Audrey Lankford Barnes joins College of Design as Department Head of Graphic Design and Industrial Design

The College of Design at North Carolina State University is pleased to announce the appointment of Audrey Lankford Barnes as the new Department Head of Graphic Design and Industrial Design, effective August 1, 2024.

Barnes joins us from James Madison University (JMU), where she served as an associate professor and area head of industrial design in the School of Art, Design and Art History. At JMU, she founded the Bachelor of Science in Industrial Design degree, enabling students to pursue individualized academic and professional paths. Her collaborative efforts spanned numerous cross-disciplinary initiatives, including the JMU Drones Challenge – an interdisciplinary initiative to develop connected devices and drones for humanitarian and ecological purposes, the co-creation of endangered lemur tracking collars and The Applied Research Collaborative – a working group focusing on local sustainable placemaking and infrastructure projects. 

“We are delighted to have Audrey shepherd the Department of Graphic Design and Industrial Design,” said Dean Mark Elison Hoversten. “She brings a drive and passion to her work, and I look forward to working collaboratively with her to further elevate these outstanding programs.”

Barnes‘s interdisciplinary scholarship and creative practice investigates the role of industrial design and emerging technology around issues of sustainability and resilience. Her work addresses community, design justice and climate action. She focuses on underrepresented populations, children in nature and creating bespoke objects with both traditional and computer-aided design tools. She is currently working on an episodic documentary on the diversity deficit in industrial design with her company Such Nice People, LLC – a design agency that uses storytelling to advocate for change for a more just and inclusive world.

“I am foremost a people-person. I am a collaborator, a connector, an amplifier, and an actualizer. I am grateful and honored to return to NC State and lead the Department of Graphic Design and Industrial Design,” said Barnes. “I look forward to collaborating with faculty, students and the wider community to continue to push the boundaries of design education and practice. Together, we can design a more equitable, sustainable and innovative future.”

Barnes is also the principal of her own design consultancy specializing in leading-edge technologies, consumer products, system and service design, branding and design research. Her clients range from non-profits to Fortune 500 companies including Rubbermaid Commercial Products, Fluence – an AES and Siemens company, Timberland, AIGA and Husky Tools. Before JMU, Audrey held design roles at various manufacturing companies.

Audrey holds a Master of Industrial Design degree from the Rhode Island School of Design and a Bachelor of Industrial Design degree from NC State University.

The College of Design is excited to welcome Audrey Barnes back to NC State, where her leadership and expertise will undoubtedly contribute to the continued success and innovation of the Graphic & Experience Design and Industrial Design programs.