Experience the future of design at New Designers, the premier showcase of the UK's most innovative emerging talent spanning ceramics, fashion, textiles, furniture, product design, graphics and illustration, and more!

We caught up with Event Director, Sally Bent, to discuss what to expect from this year's event at London's Business Design Centre and why New Designers is such a vital stage of a creative's career.

Check out the full interview below.

New Designers is just a month away – how is preparation coming along?

Preparations for New Designers 2023 are going well. The 2023 graduate class are busy putting the finishing touches on the work they will be showcasing this summer. We’re starting to get images of some of the graduate projects and we’ve already been blown away by the calibre of work we’re seeing, everything from fashion design to exciting new tech products. We can’t wait to watch everything come together in person at the event.

The event showcases the best graduate designs from across the UK – how important is it to offer a platform at this stage in their career?

Offering a platform at this stage in their career is incredibly important for the graduate designers who share their work with us. Our goal is to provide them with a unique opportunity to showcase their talent to the industry at large. It serves as a launching pad for their careers, enabling them to establish valuable connections and potentially secure employment or collaboration opportunities. In the past we’ve seen students get asked on site to interview for jobs with major companies like Lego and Disney so we’re looking forward to hearing similar success stories this year.

Can you tell us a bit about how you curate the talks and workshops for the event?

The talks and workshops for New Designers are curated by a long-time collaborator of the show, Hannah Payne, who also curates the talks programme at London Art Fair. Hannah and her team identify industry experts, renowned designers, and thought leaders who can share valuable insights and inspire our attendees. We strive to cover a diverse range of topics and design disciplines to cater to the interests and needs of the audience.

This year we’re thrilled to present a live podcast recording with the Work in Design Podcast. Beker Studio Print Workshop will also be putting on a creative workshop on colour theory and texture. You can also expect a host of talks and panels by names like Tatty Devine jewellery, Ceramic Review, and Cockpit Arts to name a few.

We always want our talks and workshops to provide relevant and practical knowledge to enhance the attendees' understanding of the design industry as a whole and get them excited about emerging trends and ideas.

For anyone on the fence about heading to the event, what advice would you give to persuade them?

We would just encourage them by emphasising the numerous benefits they can gain from New Designers. There’s really so much to see and do at the event, from 3,000 hand-selected grads and their work, to the talks and workshops on offer, not to mention the other design enthusiasts they will meet and the new design trends they’ll be able to discover. For those looking to source new work directly from up and coming designers, ND Selects presents a cohort of new design businesses who will be selling unique design products at the event. New Designers is truly an event that can broaden horizons and fuel one's passion for design.

New Designers is aimed at everyone from professionals and buyers to talent spotters and schools – how do you squeeze so much in without losing focus?

New Designers manages to accommodate diverse audiences without losing focus by curating a truly dynamic, content-rich event. You’ll see from our talks programme that the onsite experience offers a range of content geared towards professionals just as much as the average design lover. We also collaborate with relevant and exciting partners and sponsors like Ceramic Review and Design Wanted who help us provide tailored experiences for our audiences. Our grads are briefed to answer questions and discuss their work with industry members, the general public, and school students interested in taking a design course after graduation. There really is something for everyone at New Designers, whether you’re an interior designer by trade or you just love seeing and learning about new design work, this is the event for you.

Tickets are on sale now.

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Header image: Pataya, Lily Cornell, BA (Hons) Fashion & Textiles, University Centre Colchester, (@lily.cornell_textiles)
Featured image: Louise Bassou, Asymptote October 2022. ND Selects 2023.