Your immersive snapshot into the nation’s emergent creative design talent will be coming to New Designers this summer, for two weeks from 27-30 June & 4-7 July.
Discover the new wave of never-before-seen designers, with a 3,000 strong line-up of newly graduating designers from the widest range of design disciplines to be gathered in one place. Alongside New Designers, the Business Design centre in Islington will play host to One Year In – a curated exhibition within New Designers unveiling artists and studios that have recently launched as a business, with original pieces to browse and buy.
Key themes emerging this year include an exploration on community, applied crafts and retelling traditional narratives. Read on for spotlights on new ideas and designs from Illustrators exhibiting this year.
Paula Caffrey – Exhibiting in One Year In
Paula Caffrey’s contemporary illustration catches the eye with tonal mark making featuring bold splashes of colour. Her artwork successfully transitions to be applied to publications, graphics, and web design when commissioned to do so. Often inspired by Post WW2 Polish Posters, Paula uses traditional media such as china marker, paint, ink and charcoal before digitally manipulating the illustrations. The illustrators work is a wonderful example of the current design trend of combining the old with the new – a design trend that we are excited to see emerge across many stands at this year’s New Designers exhibition.
Tom Abbiss Smith – Exhibiting in One Year In
Similarly to Paula, Tom Abbiss Smith combines both contemporary and traditional techniques such as digital collage, print making and painting, as seen in his work Papaya. Tom however focuses on colour and his illustrations are predominantly abstract. By boldly layering an exciting variation of colours and shapes, Tom ensures his illustrations can easily be transferred to textiles, fashion products and more.
Laura Hough – Exhibiting with University of Wolverhampton, BA (Hons) Graphic Design, Visual Communication and Illustration + MA Digital & Visual Communication
Ultimately inspired by Dylan Thomas’ ‘Under Milk Wood’, Laura Hough has carefully considered the characters and locations of the drama to create a delicately mindful series of hand-rendered imagery and digitally manipulated collages. By using a beautifully considered combination of colours, and layering her imagery with text, Laura reimagines elements of the story through her own eyes.
Carl Tai Thompson – Exhibiting with University of Portsmouth, BA (Hons) Illustration
Carl Tai Thompson shares the thrilling narrative of his alter ego Snake Eye’s through tapestry-style illustrative prints created, visually guiding the viewer through the exciting adventures of the character Snake Eyes’ whilst he stalks the streets of India. Carl illustrates this journey by mapping out a setting of Indian inspired motifs in a vibrant array of colours.
Ella Brown – Exhibiting with Manchester School of Art, BA (HONS) Illustration with Animation
Displaying an exciting combination of skilfully applied colour and pattern, Ella Brown’s illustrations, as seen in Guelaguetza in Oaxaca, are a wholesome representation of embroidery, weaving a carefully considered depiction of traditional design crafts into her work. The illustrator’s collection also provides a lens into the ceremonial and cultural clothing worn throughout various Mexican festivals, with the pictured illustration displaying a traditionally dressed female draped in an artisanal textile – thereby celebrating authentic Mexican clothes and culture.
Don’t miss out on meeting the above Illustrators, as well as many more exhibiting in New Designers this year! The AOI will also be present this year on Friday 7 July delivering a small version of our hugely popular Business Masterclass. Get your ticket now.