Themes from New Designers 2025

1. Project briefs

Graduation shows are a great way to tune into what the new generation of designers are thinking about. So when I attend, I’m at least as interested in the challenges students set themselves, as their solutions.

At New Designers, it was great to see so many briefs focused on worthy causes, addressing personal healthcare, the elderly, children, disabled people and others.

It struck me as a very different balance to industry, where so many products are targeted at privileged, affluent, young adults.

2. Digital detox

Perhaps it’s not surprising at a show featuring the work of physical product designers, but I didn’t see a whole lot of screens, nor overt ‘tech’.

Maybe more unexpected was the apparent lack of AI – neither used in the students’ process, nor featured in their products.

In fact, there were several products that consciously rejected ‘digital’ altogether, in search of more analogue, physical experiences.

Very refreshing and perhaps a signal of a growing wider trend.

3. Communication

A few students did a brilliant job of promoting themselves and their work on LinkedIn prior to the show.

As social media natives, they can be very good at this. They could teach a few design agency owners a lesson or two in marketing.

In the sea of people and work at the show, that up-front preparation really helped them stand out.

But it was noticeable how few students felt confident enough to start a conversation with someone looking at their work.

Chris Whyte at Kodu gave some great advice before the show:

Start by asking:

‘What brings you here?’

It opens the conversation by talking about the other person, instead of you.

It’s a very gentle and natural form of qualification, allowing you to:

a) Adjust what you say to them, depending on who they are and why they’re there.

b) Avoid spending half an hour trying to sell yourself to someone’s mum or dad!

Quite a few grads fell into the trap of selling their product, not themselves. More talk about process, what was learnt and future plans/goals would have helped their cause.

It was a reminder of how important it is to consider objectives and carefully plan conversations with prospects. Then keep them on topic to maximise the chance of reaching your desired outcome.

Clear visual and verbal communication

A great example of good communication was on the stand that limited the word count on boards. I won’t name them, if you were there you’ll probably recognise the university.

1-2 word title.

One sentence sub-heading.

Max 35 word body copy description.

Really easy to read and understand. Wonderful.

Although slightly disappointingly, I heard that the boards were put together by graphic design students.

To me, that made the stand feel a bit too regimented. But it did a great job of promoting the university. I guess that was the point.

Perhaps a good balance would be to provide word count guidance, plus a few templates to choose from (which the graphic designers could provide for inter-disciplinary collaboration).

Then let the 3D designers do it. Visual and verbal communication of ideas is a vital skill to learn too.

Communication – and other ‘Commercial skills’* – is an area where students and new grads need more support. If any course leaders, or line managers are reading, please get in touch, I can help.

* I heard about a student who was asked for their daily rate, and had no idea how to answer.

4. Design Truth

Well done to Brad Harper at Design Truth for supporting the students at universities who were unable, or unwilling to pay the entrance fee. The budgets I was hearing for universities to attend were eye-watering.

And huge congratulations to all the students on the stand. A stunning haul of awards – the all-star design equivalent of the Olympic ‘Individual Neutral Athletes’!

BTW – Taking the stand at the back of the hall was a masterstroke. Front and centre in all the obligatory photos from the top of the stairs – mine included.

5. Pressure

The overwhelming feeling I had at the show was the pressure that the new grads must be feeling.

Hundreds of designers, side-by-side, after an exhausting year. Searing hot competition (literally and figuratively!)

Only a handful won an award, or got a job opportunity at the show.

Please, please, please don’t worry if you weren’t one of them. Or if you’re one of the thousands of grads who didn’t exhibit. It doesn’t make you, nor your ideas any less valuable.

And don’t be afraid to take a well-earned break over the summer. If anything, the job market will be better in September, when employers return to work after their holidays.

Good luck to all you grads.

And anyone who can help with a (paid) internship, or even an entry level job, please do.

I built a 100-person international design consultancy, before selling it.

Now I work independently, providing:

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