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NTU Product Design students celebrate success at New Designers 2022

BSc (Hons) Product Design student, Charlotte Bradford and BA (Hons) Furniture and Product Design student, Jacob Riley picked up top prizes at this year’s New Designers Awards.

    Charlotte Bradford and Jacob Riley stand with their award wins at New Designers 2022
    Charlotte Bradford and Jacob Riley with their awards (Image Credit: Julian Hughes)

    Each year, the prestigious New Designers showcases the best new talent in the design industry and this year two talented NTU students came away with top prizes.

    Charlotte Bradford, BSc (Hons) Product Design, was awarded the Creative Conscience Ethical Designers’ Award for her creative work, Nautical Green.

    The design was lauded by judges as being engaging and passionate; a hope-filled response to improve society for the better. A key factor in their decision was the project’s focus on sustainability, upcycling and repurposing of materials.

    Charlotte Bradford's Work Nautical Green
    Nautical Green by Charlotte Bradford

    Reflecting on her win, Charlotte said: “I was very surprised to receive the award, I didn’t expect to win and was just pleased to be here. Coming away with the award is an incredible experience and I’m so happy.”

    As part of her award prize, Charlotte will receive access to the New Designers’ Creative Impact Programme (CIP), worth £1,000. She will also receive eight weeks of online training from design industry experts and live mentorship support.

    Jacob Riley, BA (Hons) Furniture Design and Product Design, scooped the John Lewis & Partners Design and Innovation Award for his creative work, Café Collection.

    The judges were impressed by the project’s design principles and sustainability ambitions, which deals with Ash Dieback – a highly destructive disease that slowly makes trees become brittle and break apart. They particularly loved Jacob’s addition of carbon stamping, which raises awareness to the customer about carbon footprint.

    As part of his award package Jacob received £1,000 and the opportunity to spend a day with the John Lewis & Partners Design Team to further enhance his career development.

    Jacob Riley' work Cafe Collection
    Café Collection by Jacob Riley

    Rebecca Gamble, Principal Lecturer in Product Design, who accompanied the students on the day said: “New Designers is an opportunity for us to bring our design graduates to exhibit their final year work. We’re delighted that we have won two of the prestigious awards at the main awards ceremony”.

    Jana Spence, BA Furniture and Product Design, who also exhibited her work, reflected on having the opportunity to exhibit her work:

    “It’s been really refreshing to get all the feedback and hear what people think about my work. The best thing is that everybody comes to look at your unit and they’re really excited to talk about it, so I’m loving having eager ears that want to hear what I have to say”.

    See a selection of highlights from the event on Instagram.

    New Designers - Product and Furniture Design Show
    Published on 21 July 2022
    • Subject area: Architecture and civil engineering
    • Category: Current students; School of Architecture, Design and the Built Environment