the judging process

The Colour in Design Awards judges are all leading experts who are recognised for their colour expertise, craftsmanship, industry knowledge and laser beam precision for spotting new talent.

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They are not easily impressed either and so being recognised as a winner or ‘one to watch’ is a huge boost to the confidence and success of whoever gets through the grilling.

the CRITERIA

The recipient must:

meet the judges

Many of the judges are past alumni of New Designers.

All of them have been through every challenge any young designer will face in the development of their careers and to prove how important it is to support a new generation of creative talent they have donated their precious time, expertise, energy and enthusiasm for free.      

Clarissa Hulse

TEXTILE DESIGN

Clarissa Hulse is one of Britain’s leading textile designers who has evolved her brand to be one of the most successful in the UK with a thriving global market that continues to grow. Clarissa was born in Prague and lived in many countries while she was growing up including Spain, Italy, Greece and Thailand. She believes that these early experiences of different cultures and landscapes as the driving force behind her love of vivid colour and natural design which is the hallmark of her collections. 

Kit Miles 

TEXTILE & WALLPAPER DESIGN

Founder of Kit Miles Studio and multi award winning designer of Luxury fabrics, wallpapers and interior accessories. Extraordinary use of colour is at the heart of his practice and he continues to create hugely successful collections for markets all over the world.  Kit is an Ulumni of New Designers and past winner of 1 Year In.

JIM biddulph

EDITOR, MATERIAL LAB

Daniel Heath

FOUNDER, DANIEL HEATH STUDIOS

Daniel Heath is a British award winning independent wallpaper, textile and furniture designer renowned for his illustrative engaging designs and superb craftsmanship. He is also a proud brother of the Artworkers’ Guild of London.  An experienced academic  he has lectured Textiles at Loughborough, Manchester, Bournemouth, Staffordshire, Bucks New University and Central St Martins and also provides mentoring for young designers through the Crafts Council Hot House scheme. 

chris Vernall

DIRECTOR, V2 STUDIOS & VITAMIN LIVING

Chris co-founded furniture and lighting brand Vitamin and award-winning design consultancy V2 Studios with his brother Andy. With a career spanning 25 years Chris has excelled in a diverse portfolio of fields including interior design, product, automotive, furniture and lighting, strategy, technology, marketing and toys.

No matter which hat I’m wearing, colour is always a part of my work. Whether it’s selecting and arranging samples in the studio at Material Lab or whilst organising an exhibition, putting an interior scheme together or talking to students I teach about their collections, colour is a constant theme. I think it’s really important that we all explore and really question colour, everything we come into contact with has its own shade and colour can affect us in some really profound ways.

katrina burroughs

INTERIORS EDITOR OF THE SUNDAY TIMES HOME

Katrina is passionate about good design and has an uncanny knack for spotting the next big thing we all think is going to be the coolest object of design desire.

Emily Simpson

DULUX COLOUR &

DESIGN MANAGER

Marcroy Smith

PEOPLE OF PRINT

Marcroy Smith is the founder of People of Print which began in 2008 as a highly successful online directory illustrators, designers and printers with the purpose of educating and inspiring a creative community.  In 2013 he launched People of Print Ltd and unique creative community of art directors, project managers, graphic designers, illustrators and printmakers across the globe who help to deliver and execute innovative campaigns, foster media partnerships and stage events.

Andy Vernall

CO-FOUNDER, VITAMIN LIVING & V2 STUDIOS

Andy co-founded furniture and lighting brand Vitamin and award-winning design consultancy V2 Studios with his brother Chris. With a career spanning 25 years Chris has excelled in a diverse portfolio of fields including interior design, product, automotive, furniture and lighting, strategy, technology, marketing and toys.

Ted Szuman

HEAD OF INNOVATION, AKZONOBEL

Ted's remit is to ensure that the business has an understanding long-term trends and technology developments and is equipped to adapt and react. He previously worked in as a strategy and innovation consultant for several multi-national clients and has a diverse range of experience from breakfast cereals, banking, telecoms and healthcare.

Sebastian Conran

CEO OF CONSEQUENTIAL ROBOTICS & SEBASTIAN CONRAN ASSOCIATES

Sebastian takes a hands-on, down-to-earth approach to all his design projects, and is intimately involved in all aspects throughout the innovation journey, sharing his wealth experience and manufacturing expertise with the design team.

Laura Perryman

FOUNDER, COLOUR OF SAYING

Laura Perryman is the founder of ‘Colour of Saying’ global colour and materials trend forecasting studio. Laura combines a keen eye for detail and a laser beam focus for spotting new talent.  Her extensive knowledge of new materials and developments in colour for worldwide markets make her a perfect judge for the awards and she is a New Designers Alumni.

Corrinne julius

JOURNALIST, BROADCASTER & CURATOR

Corinne Julius has been one of the best champions of new design talent in the industry. A judge of many applied arts and design awards she is also a mentor on the Crafts Council mentoring programme and has been a member of numerous Crafts Council committees.