New Designers 2019 Top Picks

New Designers is unique event for up-and-coming design talent. It provides exhibitors an opportunity to connect with and showcase their products to those in design education, design professionals and other stakeholders in the design industry. New Designers champions the future of innovative design.

As we have done in previous years, Design Council visited the exhibition centre to discover new design talent.  This year we reviewed products designed to help improve people’s lives at home, in line with our Design Council Spark Home Innovation Challenge.

Our Chief Executive Sarah Weir OBE picked some four of her favourites.

4. Atticus Durnell (AD)

A project inspired by the ideology of sustainability and the amount of coffee-related waste. That’s Caffeine is a material made directly from used coffee grounds for AD’s furniture and homeware collection.

Sarah says: “A fantastic product that shows what can be achieved when designers combine sustainability and good design”

3. Studio Matt Canhan

hplus, is a collection of personal health monitoring devices. Designed for ease of use and simplicity in mind, the domestic aesthetic of each ceramic device challenges the stereotypical image of healthcare products.

Sarah says: “This collection shows what Design Council Spark The Home Innovation Challenge is all about, beautifully designed products that will help in the home.”

2. Michael Omotosho

A simple, yet effective solution to pulling out fiddly plugs from sockets and has been designed with arthritis suffers in mind to aid daily living.

Sarah says: “This is an excellent product for those with dexterity problems – an innovative design that will help at home.”

1. Design by Darragh

Darragh McKeogh's environmentally conscious ‘psychological’ light switch covers push users to think more about their electricity habits, providing a gentle nudge to reduce unnecessary energy waste. The light switch covers use a psychological cue – i.e. offset geometry - to remind uses of the light’s state, providing an external motivation to turn it off.

Sarah says: “One more innovative product that will help sustainability and cut energy waste, perfect for what is needed in today’s environmentally conscious world.”