DESIGN SPOTLIGHT: Emerging talent from New Designers 2025 graduates with bold ideas, fresh thinking, and technical flair
As long-time supporters of this vibrant graduate showcase, we love discovering bold ideas, fresh thinking, and technical flair from final-year design students across the UK.
Through our educational partnerships, training support, and annual training award, we aim to celebrate graduate designers and help bridge the gap between university and industry.
If you’d like to contact any of the designers, you can find their details in their interviews below. We can’t wait to see where their creativity takes them next – and we wish them all the very best for the future.
Every year, we leave New Designers buzzing with inspiration from the next generation of surface pattern designers – and 2025 was no exception.
As long-time supporters of this vibrant graduate showcase, we love discovering bold ideas, fresh thinking, and technical flair from final-year design students across the UK.
This year, the AVA team returned to the Business Design Centre ready to be wowed – and the graduates didn’t disappoint. After countless laps around the hall (and even more photos), we’re proud to reveal our Top 10 to Watch from New Designers 2025, whose work really stood out to us for its creativity, originality, and industry-ready finish.
We’re also thrilled to announce the winner of our AVA Training Award, who will receive a free CAD Specialist Training (CST) course with us at AVA to help support their next steps into industry.
2025 AVA Training Award Winner
Rebecca Tombs – Birmingham City University
Tucked away in the corner of the Birmingham booth, Rebecca’s immersive interior designs stopped us in our tracks – not just for the visual impact, but also for her immaculate and incredibly detailed portfolio. It was clear from chatting with Rebecca that she already has a strong grasp of industry workflows and a real passion for developing her skills further.
We can’t wait to welcome Rebecca onto our CAD Specialist Training (CST) course and support her next steps into the industry.
“I would say my experiences spark inspiration for the projects I work on. Ultimately, I want my designs to bring a sense of beauty to everyday life and leave a lasting impression. As the design industry is constantly evolving, I am excited to discover new directions within print, further strengthen my creative identity, and expand my skill set.” Read more
The graduates noted below all stood out for their creativity, ambition, and beautifully presented portfolios. We caught up with each of them to hear more about their work, their inspirations, their processes, and their hopes for the future.
These graduates all stood out for their creativity, ambition, and beautifully presented portfolios. We caught up with each of them to hear more about their work, their inspirations, their processes, and their hopes for the future…
If you’d like to contact any of the designers, you can find their details in their interviews below:
Emily Stewart – Glasgow School of Art
Our ‘wild card’ who we just couldn’t ignore! We don’t usually pick weave students for our Top 10, as we tend to focus on surface pattern and print – but the beauty of Emily’s work was impossible to walk past and not celebrate.
“I hope my work encourages people to pause and reconsider the way they perceive everyday subjects. I want to open up new ways of seeing, inviting viewers to explore layered perspectives and abstract interpretations of familiar forms.” Read more
Laura Maycroft – Leeds Arts University
A literal showstopper! Laura’s work caught our eye from across the hall at the Leeds Arts Uni booth. Her clever use of colour drew us in, and on closer look we were just as impressed by the precision and repeat structure behind her designs. A distinctive and confident style that stood out amongst the crowd.
“Much of my work is concerned with interesting places and untold stories. I am very interested in the way interior spaces influence the way people feel and interact.” Read more
Lauren Miller – Heriot-Watt University
Lauren’s delicately painted florals offer a calm, balanced aesthetic that feels perfectly suited to interiors. By merging hand-drawn artwork with seamless repeats in AVA, she showed real initiative, industry-ready skills, and a clear creative voice. We were especially impressed that she reached out ahead of the show to invite us to see her work.
“My final project combined different methods – I used AVA as a tool to put my paintings into repeat designs, which I then printed on paper to trace over the repeat, creating more painterly style designs. My wallpapers are a mixture between screen printing and hand painted.” Read more
Natalia Firsova – Leeds Arts University
Natalia’s work has a timeless, high-end feel, perfectly suited to the luxury interiors market, yet still feels personal and full of heart. We were especially struck by the way she balances traditional craft with a fresh design sensibility, producing pieces that are both commercially viable and quietly poetic.
“I put my curiosity glasses on and look. I notice the smallest details of the nature around me, be it a flower petal or a bee working hard. When I paint, I like to listen to nature sounds to remind myself of all the details I noticed during my morning coffee break.” Read more
Natalie Bulloch – Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design
Natalie’s bold, structured textiles honour the mill women of Dundee, balancing industrial motifs with human stories. Her ability to blend sculptural surfaces, layered textures and emotive narrative gives her work depth, versatility, and huge potential for the future – and her infectious energy made her a joy to meet.
“I have always envisioned my designs for home textiles, however, I do look for my designs to be adaptable for both interior and fashion. It would be great to be able to work for a company that I could adapt my design skills to suit for both.” Read more
Olivia Mattravers – Bath Spa University
Olivia brings the elegance of Art Nouveau and Art Deco into the present with joyful colour and refined detail. Her work blends heritage-inspired opulence with a contemporary sensibility – a commercially exciting balance that caught our eye instantly.
“When people see my work, I want them to feel like they’ve been transported into another time, back through nostalgia to the glamour of the Art Nouveau and Art Deco eras.” Read more
Robyn Tilsley – De Montfort University
Positioned near the entrance, Robyn’s beautiful work was one of the first things we saw – and it stayed with us. Her heritage-inspired florals combine British craft traditions with a modern edge. Her colour palette, refined drawing, and cohesive collection showed a level of design maturity that will translate beautifully into interior textiles.
“I have experimented with heavy weight upholstery fabrics as well as wallpapers and lighter weight fabrics in this project and can see my designs working across a range of interior textile products.” Read more
Sian Barratt – Leeds Arts University
Sian’s bold shapes and vibrant colourways radiate energy and joy, catching our eye from the very first glance. Her work bursts with optimism, tactile experimentation, and a refined finish – perfect for transforming interiors into uplifting, human-centred spaces.
“Through bold colours and uplifting patterns, I aim to introduce a sense of positivity and playfulness back into the world around us. I am inspired by the dynamic clashes of colour and pattern found in our everyday surroundings.” Read more
Arabella Spraggs – University of Edinburgh
Arabella’s dreamy, ethereal aesthetic is paired with strong CAD skills, resulting in prints that feel both otherworldly and commercial – a rare and exciting balance of creativity and technical ability.
(Unfortunately, we weren’t able to complete an interview with Arabella, but be sure to check out her profile!)
