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Embracing a New Look: Designlife Magazine Visualizes the Art of Making

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group photo of design and build students in final structure

Aug 14, 2026

More Than a Studio: 15 Years of Teaching Students the Design, Make, Design Loop 

After more than 15 years of teaching the design, make, design loop where students experience the direct (and sometimes brutal) consequences of their design decisions, instructors Randy Lanou and Erik Mehlman are stepping back from the program they helped found. Now, a new generation of instructors will lead students in this experiential summer program. 
Designlife Magazine 2026 Cover

Aug 14, 2026

The 2026 Designlife Magazine

The 2026 issue of the annual Designlife Magazine is here! Read about what our students, faculty and alumni have been up to over the past year.

aerial shot of kids in playground

Aug 5, 2026

Playing is Learning: Making the Case for Going Outside

The Natural Learning Initiative celebrated its 25th anniversary last year. See how it uses landscape architecture to promote child development and health outcomes.
Ted Givens talks with students about his process.

Jul 30, 2026

Ted Givens and Discovering Tomorrow’s Hidden Season

Architecture alum Ted Givens's career has been defined by movement, not a fixed path — a curiosity first sparked as a second grader wandering NC State's design studios, now carrying him between Asheville and projects across the Caribbean, Asia, and the Middle East. Guided by instinct over convention, he's turned down stable opportunities and relocated his family overseas to learn firsthand in unfamiliar environments.
For spring 2026, Design Council revived the Beaux Arts Ball, an evening celebrating the art and atmosphere of Monet. Students were able to enjoy music, dancing and outdoor activities, including a painting station.

Jul 28, 2026

Rebuilding a Student Legacy: Design Council’s Momentous Push

Design Council is rebuilding from the ground up, after a slowdown in the 2010s and near-extinction during the pandemic. Now, Pearson Foster and his team are writing the next chapter for the student organization.

Lindsay Dotson cuts wood from a felled tree at the College of Design for her studio project.

Jul 21, 2026

Designing with Sustainability: Old Tree Gets New Life in Urban Wood Course

When a dying oak tree in the Brooks Hall courtyard had to be taken down, Audrey Barnes ’03 decided to give it new life. In spring 2026, the tree was ready to begin its next chapter.

opening screen with text that reads "re:"

Jul 21, 2026

Re:purposed Explores the Future of Industrial Design

A new documentary, re:purposed — the evolution of industrial design, explores how the field is moving beyond mass production toward collaboration, empathy, systems thinking and sustainability. Co-produced by NC State College of Design department head Audrey Barnes and filmmaker John Trice, the film brings together designers, educators and industry leaders to examine the profession’s past, present and future.
Mac Dameron used her funding to purchase an iPad, an essential tool for bringing her animations to life.

Jul 14, 2026

Investing in Future Designers

Through essential funding and a community of mentors and peers, the Design Pathways Program supports design students in need of financial aid, empowering them to achieve their academic goals.
Chancellor Howell and Dean Hoversten in front of LED wall in virtual production lab

Jul 9, 2026

A Decade of Vision: Ten Years of Transformative Leadership

Over the past decade, Dean Hoversten has led the NC State College of Design through a period of growth, expanded impact and deepened community. 
composite image of new incoming leaders council members featuring seven headshots

Jul 1, 2026

New Members Join College of Design Leaders Council

Seven new members join the College of Design Leaders Council in 2026, an advisory body to the college. In addition to the new cohort of members, president Jennifer Heintz will step down as Betsy Peters Rascoe assumes the role for the next two years.
Calkins in front of the COP30 sign in Brazil.

Jun 30, 2026

From Campus to COP30: How Landscape Architects are Leading Climate Action

Heat islands, urban deserts, dwindling biodiversity. Increased extreme weather events. As the world continues to experience the rapidly increasing effects of climate change, landscape architects like Meg Calkins, FASLA, FCELA are emerging as shaping solutions to the challenges affecting our physical environments today. 
Byungsoo Kim, student Sam Lesser, Brian Leonard, Katie Gray Jackson, student Danielle Varner and David Oh.

Jun 23, 2026

Designing Together: Inside the First GXD+ID Joint Studio with Lenovo

In a new sponsored studio from Lenovo, students from industrial design and graphic & experience design came together to work as unified, holistic design teams. The studio asks a fundamental question: what happens when hardware and software designers learn to think and build together from the start?
A man in a motion capture suit talks to a cameraman in a production studio setting

Jun 22, 2026

AI Avatars and Digital Doubles are Stepping into Real Life

What happens when artificial intelligence can look, sound and respond just like a real person? In a recent Spectrum News feature, College of Design faculty explore the rise of AI avatars and digital humans, examining both the opportunities and ethical questions surrounding this rapidly evolving technology.
Two women stand at the head of a table with a variety of ceramic items laid out in front of them

Jun 19, 2026

A Laboratory of Wonder and Care: Exploring the Future of Ceramic 3D Printing

Inside the College of Design's Digital Clay Lab, Ph.D. student Maryam Badiei and instructor Lira Gomes are exploring how ceramic 3D printing can bridge ancient materials and emerging technologies. Through research, experimentation and collaboration, they're uncovering new possibilities for design, architecture and the future of making.
Senior Simran Patel created a model to reimagine the exterior of the Design Library with stairs into the courtyard below.

Jun 16, 2026

A Cross-College Collaboration to Re-envision how the Design Library will Serve the Future

The Design Library in Brooks Hall is due for an update. For design students, a renovation project on their own campus is a rare chance to apply what they're learning to a real-world scenario. The ReDesign Library Project is exactly that — an opportunity for College of Design classes to explore creative possibilities and leave a lasting legacy.
Three models pose outside wearing pieces from Aurora Henderson's collection, titled Heteropagus.

Jun 12, 2026

Art2Wear 2026: Symbiosis Highlights the Collaborative Spirit of NC State Fashion Week

Student designers pushed the boundaries of fashion and storytelling at Art2Wear 2026: Symbiosis. Held during NC State's inaugural Fashion Week, the annual showcase highlighted wearable art inspired by the interconnected relationships that shape our world.
Meghan Bausone headshot

Jun 9, 2026

From Midwifery to Systems Thinking: Designing Change in Maternal Health

Meghan Bausone thought she wanted to be a midwife. Now, she’s exploring complex problems in maternal health as part of her Doctor of Design dissertation, using systems thinking to find answers to wicked problems. 
The new interior opens up a previously-divided space to allow for a larger, more flexible work environment. Moveable tables allow for collaborative work, lectures or classroom configurations.

Jun 4, 2026

Light, Community and Design: The Transformed First Floor of Brooks Hall’s Matsumoto Wing

A building that once stood as an enduring tribute to modernism – colloquially named for the architect and designer who shaped its design – has once again been reshaped for a new era. The Matsumoto wing of Brooks Hall, named after former faculty member George Matsumoto and designed in the mid-fifties, has a refreshed first floor that connects the college’s internal mission with the outside environment.
Leazar Hall

Jun 1, 2026

An Unlikely Path: How Industrial Design Led Ted Maliga to the U.S. Secret Service

On first look, a degree in industrial design may not seem like a typical pathway into national security. However, for Ted Maliga, a graduate from NC State University’s College of Design, that connection led to a 25-year career with the U.S. Secret Service. During his tenure as chief technology officer and assistant director for the Office of Technological Development and Applied Research, Maliga helped the Secret Service tackle some of the most complicated security challenges. 
members of the 2024 Design + Build program for the Raleigh Skate Park

May 29, 2026

College of Design Faculty, Students and Alumni Take Home AIA Triangle Design Awards 

The 2026 American Institute of Architects (AIA) Triangle Design Awards recognized numerous members of the College of Design community. The ceremony, which took place on April 16, was chaired by Andrew Thompson, AIA. The 2024 student design + build team took home an award for community impact through design, and professors of the practice who run EVOKE Studio and in situ studio took home a combined eleven awards.

Winners, Jurors and Organizers of the 2026 Shawcroft Reception

May 26, 2026

Shawcroft Competition Honors 31 Years of Hand Drawing

In an era when design tools have gone almost entirely digital, one annual competition at NC State's College of Design insists on a different discipline — the kind that begins with a pencil, a pen, or a brush held in a human hand. The Brian Shawcroft Drawing Competition, now in its 31st year, remains a rare and deliberate celebration of hand drawing as a core architectural skill. This year, four students received prizes for submissions evaluated across three categories: the design process, documentation and analysis, and presentation. The breadth of those categories reflects the competition's central belief that hand drawing is not a single technique but a spectrum of thinking made visible.
Sharon Joines

May 12, 2026

Sharon Joines Announced as Interim Dean of College of Design 

Sharon Joines, Ph.D., has been named interim dean for the College of Design, effective July 1. Dr. Joines is an experienced researcher and ergonomist, teaching courses in human-centered design and ergonomics as a professor of industrial design. She has served as associate dean of academic strategy for the college since 2018. 
database visualization detail for Cretaceous Creatures Project

May 11, 2026

Unearthing New Possibilities: Turning Science Data Into Engaging Design

A new collaboration between NC State’s College of Design and the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences is granting students the opportunity to take their design skills to the next level. Students in the Design Studies program are focused on taking a complicated scientific database and turning it into an engaging and easy to understand experience for a wider audience. 
Hospitality as Pedagogy, SXSW EDU

Apr 6, 2026

Rethinking Digital Efficiency and Convenience

In this digital age, as convenience comes with a tap on a screen, the small everyday human moments are quickly disappearing. At a TEDx Talk at NC State University on April 3rd, Doctor of Design (DDes) candidate and designer Shruthi Manjula Balakrishna asked students to think critically about something as basic as a restaurant menu.
Candice Byrd

Apr 2, 2026

College of Design Welcomes Candice Byrd as the New Assistant Dean for Finance and Administration

The College of Design welcomes Candice Byrd, MPA as the Assistant Dean of Finance and Administration. As the Assistant Dean of Finance and Administration, Byrd will be responsible for the development and execution of the college's financial and operational strategies. Her role includes aligning financial strategies with the college's long-term mission, overseeing fiscal forecasting and budget development to maximize resource use, and managing HR functions while serving as the primary liaison between the college and university-level administrative offices.
Peak on the Mount, Raleigh, NC by Cameron Johnson

Apr 1, 2026

Architecture Students Named to Metropolis Future100

College of Design Students Lira Gomes and Cameron Johnson have been selected for the prestigious Metropolis Future100 program, which recognizes outstanding students for their contributions to architecture. The class of 2026 comprises 100 exceptional young designers across the United States and Canada whose portfolios demonstrate a shared dedication to purposeful design.

Art2Wear presents Symbiosis

Apr 1, 2026

Tickets on sale for Art2Wear 2026

If you’re looking for a front-row seat for a new type of Art2Wear experience, you’re in luck – tickets for the College of Design’s wearable art event are now on sale. Three showings will be offered: April 23: 7-9 pm, April 24: 4-6 pm and April 24: 7-9 pm at the Gregg Museum of Art…
Tania Allen

Mar 26, 2026

Tania Allen To Serve as Department Head of Media Arts, Design and Technology

The NC State College of Design is pleased to announce the appointment of Tania Allen as department head of Media Arts, Design and Technology. Allen, who has served in the role on an interim basis, brings a distinguished record of scholarship, research leadership and professional practice to the position.
Austin Lowrey gallery of images

Mar 5, 2026

Emeritus Professor Austin Lowrey Passes Away at 93

Emeritus Professor Austin Lowrey passed away on February 20, 2026. Austin was hired by the College of Design to develop “visual design” offerings in the Bachelor of Product Design program in the 1970s and continued as a pivotal member of the graphic design faculty from the department’s inception in 1991 until his retirement in 1999.
Group of architecture students posing together in the Brooks Hall Lobby.

Feb 25, 2026

2026 AIA Triangle Scholarship Winners Announced

This year’s American Institute of Architects Triangle (AIAT) Scholarship recipients tackled social, environmental, historical and spatial contexts head-on. From Southeast Raleigh to Lake Crabtree, from diagrammatic analysis to mixed-use urban revival, these student designers asked difficult questions about who architecture serves and how it shows up in the world.

Aerial view of the Belltower and North Campus

Feb 25, 2026

The Alliance for Inclusive Design Takes Next Step in Bridging Academic Research and Evidence-Based Practice

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | RALEIGH, NC The North Carolina State University College of Design engaged DLR Group as its founding partner, a leading integrated design firm delivering architecture, engineering, interiors, planning and building optimization for new construction, renovation and adaptive reuse with the promise of elevating the human experience through design. DLR Group will work…

Jan 15, 2026

The Floating Grove: Inside NC State’s First Mass Timber Pavilion

Built in just eleven weeks, Floating Grove is NC State’s first mass timber pavilion designed and constructed by architecture students through the School of Architecture’s Design + Build program. From chainsaw-built jigs to cross-laminated timber experimentation, the project showcases how hands-on learning, collaboration and sustainable materials come together to create a space that now belongs to the campus community.
Couplet Care bassinet design

Nov 10, 2025

Rooted at NC State: Red Dot Design Award Winner Showcases Research-Design-Industry Partnership

What began as a classroom challenge to improve care for mothers and newborns has grown into an award-winning medical device. After studying how hospital design made it difficult for mothers recovering from cesarean birth to reach their infants, NC State industrial design students collaborated with UNC researchers and design firm Trig to create the Couplet Care Bassinet. Now used in hospitals across the U.S., the bassinet allows new mothers to safely connect with their babies — a powerful example of design improving everyday lives.
ASLA 2023 Professional General Design Honor Award. The Meadow at the Old Chicago Post Office. Chicago, Illinois. Hoerr Schaudt / Dave Burk

Oct 27, 2025

Landscape Architects Commit to Zero Emissions and Biodiversity Increases by 2040

The American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) and ASLA Fund announced today that it has released a new plan to address the climate and biodiversity crises together. The new Climate & Biodiversity Action Plan was developed by a high-profile Task Force of five landscape architects, chaired by Meg Calkins, FASLA, professor of landscape architecture and environmental planning at North Carolina State University. The task force worked with a 34-member Advisory Group of climate and biodiversity experts. 
Architecture student Hannah Wright holds a project model from class at her studio desk.

Oct 23, 2025

Bridging Spaces, People and Experiences: Q&A with Hannah Wright

Hannah Wright is a third-year architecture student at the College of Design. In 2023, Wright transferred to NC State from Northern Virginia Community College and shared her story with us as part of Transfer Student Appreciation Week.

Four IBM team members hold an award in formal wear

Oct 15, 2025

NC State Design Alumna Honored for Role in Award-Winning IBM AI Innovation

Industrial Design alumna Dipali Aphale (’17) is part of the IBM team recognized with Best AI Solution – Data Insights & Knowledge Management at the 2025 Banking Tech Awards USA. The winning project, IBM Synthetic Data Sets, uses artificial intelligence to generate realistic, privacy-protected data for safer innovation across industries.
Student Kai Kuwata turning a block of wood on a lathe in the materials lab at NC State's College of Design.

Oct 13, 2025

A Gift in Oak: Crafting Design, from Raleigh to Nagoya

Industrial design student Kai Kuwata honors 40 years of partnership between NC State and Nagoya University with a handcrafted oak bowl that symbolizes creativity, collaboration and design thinking.
Cover of Empty Pedestals Book with Elen Deming and Kofi Boone superimposed on top

Oct 8, 2025

Empty Pedestals Earns National Honors for Reframing Confederate Monuments

Empty Pedestals: Countering Confederate Narratives Through Public Design (LSU Press, 2024) has recently earned recognition at the national level for its ability to bring design and planning strategies to confront and transform spaces marked by endemic prejudice. The book received a 2025 Professional Award of Honor in Communications from the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) and was a finalist for the 2025 J.B. Jackson Book Prize from the University of Virginia (UVA) Center for Cultural Landscapes.

Gavin Smith at AFAC conference 2025.

Sep 23, 2025

Rethinking Disaster Resilience: A Call for Strategic Relocation

At the AFAC Conference in Perth, Australia, Dr. Gavin Smith highlighted the profound impact of climate change on community design and the necessity of strategic relocation from high-risk, flood-prone areas. Gavin Smith, PhD, FAICP, a professor of landscape architecture and environmental planning at the NC State College of Design, advocated for a mix of diverse resilience strategies, including new building codes and elevating homes, while also acknowledging the complex financial, political and social hurdles of implementing these measures.

Ben Marsigli at his desk

Sep 18, 2025

A Creative Compass: How Ben Marsigli Brings Collegiate Spirit into the Apparel Market

Ben Marsigli, creative director at Rhoback, shares how his time as a design studies major prepared him to create apparel for the brand, including an NC State collection. 
Students pictured through camera lens

Aug 12, 2025

Virtual Production Studio Relies on Blackmagic Design

Blackmagic Design announced that Raleigh-based NC State's Virtual Production Lab utilizes Blackmagic Design Products to help students experience a diverse range of applications, including filmmaking, AR/VR, concept development and live events.
Filming for NC State's eSports tournament taking place in the Virtual Production Lab

Jul 16, 2025

Designed to Play: The College of Design Makes Its Mark on Esports at NC State

NC State University’s esports program partnered with the College of Design to produce promotional content for the 2025 College League of Legends and Valorant Championship Grand Finals. Using virtual production technology, students created high-impact visuals that reflect the growing role of design and media in collegiate esports.
Designlife magazine cover 2025

Jun 10, 2025

Spring 2025 Designlife Magazine

The spring issue of Designlife magazine is here! Explore this issue for stories on the magazine’s new look and feel, the incredible work done by faculty, students and alumni and more. Explore the Issue Dean’s Message: Designing for Impact The College of Design continues to design for impact – to positively impact the human experience…
Lee Cherry in 3D fabrication lab

Jun 10, 2025

Scaling with Empathy: AI Solutions for Urban Planning

As cities and towns incorporate the use of artificial intelligence (AI) into urban planning, Lee Cherry is asking an important question: how can they best ensure AI is used fairly and ethically? The concept is at the heart of Cherry’s research as he pursues his Doctor of Design from NC State’s College of Design.
Jabria Oliver shares the focus of her research as a Master of Industrial Design student: a lack of menstrual hygiene for unhoused populations, a human-centered approach to a design problem.

Jun 10, 2025

Designing Dignity: Jabria Oliver’s Fight Against Period Poverty

Period poverty, defined as the lack of access to menstrual hygiene products, safe facilities and adequate education, is a global issue affecting millions of people. For women experiencing homelessness, this often-overlooked challenge exacerbates an already precarious situation, forcing them to make impossible choices between basic needs. In an industry crowded with consumer electronics, automobiles and medical devices, Jabria Oliver, a recent graduate of the Master of Industrial Design program, is working to create a prominent space designing for social impact.
Maraffi instructs students on how to use the motion capture suit in front of the LED wall of the Virtual Production Lab.

Jun 10, 2025

At the Forefront: Making a Place in Virtual Production

A giant talking octopus in a lab nestled in the South American jungle. Actors and Hollywood filmmakers working to complete a Sci-Fi short over just four days. Off screen, technicians, camera operators and support staff create the immersive world displayed on the giant LED wall, using 3D printed props, Epic Games’ Unreal Engine and generative AI. This is just another day in the Virtual Production Lab, where students and educators innovate and learn within this burgeoning field.
Students visited Espacio Escultórico, which means "sculptural space," a UNESCO World Heritage site made from volcanic rock at UNAM.

Jun 10, 2025

Global Perspectives in Design: How NC State’s Duda Program Shapes Design Students

Partnering with renowned Mexican architect Gabriela Carrillo, architecture and landscape architecture students explored the urban and environmental complexities of a metropolis rich in Indigenous history and modern challenges as part of this year’s Duda Visiting Designer Program.

A student photographs the projection of the earth for use in their studio project.

Jun 10, 2025

Bringing Visualization to Education: Designing an Out-of-This-World Museum Experience

Olga Njai, a student in the Master of Graphic & Experience Design program, is an experienced graphic designer. But her first studio in the program presented a challenge unlike any other she’d taken on before. The instructor, Associate Professor Deborah Littlejohn, tasked Njai and her classmates with creating a visual data story on the topic of their choice for the Durham Museum of Life and Science using NOAA's Science on A Sphere display.

Students from NC State Architecture Design + Build

Jun 10, 2025

Mindful Design: Students Create Shade Structures for Raleigh Skate Park

For architecture students in the Design + Build program, completing four shade structures for the Conlon Family Skatepark in just eleven weeks was a triumph. The second crowning achievement: spray-painted tags appeared soon after the artfully perforated, white panels were hoisted up and secured. For the team of four instructors and 15 students, it meant they had ensured that the design connected culturally with the intended community — a principle that lies at the heart of Design + Build.
mockups for the 2025 issue of designlife magazine

Jun 10, 2025

Embracing a New Look: Designlife Magazine Visualizes the Art of Making

This year, the Designlife magazine has a bold new look, envisioned by a group of students in the graphic & experience design program. Working with faculty advisor Jarrett Fuller, the students conceptualized and helped execute a creative refresh of the magazine in just