New Designers Celebrates 40 Years of Nurturing UK Creative Talent
- New Designers marks a major milestone in 2025, celebrating 40 years of emerging creative talent with a special alumni group featuring established artists, designers and makers from across all four decades, including Benjamin Hubert, Hannah Martin, Margo Selby, Jo Barnard, Peter Ting and Ikuko Iwamoto.
- The 40th edition also launches a bold new creative campaign developed by London-based TM Studio, featuring a playful, balloon-inspired backdrop.
- The popular ND Selects returns, showcasing and selling over 20 emerging independent designers and makers across the two-week exhibition.
At the heart of this year’s celebrations is a star-studded lineup of alumni, some of the UK’s most exciting names in the creative industries, who began their industry journeys by exhibiting projects at New Designers as part of their university graduating cohort. The alumni gathered together at the Business Design Centre, the show’s home for the past 40 years, to reflect on their design career stories coming full circle. Many of these designers have revisited and participated in the event since originally exhibiting, and some will be returning to this year’s show to take part in a series of talks, podcasts and more.
Alumni featured include (alphabetically):
- Benjamin Hubert – Founder of LAYER (2006, Industrial Design and Technology at Loughborough University)
- Darren Appiagyei – Wood artist (2016, 3-D Design at Camberwell College of Arts)
- Elliot Brook – Co-founder of Deadgood (2003, Furniture Design at Northumbria University)
- Hannah Martin – Jewellery designer (2005, Jewellery at Central St Martins)
- Ikuko Iwamoto – Artist and ceramicist (2004, Ceramics at Camberwell College of Art; 2006, Ceramic and Glass at Royal College of Art)
- Jo Barnard – Industrial designer and founder of Morrama (2014, Product Design at Brunel University of London)
- Margo Selby – Textile artist and designer (1999, Woven Textiles at Chelsea College of Art)
- Peter Ting – Former ceramicist (1988, Ceramics at Cardiff University)
Benjamin Hubert says, “I had the great privilege of winning a New Designers award when I exhibited almost 20 years ago and the even greater privilege of opening the show more recently. Showing as a graduate at New Designers really kickstarted my career. These days my team at LAYER visits New Designers to look out for potential new talent to join our studio.”
Jo Barnard says, “When we come and visit the show now, it’s amazing to see the focus on sustainability and projects designed to meet the needs of underserved markets and audiences. We also come to find the next generation of talent.”
Elliot Brook says, “One of the first times we ever presented Deadgood to an audience was at ‘One Year On’ [now known as ‘ND Selects’] and it really acted as a springboard into the industry, giving us contacts, momentum and the motivation to pursue our ambitions. Creativity, collaboration and purpose was instilled in us as a company at New Designers and we have taken that through into the business to this day, helping other young creatives in their careers along the way. For me, New Designers stands for nurturing the next generation of creative thinkers.”
Margo Selby says, “New Designers was so exciting when you’re a graduate, because all of a sudden you’re meeting all these industry professionals, and you’ve got people interested in your work. I actually sold a design to Missoni, which was really wonderful. I think my fondest memory of New Designers, when I was exhibiting, was just the excitement and the buzz when the show opened.”
Ikuko Iwamoto says, “New Designers helped me with my career by giving me confidence, and even now it inspires me with my work in clay. I first exhibited through Camberwell College of Art, then again through the Royal College of Art, and then was delighted to be asked to come back again, a year into my career for the commercial area ‘One Year On’ [now known as ND Selects].”
"We're thrilled to welcome back some of our most celebrated alumni – each of whom has built an incredible career in their own right – to the Business Design Centre, where their journeys began. This year is particularly meaningful, and we’re so excited to have them return to mark this important milestone with us," says Sally Bent, Event Director of New Designers. "It’s amazing to see how far they've come and to know that, whether in a big or small way, New Designers helped play a part in their stories."
"Year after year, New Designers proves its vital role in the design community – not just in showcasing graduate work, but in creating opportunities for connection between new talent and industry professionals. Many collaborations, careers and partnerships have been born here."
Sally continues, "We’re confident that this year’s graduating cohort will continue the legacy, just as those before them have. Our show is more than just an exhibition – it’s a launchpad for future careers. Here's to the next 40 years!"
2025 dates and disciplines
This year, New Designers will once again bring together 2,500 design graduates from over 100 university courses across two weeks, covering the following disciplines:
- Week 1 (2 – 5 July 2025) : Fashion and Costume; Contemporary Design Crafts; Textiles; Ceramics; Glass; Jewellery and Metalwork
- Week 2 (9 – 12 July 2025): Furniture; Product Design; Industrial and Spatial Design; Graphic Design; Illustration and Animation; Motion and Digital Arts; Game Design
New Designers offers graduates a crucial platform to showcase the fruits of years of hard work and creativity, while giving industry professionals and visitors a glimpse into the future of design.
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