This summer New Designers 2018 brought together over 3,000 of the UK’s best emerging graduate designers selected from over 200 creative courses across the country. There to celebrate and champion the next generation of radical design thinking were some of the of the world’s most respected brands who came to New Designers looking to recruit upcoming design talent and inject fresh thinking into their businesses.
Over 60 awards and associates prizes were given out across both weeks of the show, comprising monetary prizes from £1,000 cash awards to a year’s paid placement with Sainsbury’s Home and Argos Home and a unique opportunity to visit LEGO design studios in Denmark.
Presented at the Wednesday Preview Evening, we talk to our Award winners from Week 1 about their experience at New Designers:
AILSA MORRANT, winner of the New Designers Hallmark Studio Award
“ND18 has closed the terrifying and daunting gap between graduation and starting a new career. I would have really struggled to get off the ground without all the opportunities that have come my way in ND18, like winning the Hallmark Award. The Hallmark staff I met at ND18 were all enthusiastic, lovely people so I am anticipating that the internship will be a very positive introduction to a company studio environment. The most exciting thing though is going to be where the experience leads me….
In the future, I want to continue to design and make work that enables the appreciation of everyday moments, both good ones and challenging ones too. My work is gently activist. I hope it helps promote reflection on what provides fulfillment and emotional resilience through materiality rather than materialism.”
CHARLOTTE MUNSON, winner of the New Designers Kingfisher Awards and Turner Bianca Associate Prize
“New Designers allows you to network and stage yourself to the industry. Having the opportunity to exhibit at New Designers was an honour with the experience and opportunities that came from the show have been exceptional: winning the New Designers Kingfisher Awards and Turner Bianca Associate Prize. From researching to creating mood boards and assisting on design collections I am thrilled to be joining the team at Kingfrisher and learning lots more about how the industry works. As well as having the opportunity to work amongst Thurner Bianca team who are always creating designs for the interiors industry will be a privilege. Building my knowledge and skills through their expertise will help to exceed my ability for future experiences. Having the experience to see how a design studio works will be really interesting to learn more about.”
LUCY BECKETT, winner of the New Designers Sainsbury’s Home & Argos Home Award
“Being able to discuss my work with designers was such an invaluable experience and has really helped me to become more confident when talking about my practice. To showcase my work at ND this year was a fantastic experience giving me the opportunity to make contacts with a wide range of companies from within the industry.
Being awarded the prize by Sainsbury’s and Argos was amazing and gaining the recognition from industry was such a great starting point for my creative career. I am really looking forward to the mentoring Sainsbury’s have offered me as I’m sure it will help me to develop as a designer and give me the ability to adapt to a range of commercial markets.”
EVE CAMPBELL, winner of the New Designers John Lewis Award & Johnson Tiles Associate Prize
“New Designers gave me the chance to make contact and talk to other new designers who’s work I found very inspiring. I hope to stay in contact with those I met at New Designers including companies like John Lewis and hope that new opportunities will open up. I have many exciting placements and projects planned over the next few months like exhibiting at Premier Vision and am looking forward to see where these might lead. In the future I would really like to get the opportunity to develop my own work and ideas and get the chance to sell them.”
RACHEL HARDIE, winner of the New Designers Goldsmiths’ Company Award for Silversmithing Award
“I had a great time at New Designers exhibiting with my classmates and other talented universities. Having so many makers under one roof was amazing: I was able to see work which I had only seen snapshots of online and to chat with the makers themselves. I am looking forward to work with Goldsmith and build upon my current skills and develop my work in a bigger scale. I’m also very excited to work in a professional silversmithing workshop down at the Goldsmiths’ Centre.”
TASHA WARREN, winner of the New Designers W’innovate & Wilko Award
“New Designers really was more than I could have ever anticipated. It’s such an intense week of meeting new people and gaining valuable experience, I can’t recommend it enough! There’s a great atmosphere and every person you talk to could be that important connection for your future career, you just never know! It was such a busy, fun, exciting and nerve wrecking few days and I’ve come away with more confidence and contacts to help me in my career. All the team that I met from W’Innovate & Wilko were so friendly and passionate and I just can’t wait to get to know them and learn more about the industry. I’m now working freelance for a company that I perhaps would never have been able to if I hadn’t met them at NewDesigners.”
REMY GODDARD, winner of the New Designers Joules Print Award
“New Designers was a really inspiring experience and an excellent platform to showcase my work. I won the New Designers Joules Print Award and also received commendations from Hallmark and John Lewis. Gaining recognition for my work and having the opportunity to chat to industry professionals was very exciting and encouraging. It was also very inspiring to see the amazing talent from other institutions exhibiting at the show.
What I am most excited for working with Joules is gaining an insight into the creative process that underpins their beautiful prints and to working on some designs for Joules to further my experience and development as a designer.”
MAJEDA CLARKE, winner of the New Designers One Year In Award
“My experience was beyond anything I expected. I have had lots of press interest and hopefully some new stockists. However, most of all, by winning the One Year In Development Award I have achieved support for the next year, membership to Design Nation (one of my targets) and wonderful support from the Design Trust.”