Dezeen Magazine

Sleek car driving on road

New Designers spotlights 10 product and furniture designs

Dezeen School Shows: a wall-mounted storage system comprised of a frame containing pockets of tactile felt and a bottle that turns snow into drinking water are included in Dezeen's latest school show by New Designers.

Also included is a collection of living room furniture that symbolises the complexities of modern British culture, a wooden bench designed to combat loneliness and a round pillow made from vegan leather intended to alleviate pain in people with chronic illnesses.


New Designers

School: New Designers
Courses: BA (Hons) Product & Furniture Design, BA/BSc/MDes (Hons) Product Design, BA(Hons) Product Design, BDes (Hons) 3D design, BA (Hons) 3D Design Crafts, BA (Hons) 3D Design Crafts, BA (Hons) Product Design: Furniture, BA (Hons) Industrial Design, BA (Hons) Product Design Futures and BA (Hons) Industrial Design: Transport and Product Design.

Statement:

"New Designers is an annual showcase of the UK's most innovative emerging design talent. Since its inception 38 years ago, New Designers has provided a platform for over 3,000 graduates to present their visionary ideas to industry professionals and the public every year.

"The event takes place over two weeks, with different disciplines highlighted in each week, spanning fashion, textiles, furniture, product design, illustration, and more."

"Week one of the show takes place from 28 June to 1 July, week two takes place from 5 to 8 July at the Business Design Centre in London."


Hand placing keys in felt board

Sculpt by Emily Cross

"Sculpt uses felt as an alternative to typical shelves and bowls used as storage in the hallway. Inspired by gallery exhibitions, it uses the adaptable nature of the material to create an attractive and easy-to-use piece of furniture.

"This product has developed from the psychological concept that we habitually use several sensory cues that link to our memory via the subconscious.

"Sculpt uses this to encourage people to store their pocket items close to the door, providing the sensory cue to remember those items in passing."

Student: Emily Cross
School: Birmingham City University
Course: BA (Hons) Product & Furniture Design
Tutor: Natalie Cole


Black bottle on snowy mountainside

Tundra by Jake Leach-Perry

"Tundra is the world's first water bottle that can melt, store and filter snow. Typically, to get water whilst engaging in alpine activities, people must use a camping stove, a pan (these two can be integrated) and a water bottle – by combining these products, Tundra is a more compact and streamlined system.

"Current systems require users to boil snow which uses double the amount of fuel as just melting it. Therefore, to be more fuel efficient, Tundra has a built-in custom filter in that means the water does not need to be boiled.

"A key innovation is the lid sub-assembly. It contains the filter, whilst also acting as a scoop to collect snow, allowing the user to break through layers of ice and fill the bottle.

Student: Jake Leach-Perry
School: Bournemouth University
Course: BA/BSc/MDes (Hons) Product Design
Tutor: Abi Batley


Series of furniture and rug in interior in front of window

A British Family? by George Duggan

"At a time where concepts of modern Britishness are evolving rapidly, 'A British Family?' invites conversation about the importance of shared identity and whether 'Britishness' really exists beyond tea, sarcasm and royal occasions.

"Consisting of four items of furniture that each represent a different nation in the United Kingdom, and a hand tufted rug that interrogates the shared British identities holding them together, this living room suite explores the relationships between nations, and their connection to British identity.

"The user's adaptation of The British Family?" through moving the furniture around the rug, changes the power dynamic, and the relationships between the furniture reflect the changing relationships between countries of the UK.

Student: George Duggan
School: Edinburgh College of Art
Course: BA (Hons) Product Design


Colourful objects laid out on table

Play + Work = Plork by Tyrone Vera

"Tyrone Vera's work responds to the act of play through the use of architectural forms taken from primary photographs of buildings, that have been interpreted through a variety of materials such as rubber, Jesmonite and fabric.

"His investigations have led him to respond to the senses of sight, touch, smell and sound. Tyrone invites the audience to interact with the forms he has made by stacking and connecting using a variety of methods from magnets to velcro.

"The forms have been fabricated in a variety of materials to evoke different sensations when being held. The project is as much about the tactile nature of the work as it is of the sensory experience when engaging in play."

Student: Tyrone Vera
School: Arts University Plymouth
Course: BA (Hons) 3D Design Crafts


Wooden bench with angled seat

25-degree by Harvey Mckellar

"25-degree is a park bench service that uses its unique angles to encourage positive human interaction between strangers and aims to combat loneliness.

"When two strangers sit on a bench, they almost instinctively sit as far away from one another as possible.

"This design creates an environment where the further apart you sit, the more likely you are to interact, as users can see each other in their peripheral vision.

"Hopefully, my design can give someone suffering from loneliness the push to make a first interaction."

Student: Harvey Mckellar
School: Sheffield Hallam University
Course: BA (Hons) Product Design
Email: b8009777[at]exchange.shu.ac.uk


Child playing with blue bear-like creature

Mi Rai No Ko 未来の子 – Interactive Children's Toy by James Yeung

"Mi-No and Rai-Ko are your child's new friends for play and learning. Watch them grow together and explore the world around them.

"The perfect blend of digital and analogue play disrupts the addictive habits which form between children and tablets, consoles and smartphones."

Student: James Yeung
School: Staffordshire University
Course: BA (Hons) Industrial Design
Email: james.sigma.designer[at]gmail.com


Brown packaging with line drawings on

LUG Furniture Construction System by Lois Capel 

"LUG. is a furniture construction system aimed to help young renters on the move. The objective is to allow easy transportation of bulky furniture through a simple to use joint system.

"Some unique selling points are the ease of use, customisation and end of life recyclability. The system has been designed to be adaptable for changing living situations due to it's modular design, as well as the ability to easily replace parts extending the product life span.

"This also presents the opportunity for the user to update the colour of their furniture to match interior design trends and tastes."

Student: Lois Capel
School: University of Sussex
Course: BSc /BA Product Design


Pastel coloured products in wooden boxes

Portia – A Portable Menstrual Cup Cleaner by Amy Baker

"Portia is a portable menstrual cup cleaner designed to aid cleaning menstrual cups on the go – such as in public toilets – whilst only using warm water from the tap.

"In private bathrooms, users tend to walk over to the sink and rinse their menstrual cup under the tap for around 10 seconds only using their hands.

"However, from both secondary and primary research I have found that over 70 per cent of current menstrual cup users said they wouldn't feel comfortable cleaning their menstrual cup in a public toilet – this is due to the taboos surrounding periods, embarrassment and inconvenience.

"Portia provides a discreet solution where the user can empty, clean and reinsert their menstrual cup without leaving the toilet cubicle."

Student: Amy Baker
School: Bournemouth University
Course: BA/BSc/MDes (Hons) Product Design


Sleek car driving on road

Cypher Yasura Electric Hypercar by Anees Khan

"Pure, elegant and dynamic, the Cypher Yasura represents the pinnacle of automotive technology. Its sleek, aerodynamic body is made from ultra-lightweight materials, designed to maximise speed and performance.

"The car is powered by an advanced electric drivetrain, capable of delivering lightning-fast acceleration. This is the future of electric hypercars."

Student: Anees Khan
School: Staffordshire University
Course: BA(Hons) Industrial Design: Transport and Product Design
Email: aneeskhanrex[at]gmail.com


Hand and forearm with hand encased in fabric sphere

SYMBI by Weronika Turowska

"SYMBI is a pillow made from vegan leather that was created based on research about chronic pain – especially trigeminal neuralgia – aiming to reduce feelings of pain and fear in the user.

"The necessity of finding alternatives to currently available PVC and PU-based non-biodegradable vegan leathers has led to exploring the potential of utilising commonly perceived as waste bacterial cellulose film from kombucha drink and waste aquafaba.

"The inside of the ball is stuffed with kapok - an extremely soft alternative to a polyester filling.

"Our bodies are host to vast populations of microorganisms – based on the knowledge that we are the microbes we try to fight, the design challenges the perception of how we can collaborate with microorganisms to design a softer, more symbiotic world.

"Just as the calming ball can biodegrade, so is the hope that the chronic pain will find its cure too."

Student: Weronika Turowska
School: Grays School of Art RGU
Course: BDes (Hons) 3D design

Partnership content

This school show is a partnership between Dezeen and New Designers. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.