New Designers is an annual showcase of graduate work and a key event in the Summer calendar, where I spend a huge amount of time scouting for new talent, being inspired, and talking to graduates about their work, as well as their plans and aspirations after leaving the confines of university life behind. A mix of fashion and textiles, illustration, product, furniture and jewellery design, the exhibition spans two long weekends and attracts an array of visitors from school children and the general public, to established designers and buyers from some of the country’s leading retailers. You can see editor Katie Treggiden’s top picks here.
The standard of work increases every year, with university stands starting to look more like retail concessions than degree show spaces, and cleverly presented work providing a more commercial outlook. One stand that this was definitely true of was Northumbria’s Product and Furniture Design course. And unsurprisingly featured not one, not two, but three new designers that caught my eye – the first of whom is George Riding.
Having spent two years studying a BSc in Product Design and Engineering, George Riding took the decision to switch specialisms and take on the BA (Hons) in Three Dimensional Design: Product and Furniture instead. A huge leap, but one driven by the feeling that his creativity was being limited, leading him to take on a more design-led degree. George’s graduate collection comprises both product and furniture pieces, and key to their success is the thorough prototyping and experimentation stages that he went through to get to his final designs.
The prototyping stages for his brass Indoor Watering Can not only focused on aesthetics, but the action, balance and use of such a well-known object. His engineering knowledge and exploration into how the product is used combined with somewhat of a perfectionist streak, led to a sleek, handcrafted, minimal piece that performs just as well as a decorative item as it does as a practical product for the home. “This was achieved through the exploration of the different actions that define the user experience, including pouring, filling, holding and carrying,” says George.
His visceral approach also extends to his Wire Series Coffee Table. The minimal, monochrome table is made from a series of carefully considered wire bars, and its creation was an exploration into “the relationship between passive and active objects.” The pared-back aesthetic allows the user to interact with the table in a multitude of ways, adding a variety of grooved accessories from material surfaces to balanced objects that each sit perfectly balanced onto the wires. The subtleties in the detailing adds to the polished finish, with the use of marble, brass and timber bringing a touch of luxury to the wire table.
Inspired by Scandinavian influences and Japanese approaches, the emotional aspects of George’s design and thought process creates a combination of clean lines, harmonious materials and an experiential product without complexities or trickery. Sometimes the simplest idea can prove to be the most interesting and engaging, and with George’s philosophy, being able to evoke this kind of positive and interactive approach, will be key to his success as an up-and-coming designer.
George Riding is one of Look Like Love’s ‘One-to Watch’ designers, find out more about them and his work here.
