Dezeen School Shows: to coincide with the start of its annual summer exhibition, we've compiled a roundup of student projects featured in British design graduate showcase New Designers' first four Dezeen School Shows of 2024.
New Designers is set to publish a total of seven School Show posts on Dezeen in 2024, all of which present a range of projects that explore an array of creative mediums and topical themes.
Its initial four posts touch on prevalent issues and ideas, including self-expression and sustainability.
200 institutions from across the UK are presenting the work of more than 3,000 individual students at the 2024 edition of the event, which is held at the Business Design Centre in Islington, London from 26 to 29 June and 3 to 6 July.
Among the participating schools and universities are Falmouth University, the University of Brighton, London South Bank University and the University of Westminster.
New Designers' first show published in 2024 includes fashion and textiles projects that comment on diverse and pressing subjects, from the privatisation of common land to the environmental impact of running shoes, which are increasingly seen as disposable commodities.
Garments, jewellery, sculptures, products and textiles are included in the article, created by students studying degrees in fashion, embroidery, craft, product and textile design.
During her fashion and textile degree at De Montfort University, student Emily Brown created Our forbidden land/Our restricted wild, a garment with sculptural elements that comments upon the restrictions placed on natural landscapes according to UK laws.
Also included in the post was Lewis Broughton, who studied product design and design engineering at Bournemouth University, and his project ModuRun, a concept for a modular running shoe that has parts that can be swapped out and replaced piece by piece, to either adapt to different terrains or to repair the shoe.
New Designers' second show detailed design projects from a range of disciplines that tackle complex issues surrounding homesickness, mental health issues and sustainability.
Materials used by the students range from conventional solutions such as wood and metal to more unusual sources, including grout and ground-up egg shells.
Isabel Hillier sought to create an alternative to popular bicycle seats in her project entitled Bioselle, which presents a bike saddle made from mycelium and aluminium rather than petrochemicals. She developed the concept while studying sustainable product design at Falmouth University.
Another project featured in the post is Dependence, a conceptual stool created by product design and craft student Joseph Norman while studying at Manchester School of Art, which is comprised of a metal seat slung between four uprights, that causes the sitter to reevaluate users' relationships with furniture.
Next came a show listing more design projects, covering illustration, silversmithing, graphic design, animation, engineering and interior design.
The resulting artefacts include furniture, garments and jewellery and products that present solutions to and commentary on a plethora of varied topics.
Medieval warfare and folklore were the reference points that student Maeve Grace Taylor focused on when developing her project – entitled Medieval Knights and the Beasts They Fear – which manifested as knitwear pieces that mimic armour and chainmail. She went to the University of Brighton, where she studied textiles and business studies.
Also included in this show is a project named Myco - G, which proposes packaging made from mycelium that provides an alternative to environmentally detrimental packaging, which was designed by Eugenia Maria Rossi during her time studying product design at London South Bank University.
New Designers' fourth post of 2024 showcased yet more inventive projects representing a spectrum of disciplines, from illustration and animation to graphic communication and interior design.
Included in the post is an interior design scheme for a children's hospital, a campaign that allows urban dwellers to get closer to nature and earrings that resemble a type of bird.
An untitled project by Matilda Angel Williamson, who studied illustration at Nottingham Trent University, encourages viewers to interact with the piece by stretching it and distorting the facial features in order to instil their own narrative into the piece.
Ilinca Anastasiu took Chase Atlantic's album 'Beauty in Death' and turned six of its songs into a series of visual pieces. The project was completed as part of Ilinca's graphic communication design studies at the University of Westminster.
New Designers takes place from 26 to 29 June and 3 to 6 July at the Business Design Centre, 52 Upper Street, London, N1 0QH. See Dezeen Events Guide for a list of other architecture and design events taking place around the world.
Partnership content
These projects are presented in school shows from institutions that partner with Dezeen. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.