With just a few months left until New Designers 2024, we’ve caught up with some of the outstanding award winners from Week 2 of ND23 to see what they’re up to now and how their time at New Designers has impacted their design journeys so far. Keep reading to learn more about their experiences as they begin careers in product design, graphics, industrial design and more. Click here to hear from the Week 1 award winners.
Mumtaz Karim
Winner of the Unilever / Persil Clean Futures Innovation Award
‘Exhibiting my work at New Designers was a defining moment in kickstarting my career. This platform enabled me to showcase my talents and connect with numerous industry professionals. Winning Unilever’s Persil Clean Futures Innovation Award was a great privilege and a significant milestone for me. I’m grateful for the opportunities it brought. Now, I have the privilege of working at Unilever as a Design Strategist.’
Ellen Callaghan
Winner of the Anglepoise Abandon Darkness Award & Runner Up, New Designer of the Year Award
‘The awards presented to me at New Designers were a huge confidence boost and helped to kickstart my career in industrial design. As a result of the experience, I gained a lot of exposure which helped me create valuable industry contacts. As part of the Anglepoise Abandon Darkness award I engaged in several mentoring sessions which helped me refine my portfolio and interview skills, ultimately leading to landing my first role. It was a fantastic opportunity to go to the Anglepoise office and learn more about the product development process. The Anglepoise team has been so supportive, and I am beyond grateful. I was also given the opportunity to go to Cambridge consultants, where I learned more about their business operations and design process. I was able to discuss my passion for femtech with some amazing people as well as receive some valuable portfolio feedback.
I am currently working as a Junior Industrial Designer at a consultancy called Phase Two Design. I have already been involved in a diverse range of projects and I frequently meet and present my work to clients. I am able to work with lots of different clients; spanning from major corporations to innovative startups.’
Anna Elias
Winner of the Affinity Digital Design Award
‘It was an amazing opportunity to be part of New Designers last year. It was such a privilege to win the Affinity Digital Design Award and have the chance to show my work at the event. I met so many inspiring people from students to industry professionals across lots of different creative fields. The experience helped me grow in confidence sharing my work with others, and being around so many talented creatives meant you couldn’t help but be inspired.
Since New Designers I was able to gain experience at several design agencies through internships which was great. I’ve since been offered a job at the global branding and packaging agency Jones Knowles Ritchie. I’m enjoying working with a brilliant team where we work with global brands such as Coca-Cola and M&Ms.
Grateful to New Designers for helping to launch my career and would encourage everyone who has the opportunity to take part.’
Tabitha Dudley
Winner of the Week 2 New Designer of the Year Award
‘I graduated with a degree in Graphic Communication Design in July 2023. In the same month, I exhibited my design portfolio at New Designers. It was the first design show I had participated in, and I am so glad I did. I won the Designer of the Year Award for my 220-page self-help art book, Frisson. The book was made with the objective of connecting with 18-24 year-olds, whom often forget to appreciate their bodies and utilise their senses for good.
The award was a confidence booster and confirmed I had found my true vocation. I am grateful to New Designers for having this annual event. It also generated immediate interest in myself and my work, with the benefit that I was introduced to a wide range of designers and agencies. The award is highly respected by my current employer, a small agency in London. I started to work on projects involving branding, editorial, print and website design. Exciting projects are in the works and I enjoy art directing. Examples of what I have produced and other items can be found at tabithadudley.com.’
Anna Hardie
Winner of the Kenwood Appliances Award
‘Following New Designers, I visited Seán and the team at Kenwood where I was given an overview of each discipline involved in their design process. This trip gave me extremely valuable insight into the inner workings of an in-house design operation.
Since August, I have been working as a Graduate Product Designer at i4 Product Design in Edinburgh. Working in a consultancy has allowed me to be involved in a range of client projects across different industries and gain knowledge from my senior colleagues. Through this hands-on experience and mentorship, I have been able to further my skills and continue my passion for creating impactful and user-centric designs.’
Visit the link below to look back on the New Designers 2023 Awards Programme, and sign up to our mailing list to be the first to hear when ND24 Awards are announced!
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