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28th January 2021
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British Ceramic Tile expands its internal design with creative new talent
British Ceramic Tile has expanded its internal design team with creative new talent, recruiting Becca Keenan and Gemma Lofthouse. These new appointments see British Ceramic Tile add further strength and depth to its passionate, well-established design team, developing the next generation of young surface pattern designers.
Originally from Stoke on Trent, Becca (pictured left) joins British Ceramic Tile fresh from her Masters Degree in Ceramic Tableware while Gemma (pictured right) has returned from 18 months in the States where she was part of the Anthropologie home textiles design team.
With authentic, market-leading design at the heart of the business, these two new recruits are instrumental to the future growth of the company as it continues on its mission to create beautiful, well made products, designed and manufactured here in the UK.
The team, which is now six strong, also includes studio manager Sam Steele who drives through the process from start to finish, as well as designer Luka Webb who joined the business last year from Liberty, and the longest serving member of the team, design and marketing assistant Kirsty England.
Head of design and product, Claire O'Brien, says: "Our design team has changed enormously over the years. We now have a team with a range of experience and creative ability. What makes this team so effective is their understanding of the technical side and their close working relationship with product, marketing, manufacturing and sales.
"We have a vast amount of experience in our market and know our customer base well, which allows us to create the right tile for the right job. Instinctively, an internal designer team knows how to design for the business, which is a skill our new recruits will quickly develop. Designers all need to appreciate what the limitations and possibilities are with tiles from a design and manufacturing context."
Both Becca and Gemma will be responsible for constantly looking at the latest trends and styles influencing the fashion and interiors world, visiting key design shows for inspiration and will also help to support younger designers by running the company's student design competitions with local universities. They will also be quickly immersed in the development of new designer ranges working alongside Claire on brands such as Laura Ashley and Studio Conran, as well as developing their own tile collection.
Claire adds: "At British Ceramic Tile we have a original design approach; a holistic strategy to develop ranges and collections, not just one off designs. We often take a key trend and give it the BCT treatment by expanding the possibilities such as extending the colour palette, adding matt and gloss finishes, or experimenting with tactile structures to make each tile truly our own. British design and manufacturing at its best."
14th September 2018