Celebrating Emerging Talent at New Designers

Published 9th July 2025

We had the pleasure of visiting New Designers Week Two today at the Business Design Centre in Islington, a landmark event in the UK’s design calendar that never fails to impress. This year was no exception. From clever, sustainable furniture to expressive animation and inventive digital arts. There was a strong focus on sustainability and circular design.

As you weave through the curated stands of over 2,500 graduates, what strikes you most is not just the sheer breadth of disciplines, from Furniture Design to Game Design, but the confidence with which these young designers articulate their ideas. They’re not just showing work; they’re often making statements about the kind of world they want to build.

Furniture and Product Design

The furniture and product design areas offered a great selection of designs rooted in sustainability, elegance, and function. Graduates embraced natural materials, circular design principles, and user-centred thinking, all with a sense of play and purpose. We saw modular seating solutions inspired by nomadic living, tables crafted from industrial waste, and storage systems that adapt with your lifestyle.

Industrial and Spatial Design

Spatial designers reimagined how we move through the world. From pop-up spaces that nurture wellbeing to public installations that respond to human interaction, this year's projects had a strong social heartbeat. Many offered solutions to current urban challenges that were smart, scalable, and refreshingly optimistic.

Graphic Design

In the graphic design section, there was a range of bold designs and edgy campaigns, the work was rooted in culture, identity, and social relevance. Typography was experimental, while branding projects were polished and ready for real-world briefs.

Illustration, Animation & Motion Arts: Stories That Stick

The illustrators and animators displayed work that was humorous, and sometimes delightfully strange. Many drew on personal or cultural narratives, exploring themes of belonging, neurodiversity, or climate anxiety.

Motion and digital arts graduates, meanwhile, blurred the lines between the physical and virtual. Interactive installations, augmented reality storytelling, and immersive visual experiences created a sensory landscape.

Game Design

The game design section was buzzing with imaginative, often experimental projects. I met several graduates who had built entire games solo, from concept to code, often tackling topics like grief, memory, or mental health. It’s a space where storytelling and gameplay mechanics merge in fascinating ways.

Final Impressions

New Designers is a fantastic snapshot of Britain’s creative future. What’s clear is that this generation of graduates are asking serious questions, designing responsibly, and refusing to separate creativity from conscience.

You can still attend the exhibition which is open until Friday. Get tickets.