggests that designers should focus on visceral appeal (is the object something that you want to have and to hold?), behavioural applications (does it perform reliably?) and reflective value (does it tap into memories or cultural movements?). Selecting gifts that also tick these boxes – a sleek, German-made radio by Technisat for your audiophile friend who once lived in Berlin, for instance – means that you’ll be choosing not only quality products but also presents that will resonate.

It’s with this spirit in mind that Monocle features an edit of design pieces that tick those boxes in our annual winter newspaper, Alpino. Take the Tsumuji dining chair by Miyazaki Chair Factory. The beauty of this three-legged piece lies partly in the simplicity of its execution but also in its slightly offbeat proportions. Its tripod form is unexpected and playful; it’s comfortable to sit on and made by skilled Japanese craftspeople. Then there’s Danish designer and retailer Louise Roe’s strikingly geometric stainless-steel Fountain Vase 03, which functions just as well with or without flowers (top marks across the visceral and behavioural scorecards). Spain’s Santa & Cole has tapped into reflective value by rendering its iconic Cestita Alubat table lamp in a new, reddish-orange hue, enhancing the aesthetics of this already highly functional piece. A piece that brings delight in terms of materiality and charmingly references various singing traditions is Choir by Teenage Engineering – speakers in the shape of wooden dolls that sync together to “sing” as one.

All of these objects score highly across Norman’s metrics, which prompts me to invoke another of his tenets. “Design is really an act of communication, which means having a deep understanding of the person with whom the designer is communicating,” he once wrote. The same could be said of gift giving. It’s about finding a present that will mean something to whoever is receiving it.

Nic Monisse is Monocle’s design editor. For more Christmas cheer, pick up a copy of Monocle’s seasonal newspaper, ‘Alpino’, available now online and on newsstands.