Design Studies

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.

Mar 17, 2026

Discover Our Majors: Design Studies

Meet design studies student Lia Han, and learn how her interdisciplinary design major is preparing her to pursue a career in social media marketing.

Mar 16, 2026

Student Spotlight: Meet Gracie Wood, Connecting Sustainability with Design

Gracie Wood is from Cary, NC, and is pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Design Studies with a minor in Psychology. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, backpacking and singing a cappella. Wood sat down with CaSA to share her experience as a member of the 2025 Sustainable Futures Fellows program. What was your…

Design Den T-Shirt Design winner Sutherland Webster

Mar 3, 2026

Winning Tee and Design Den Pick Crowned in T-Shirt Design Contest

For a contest built on creativity, this year the Spring Student T-Shirt Design Contest introduced an exciting twist with a Design Den Pick winner being…

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.

Teaser image for The Student Publication, vol. 40

Mar 27, 2024

Artificial Apotheosis: The Student Publication, Volume 40

This year’s Student Publication, volume 40, explores the intersection of design and spirituality. Editor Steven Nohren dove headfirst into editing the publication as a design studies student, returning full-time after taking a sabbatical during the pandemic. Now, he’s attending talks on AI and approaching professionals to contribute to one of the college’s oldest print media.

Portrait of Lesley-Ann Noel holding her recently published book, "Design Social Change."

Jan 10, 2024

Q&A: Lesley-Ann Noel on Her New Book, “Design Social Change”

Assistant Professor Lesley-Ann Noel's recently-published book, titled "Design Social Change" was written as a guide for topics, mindsets and principles that designers can use to drive the way they think about change. We talked with Dr. Noel about the book's mission and inspiration.

Nov 9, 2023

NC State Creatives: Weatherly Reeves

Weatherly is a sophomore in Design Studies, and she believes design is an avenue to tell stories that uplift others. She recently illustrated her first book which tells the story of a young Andy Griffith.

Jan 7, 2022

From A-to-Z: Lesley-Ann Noel and Decolonizing Design

Assistant Professor of Art + Design Dr. Lesley-Ann Noel aims to bring underrepresented voices into everyday design education through social innovation, inclusive community-led research and public health solutions. By creating tools such as the Designer’s Critical Alphabet and the “Who Am I” Positionality Wheel, she is making conversations around race and bias more common in classrooms and workplaces.

May 11, 2020

Congratulations, Class of 2020!

The College of Design is excited to celebrate the graduating class of 2020.

May 4, 2020

Julia Littleton: Balancing Cheer, Design and Graduation During COVID-19

The worlds of design and athletics are equally demanding. Both require discipline, extensive training and a never-ending learning curve. To Julia Littleton, a senior in design studies and a member of NC State’s Cheer team, combining those two worlds took some getting used to. However, they both play invaluable roles in her journey.

Jun 27, 2019

Andrews Launch Accelerator Helps Put WAAM Founder on Track for Fall 2019 Launch

NC State alumna Karly Pavlinac is creating a community of encouragement around fitness, and enabling top trainers to monetize their fan base.

Mar 7, 2019

The Nature of Public Art: Talent, Teamwork, and Time

Professor of Art + Design Chandra Cox spent 10-years designing and creating two light rail stations as part of Charlotte's CATS LYNX Blue Line (completed March 2018).

Aug 22, 2018

A Winning Start to College

Incoming NC State College of Design freshman Victoria Kern is an aspiring artist with several major awards to her credit including the 2018 National Medalist by the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards.

Mar 1, 2018

A Deserving Retreat

Department Head of Art + Design and Alumni Distinguished Professor Chandra Cox has taught at NC State College of Design for over 36 years. A Q&A about how time and technology have influenced design, the development of the Design Studies program, and what her plans for the future are.

Nov 27, 2017

Design Inspiration | Kathleen Rieder

Associate Professor of Art + Design Kathleen Rieder bolsters her students’ critical thinking & intellectual curiosity. She inspires interesting questions.

Aug 31, 2017

Exploration of Textile Design

Jeanna Young [BA ’15] is an aspiring textile designer pursuing a second degree in Art + Design with a focus on fibers and fashion. She has traveled to the Netherlands to further explore her interests in textile design, which was made possible through the NC State Office of Undergraduate Research (OUR). OUR administers a variety…

Mar 21, 2017

Cheers from Prague!

Mikhail Vasquez, a junior in Design Studies, sends good tidings from the Prague Institute and shares his experiences while studying abroad.