New Designers 08: Product and furniture design graduate Max Frommeld from Ravensbourne College of Design & Communication was presented with the BDC New Designer of the Year award at graduate show New Designers Part 2 in London on Wednesday.

Pictured above with one of his projects, Frommeld remarked "I can only say thank you. I really feel appreciative of all the interest in my work. I hope I can sustain the quality of the work I produce and ultimately I would like to work on my own designs in a studio environment."

Frommeld's Adapt shelves are made up of sliding slats which can extend to either side of the frame.

The storage can fit into awkward corners and be adapted to accommodate objects of different heights.

Optional hooks and book-ends can be added.

"Max showed a delightful and surprising level of invention" commented the judges. "His ideas were imaginative, his materials satisfyingly hi-tech, and his execution had real charm – a raw design performance."

The exhibition New Designers Part 2 continues until Sunday, 13 July.

The following information about the other 13 awards is from New Designers:

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New Designers Awards Part 2

New Designers is supported by a number of major companies and organisations which regard the exhibition as a source of fresh new design talent. These organisations sponsor awards which reward and acknowledged original thinking and innovation as well as creative excellence.

BDC New Designer of the Year Runner Up
– Part 2

Runner up: Frances Beale, Nottingham Trent University, BA Graphic Design

Judges citation: ‘Frances is a graphic designer with a broad range of well-executed work, with clever use of colour and inventive ideas. Frances clearly demonstrates that she is in control of the creative process from early concepts to final execution.’

Winner’s remarks: ‘Winning this award has given me a great confidence boost and has encouraged me to stay grounded with my plans. This award will hopefully broaden the opportunities available to me and I would like to thank everyone on my course. The last three years have been thoroughly enjoyable and I will always remember this experience.’

The New Designers One Year On Award – Part 1 and Part 2

The special award is presented by Design-Nation in honour of Peta Levi.
Prize: £500 and a year’s membership of www.newdesignersonline.co.uk and Design-Nation. The award is presented for originality in design and creativity; quality of making; a cohesive collection of work and commitment to its development.

Winner: David Irwin (graduated from Northumbria in 2007)

Judges citation: ‘Beautifully executed products with clear commercial awareness. David has listened to the market and he is active in shows and other promotional events.’

Winner’s remarks: ‘It is fantastic to be back at New Designers after a year of hard work and even better to have won an award acknowledging that.’

The New Designers Habitat Awards – Part 1 and Part 2
Prize: £500 Habitat voucher and 3 month work placement

Winner: Naoko Kanehira, Bucks New University, BA hons Contemporary Furniture & Related Product Design.

Judges citation: ‘We liked Naoko’s playful and original ideas, particularly a deceptive sofa concept that encourages relaxed abandon. She has a versatile and consistently strong body of work.’

Winner’s remarks: ‘I would like to thank everyone who has supported me and of course Habitat for giving me this award. It is great to have a work placement for 3 months and the award itself gives me a chance to stay for longer in England.’

"New Designers provides a great opportunity for young designers to showcase their work. At Habitat our passion for innovative design makes us absolutely committed to supporting emerging talent. Through New Designers we have discovered some of the key members of our design team, including Bethan Gray and James Harrison, who will be a part of the judging panel this year. It’s an inspiring and exciting event that we are proud to be supporting.” Theo Williams, Habitat Head of Design.

The New Designers Pentland Group Award – Part 1 and Part 2

Prize: 2 months internship to each of the two winners of Part 1 and Part 2 located at Pentland's international HQ in North London and working within the Graduate Design Team.

Winner: Phil Arthur, Nottingham Trent University,
BA Hons Graphic Design

Judges citation: ‘We were impressed by the multi-disciplined, creative and diverse nature of Phil’s work. He has a fantastic personality and a professional ability to execute an idea.’

Winner’s remarks: ‘The opportunity to work with Pentland will be a huge privilege. In addition, New Designers has been a huge stepping stone, taking me from university into the ‘real world’ of graphic design. Hopefully this award will bring me greater exposure which I would never have received without this show.’

"Pentland Group plc are delighted to be a sponsor of New Designers. As one of the largest employers of designers in the UK, this sponsorship further endorses Pentland's continual drive to seek out new design talent across leading design universities within the UK and beyond." Carrie Rubin, Director, Pentland Group plc

The New Designers British Sky Broadcasting Ltd
Green Award
Prize: An eco inspired award + 4 week work placement in Sky Creative.

Winner: Daniel Nixon, South East Essex College, BA Graphic Design.

Judges citation: ‘Daniel demonstrated breakthrough creativity with his innovative branded Light Pollution installation. His project showed excellent craftsmanship and a great understanding of an important environmental issue.’

Winner’s remarks: ‘I’m very excited to have won such a fantastic award. I’m very pleased that my work has inspired and engaged the audience. It makes all the late nights and hard work so worthwhile. I’m really looking forward to working at BSkyB. Thank you so much for this award.’

“Sky is delighted to once again be involved, as a key entertainment broadcaster, in this fantastic New Designers event. We are particularly excited to be sponsoring the Sky Green award - focusing on an outstanding young designer who has created the best ecological/green project at the event. We look forward to judging this award and presenting the winner with a unique prize.” Paul Butler

The New Designers VTech Award
Prize: Paid work placement including: 7000 HK dollars, month salary + flight and accommodation.

Winner: George Watson, Northumbria University, BA Design for Industry

Judges citation: ‘Well resolved project using understandable technology and a sympathetic interface.’

Winner’s remarks: ‘I am delighted to be the winner of the VTech Award. It is fantastic to be recognised for my project and for all the hard work of my final year. I would like to thank my course mates, staff and collaborators for inspiration and help.’

“VTech interviews at New Designers every year and finds the event incredibly useful. It's a one stop shop for the best in graduating talents from the UK. We look for designers who can work objectively to a tight brief. We want someone who has excellent design skills, from initial concept right through to production. In other words, people who don't just have the 'big ideas', but who can translate them into real products that consumers are likely to buy. Successful candidates usually demonstrate an extremely solid product design background together with the ability to think independently and creatively. They also need to show an extremely good understanding of form handling and detailing." David Waterman, Senior Design Manager, VTech Telecommunications Ltd.

The New Designers Gleeds Award
Prize: 1 months work experience, £1000.

Winner: Alexander Strakhov, University of Wales, Institute Cardiff

Judges citation: ‘An outstanding design fusing the needs of exhibition with spatial requirements to give an extraordinarily memorable experience. An ingenious and thoughtful, fully realised piece of work.’

Winner’s remarks: ‘I believe it s a wonderful opportunity for young designers/graduates to actually feel and understand that all that time, effort and sleepless nights is worth something. It is such an encouragement and emotional uplift.’

"Gleeds is delighted to be sponsoring New Designers at a time when the evolution of design talent has never been more significant. We are keen to celebrate and help recognise some of the finest graduate architects and designers across Europe, who will inevitably shape our landscape for years to come.” Richard Steer, Gleeds

The New Designers Hallmark Cards Plc Award
Prize: £1000 and work placement worth £1000 with fee or accommodation.

Winner: Jason Peacock, Brunel University, Multimedia Technology and Design

Judges citation: ‘Outstanding and professional multi media skills. Jason’s work represents a raw, illustrative talent using great typography and innovative design which makes a memorable and emotional statement.’

Winner’s remarks: ‘Having graduated with a First Class Degree, completed a year’s placement with a reputable company, I now feel ready for my next challenge. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Hallmark for selecting my work out of the hundreds of brilliant pieces of work the other universities have to offer.’

“We're delighted to have been closely involved and directly associated with New Designers for some 10 years. It has become our main source of graduate talent for recruitment, but also represents a source of inspiration and a benchmark of graduate design talent. We are a dynamic and ambitious company. As Hallmark Cards embarks on an increasingly wide range of innovation projects, we have diversified into a number of different product areas and consequently our creative skills sets have expanded into areas such as New Media, 3D and Animation. We regard New Designers as an important partner for the future.” Martin Powderly, Hallmark Cards Plc

The New Designers Swarovski Crystal Palace Award
Prize: £1000 worth of crystals, 2 years membership of newdesignersonline.co.uk.

Winner: Andrew Ross, Dundee University, Innovative Product Design

Judges citation: ‘Andrew’s work shows an innovative exploration of unexpected matter and a thorough investigation of applications.’

Winner’s remarks: ‘I’m impressed that Swarovski saw the potential of my project as mainstream material. It gives me hope for the future and I intend to put together a research proposal to take my work further, looking for partners and sponsors. I’d like to do something creative with the crystal from my award: perhaps commissioning a special piece.

“Swarovski is pleased to sponsor New Designers. This is the second year we have been associated with New Designers and regard it as an excellent way of spotting future talent and encouraging young designers into our industry.” Sarah Hammond, Marketing Director, Swarovski Crystal Palace

The New Designers 100% Design Award
Prize: 12m sq stand at 100% Futures (design talent zone at 100% Design).

Winner: James Plant, Bucks New University, BA hons Contemporary Furniture & Related Product Design.

Judges citation: ‘The variety of concepts and materials combined with simple ideas were pulled off in an interesting way. By taking an idea, and making it real, James showed he has a good concept of manufacturing potential’

Winner’s remarks: ‘I am extremely pleased to have won this prestigious award and I look forward to the opportunities and experiences that it will present. All of my hard work has paid off and I would like to say a big thank you to the tutors who have encouraged me along the journey so far.’

The New Designers Formica Award
Prize: £1000.

Winner: Rebecca Parfett, South Devon College, Fda Interior Design

Judges citation: ’Rebecca’s design creates strong impact with huge architectural planes of colour, both on internal and external surfaces.’

Winner’s remarks: ’Thanks to my tutors for encouraging me to succeed: I cannot wait to see what happens next.’

“Formica is the leading UK manufacturer in laminates and surface design. By supporting this exhibition we give opportunities for designers to unleash their creative commercial ideas.” Veronica Johansson, Business Development Manager, Specification, Formica.

The New Designers Best Stand Award
Prize: A Trophy, a framed certificate and two bottles of champagne.

Winner: Northumbria University BA Hons Interior Design stand.

Winner’s remarks: ‘It is an honour to win this award given the high quality of work on display within the New Designers exhibition. It is really satisfying to accept this on behalf of the programme and Northumbria University.’

Associate Prizes
A number of companies encourage design talent and enterprise with smaller associate prizes. Part 2’s Associate Prize from Design Collections was presented to Bob Moran on Thursday 10 July. His prize of work published in 2009 under a licence contract with Design Collections, and 24 months’ membership of newdesignersonline.co.uk, was award to Bob for his cartoon illustrations which the judges described as ‘The highest standard of illustration. His unique style is commercial and combines humour with excellent attention to detail and composition.’.

THE INDEPENDENT PANEL OF JUDGES for Part 2 are:
Professor Tim Molloy – Head of Creative Direction – Science Museum
Mr John Lyall – John Lyall Architects
Ms Deborah Dawton – Chief Executive – Design Business Association
Ms Annabel Freyberg – Homes Editor – Telegraph Magazine
Jacob Peres – Design Consultant