AVA CAD/CAM Spotlighting Future Talent ─ Why New Designers Matters
In 1995 a young designer stood nervously beside her final-year work at New Designers, surrounded by the buzz of ambition, anxiety and promise.
That graduate was Debbie Buchan – now Director of HR and Culture at AVA CAD/CAM. She remembers it all: the excitement, anticipation, the quiet hope that someone might stop, take notice and open a door. Debbies career spans nearly three decades in the design and textiles industry, but at heart, she’s still that graduate.
It’s this connection and lived understanding that originally inspired her to bring AVA to New Designers – and continues to do so every year.
More Than Just An Award
The ‘Top 10 to Watch’ initiative was launched because AVAs Education team could see something too often missed: talented graduates struggling to be seen.
“We’re in a unique position. We sit between Education and Industry, and we know we can help. We are the eyes and ears of our customers, and a loudspeaker for graduates who deserve recognition”.
The award is designed to highlight exceptional emerging designers – just based on flawless portfolios, but on potential, originality, sensitivity to colour and form, and personality.
These are designers who show something special, whether it’s in their thinking, execution or simply how they engage with the world. “We’re looking for that spark – sometimes it’s technical excellence, sometimes it’s brave thinking”.
Bridging the Gap Between Education and Industry
The creative industries often speak of a “pipeline” between education and employment, but for many graduates, that pipeline feels more like a chasm.
The early years are where most creative careers falter—not due to lack of talent, but from lack of access.
AVA’s presence at New Designers is designed to soften that fall and open up possibility.
“Support in the early years can be life-changing. We want graduates to leave New Designers not just inspired, but equipped—with tools, contacts, confidence, and visibility.”
Award recipients receive hands-on training in industry-standard software, access to AVA’s experienced team, portfolio support, and a three-month loan of the software to keep building. Their CVs are shared with AVA’s global network of customers, and they’re offered promotion and visibility that lasts well beyond the summer.
Why New Designers Matters
At a time when creative education is under increasing pressure—from funding cuts to rising costs—New Designers remains one of the last major opportunities for design graduates to present their work to industry at scale. It’s where students, tutors, companies, and future collaborators all occupy the same room.
“Creative industries depend on new people joining. Without fresh thinking, we stall. New Designers is a celebration of that newness.”
For AVA (and other industry visitors), attending isn’t a commercial opportunity.
It’s a responsibility—to spot and support new voices, to stay connected to the beating heart of design education, and to play a small part in ensuring those voices reach industry.
To the Graduates: Why You Should Come Say Hello
Every year, dozens of conversations with us turn into something more. A learning opportunity. A portfolio review. A job. A confidence boost.
“Many of us at AVA have been where you are. We know what it’s like to hope someone will take notice. We’re approachable. We want to help. And sometimes, a short conversation at a trade show can change everything.”
It’s Not Just a Show
AVA’s continued presence at New Designers is not about marketing software.
It’s about shaping a future for design that’s more accessible, more supported, and more connected. It’s about recognising that creativity doesn’t thrive in isolation—it needs attention, opportunity, and belief.
And through people like Debbie—who once stood behind a display board at New Designers, hoping to be seen—it’s also about giving back.
“It’s not always about money. Sometimes, showing up and listening is enough. And if everyone did a little bit more, we’d all be in a better place.”
About AVA Software
AVA have been creating software to facilitate the design and production of decorative print for use on Apple® Macs® for almost as long as they have been around.
Our focus on a relatively narrow area of the total ‘print’ market has enabled us to develop highly specialised software based on continuous feedback from partner customers, with whom we have now been working for several decades, in a process of continuous review and improvement.
AVA today is structured in two (overlapping) groups.
One group focuses on the particular needs and challenges of printing onto textiles (Fashion, Home Furnishing), while the other specialises in the challenges of decorative printing onto other ‘Surfaces’ (Flooring, Wallcoverings, Ceramics).
