Hasta La Ideas

Dezeen School Shows: corresponding with its annual summer show, we’ve summarised the final three of the seven School Shows published in 2024 by British design graduate showcase New Designers. They span a variety of disciplines within student design projects.

These three School Shows showcase a diverse range of student work that responds to varying modern challenges, including socio-political issues, healthcare proposals and themes of identity, as well as presenting an advanced exploration of materials and mediums.

The event showcased over 3,000 graduate students from 200 institutions across the UK, from 26 to 29 June and 3 to 6 July at the Business Design Centre in Islington, London.

Projects in the shows are by students enrolled on a vast selection of courses, presenting a range of work from contemporary product, furniture and interior designs to textiles, jewellery and ceramics pieces.

Schools and institutions that showcased work include Arts University Bournemouth, Edinburgh College of Art, University of Westminster, Glasgow School of Art and Kingston University.

New Designers’ fifth School Show of 2024 presented a range of projects from courses including interior design, ceramics and product and furniture design, utilising advanced methodologies including ebonising ash, glass printing and 3D printing.

Outcomes vary from chairs to clothing and jewellery to animation, including projects with a political commentary and others exploring concepts of memory and socialisation.

Polly Jennings’ Every Stool intends to promote social interactions in public spaces and encourage community, featuring a stackable and portable design crafted from welded mesh and steel rods. Jennings designed the piece whilst studying product and furniture design at Kingston University.

Whilst studying product design at Edinburgh College of Art, student Quentin Bachelot produced Tot•m, a tool for young adults with ADHD that intends to aid symptoms of stress and the inability to focus, with customisable materials and colours to ease fidgeting.

The next show featured projects from various disciplines, including design crafts, transport design and illustration, with ranging inspiration from landscape and natural forms to music and video games.

Students explored a series of materials such as clay, paper and glass, making use of practices including animation and graphic design.

Colourphilic was produced by Georgie Hollingworth whilst studying textile design at University of Southampton. The project explores biophilic design within the context of contemporary textiles, combining handloom and digital techniques to convey characteristics of nature, whilst taking inspiration from the Eden Project and cathedral architecture.

Charlotte Laithwaite’s project Blurring the Boundaries investigates the playful characteristics of light when interacting with glass, creating a glassware collection that take from in unconventional shapes to encourage such interaction, both when the glass is empty and full. Laithwaite produced the project whilst studying product design and craft at Manchester School of Art.

The seventh and final New Designers school show saw a selection of projects from courses including jewellery design, sustainable product design and design crafts, implementing techniques such as staining glass, CAD and showcasing a prominent material usage across projects.

Work in this show analysed themes of climate change and the post-covid world, spanning mediums including film and sculpture.

Whilst studying European design at Glasgow School of Art, Conor McArthur produced Kelpworks, a project informed by material research and exploration into using seaweed as an alternative to leather. The outcome takes form as a sheltered seating structure, composed of reclaimed wood and seaweed panelling, challenging the use of conventional materials through a sustainable lens.

Chantelle Folarin’s M.A.G.P.I.E presents further material exploration from the observation of humans’ natural affinity to be drawn to bright and reflective materials, with a woven collection of collected and discarded objects. Folarin produced the project whilst studying textile design at Birmingham City University.

New Designers took place from 26 to 29 June and 3 to 6 July at the Business Design Centre, 52 Upper Street, London, N1 0QH. See Dezeen Events Guide for a list of other architecture and design events taking place around the world.

Partnership content

These projects are presented in school shows from institutions that partner with Dezeen. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.

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