Graphic Design

Jul 6, 2023

Ready for the Turning Point

In the century since the term was coined, graphic design has continued to redefine itself in the face of both technological and cultural changes – whether that’s the birth of the desktop computer in the early nineties or the emergence of artificial intelligence image generators like DALL-E in the early 2020s. As such, graphic design at NC State has also been one of continual redefinition, at the forefront of emerging practices. 

May 15, 2023

SAS and the NC State College of Design — A decade of fresh ideas

The College of Design and SAS celebrated a ten-year partnership in April. SAS Director of Product Design Rajiv Ramarajan reflects on the projects created over the years. 

May 10, 2023

College of Design Faculty win NC State Awards in Teaching and Research

Six College of Design faculty were recognized with awards from the Alumni Association, Graduate School, Libraries and Office of the Provost this spring. 

Apr 26, 2023

Celebrating Alumni + Friends Weekend and the Designlife Gala

The College of Design celebrated Alumni + Friends Weekend and the Designlife Gala on April 21-22, 2023. The college was delighted to see so many friendly faces back on campus, touring our studios, and connecting with former classmates and colleagues at the reunions by the decade. The weekend's events culminated with the Designlife Gala at the JC Raulston Arboretum on Saturday night. 

Mar 9, 2023

Ashley Castrejon shares her study abroad experience in Chile with sustainable design

Ashley Castrejon is a graphic & experience design major in the College of Design. She answered a Q&A with study abroad about her experience in Chile studying sustainable design. 

Feb 23, 2023

Department Head of Graphic Design and Industrial Design Tsai Lu Liu Has Been Named Dean at Virginia Tech’s College of Architecture, Arts and Design

Tsai Lu Liu, head of the Department of Graphic Design and Industrial Design at NC State’s College of Design, will be leaving the university after 11 years. He has been named the dean of the College of Architecture, Arts, and Design at Virginia Tech. In his tenure as department head, Liu has transformed the department through corporate partnerships, student academic life and philanthropy. He has been working with the faculty and college leadership to increase the diversity of both faculty and students in the program. 

Jan 18, 2023

75 Years of Leading by Design: College of Design Celebrates a Momentous Milestone

The College of Design celebrates its 75th anniversary throughout 2023 with a series of lectures, events, alumni weekends, and more. 

Nov 7, 2022

Graphic Design Program Changes Name to Reflect Expertise in User Experience Design

After months of preparation, the graphic design program will change its degree names to reflect career opportunities for students. These new degree names emphasize not only the current strong curriculum taught by faculty, but deepen the program's alignment with exciting trends in the profession. 

Oct 26, 2022

Almost lost in time: College of Design students preserve local histories and social practices during study abroad project in Greece

Graphic design students, under the guidance of Professor Scott Townsend, traveled to Kefalonia, Greece in spring 2022. Their goal was to create a Living Histories website to house the oral histories collected from native Kefalonians. The histories of Kefalonia are being lost to time,” says Lewis. “Many younger residents are leaving the island, and we hope that our website can record cultural practices and histories to be accessed by future generations.” 

Oct 11, 2022

Putting the user first: two alums explore how their heritages shaped their work as UX designers

We took time to sit down with two graduates of the Master’s of Graphic Design program, Laura Rodriguez [MGD ‘11] and Luis Zapata [BID ‘11, MGD ‘17] to ask them about their experiences as students, as well as how their cultural identity has shaped their careers.  

Oct 4, 2022

Uniting Design and Art

The North Carolina Museum of Art’s rebranding efforts encapsulate the museum’s collection through leading efforts by two College of Design alumnae. Christin Hardy and her colleague Allison Maslow are both graduates of the graphic design program at NC State, and their education has been formative in the current rebranding efforts for the NCMA. 

Sep 15, 2022

Meet our newest members: College of Design Leaders Council

The College of Design is excited to welcome four new members to its Leaders Council. Members of the Leaders Council support the college’s strategic direction, assist in securing financial resources to achieve its long-range goals and actively advocate for the college’s vision to become the leading public interdisciplinary design college in the country. 

Jun 27, 2022

2022 Designlife Magazine

Read about the people and activities featured in the 2022 issue of Designlife Magazine. 

Jun 16, 2022

In Search of Thoreau’s Flowers: An Exploration of Change and Loss

Robin Vuchnich, a new media artist, user experience designer, and an assistant professor of practice in the College of Design, leveraged digitized specimens from the Harvard University Herbaria to craft an immersive experience in the gallery theater of the Harvard Museum of Natural Science. In Search of Thoreau’s Flowers: An Exploration of Change and Loss is an immersive multidisciplinary experience that marries art and science through a modern artistic interpretation of Thoreau’s preserved plants. 

May 20, 2022

When Graphic Design Meets Big Tech: Red Hat Sponsored Studio Tackles Autonomous Vehicles

Graphic design students recently partnered with Red Hat to create solutions for a world dominated by autonomous vehicles. Students then had to design for a variety of human factors such as family needs, career specializations and security concerns. 

May 18, 2022

Celebrating Another Successful Day of Giving

The College of Design celebrated another successful Day of Giving on March 23, 2022 thanks to the generous gifts of donors, alumni, faculty, staff, students and friends, all of whom believe in the importance of design education. Thanks to your support, the college was able to raise $474,885 from 373 gifts, exceeding last year’s 309 gifts by 21%. 

May 5, 2022

Congratulations, Class of 2022!

We asked our spring graduates for some thoughts on their time in the College of Design. Below, hear from them in their own words. 

Apr 18, 2022

Sustainability by Design

Students are gaining real-world experience while reducing waste in a new project sponsored by Eastman. The company challenged NC State industrial design seniors in the College of Design to create consumer products with sustainability top of mind.  

Apr 14, 2022

An Update on the Allred Gallery Floor

The floor of the Allred Gallery in Kamphoefner Hall was inspired by the work of well-known architect Le Corbusier. As we learn more about the history of this designer from contemporary research, we are learning more about his unfortunate ties to groups that excluded and persecuted others. The values held by Le Corbusier, particularly those of homophobia, misogyny, and fascism, are not held by the College of Design. Our mission is to create a welcoming and inclusive environment for any individual who enters our space to work and learn.  

Apr 12, 2022

Graduate Student Research Symposium Winners

Nearly 200 NC State graduate students presented their research projects this week at the 15th annual Graduate Student Research Symposium, and 27 were recognized as the best presenters in their disciplines. Posters are judged by faculty, and students receive recognition for top posters. The goals are to showcase the outstanding quality and diversity of graduate-level research… 

Dec 15, 2021

First Year Experience Paper Project is featured in Walter Magazine

NC State first-year design students study form, function, and movement through inventive garments made of paper. Republished from Walter Magazine 

Nov 5, 2021

Q&A: Helen Dear and Designing for Our Children’s Financial Futures

Helen Dear is a 2010 graduate of the College of Design’s Graphic Design program and is currently working in Atlanta as the creative director at Greenlight Financial Technology – a company that helps parents manage their children’s financial goals. Helen has spent the past year guiding the company through a complete brand overhaul. She spoke with us about her roots at the College of Design and discovering a work environment that fits her process. 

Nov 3, 2021

Graphic Design Student Creates Winning Label for Shelton Vineyards

Junior graphic design student Carter Avayou designed the winning label for the Hallowed Places collection from local winery Shelton Vineyards. Shelton Vineyards partnered with NC State to create a series of officially licensed North Carolina wines, and a portion of all sales will support student scholarships at NC State. 

Oct 26, 2021

Two Students Bring Home AIGA Worldstudio Scholarships

First year Art + Design student Olivia Santangelo and Art + Design sophomore Ajane "AJ" Lawrence each won awards for their bodies of work in the fields of graphic design and illustration, respectively. 

Oct 25, 2021

Big Data, Big Design: Why Designers Should Care about A.I.

Professor of Graphic Design Helen Armstrong has a new book about artificial intelligence and machine learning, all through the lens of a designer. 

Sep 13, 2021

NC State Creatives: Molly Nunes

Molly Nunes believes that by building an athlete’s brand through design-heavy tools such as apparel, music and art, women in the sports industry can find a new level of prosperity after their active careers. 

Sep 9, 2021

Using Design Thinking to Investigate the Potential of Knowledge Graphs

In the midst of the pandemic, The NC State Laboratory for Analytic Sciences (LAS) partnered with our master’s students in the NCSU College of Design’s Graphic Design Department to tackle the potential for a knowledge graph to support the work of intelligence analysts. 

Jul 9, 2021

Alums Win GDUSA Health + Design Award

A collaboration between the College of Design and the Duke University Center for Advanced Hindsight (CAH) recently brought home one of the coveted 2021 GDUSA Health + Wellness Awards™ for their work promoting COVID-19 vaccination in rural North Carolina counties. 

Jun 23, 2021

NCSU entrepreneurs’ new tech cuts website load times

When Camden asked Ben for help on a web design project–as a junior in high school–a friendship and business partnership formed. The above is the concept behind Padeo, a newly launched startup developed by co-founders Ben Hardison and Camden Conekin [BGD '20], who met each other in high school. 

May 21, 2021

Whose data is it anyway? Ever had trouble accessing your own medical data?

How can the design of an intelligent interface empower patients to access secure personal data repositories, thus giving patients agency over their own medical data? Over the course of the semester our MGD studio collaborated with a team at IBM Watson Health, led by Debi Ndindjock, to find out. 

Mar 10, 2021

Raney Wilson: Why Scholarships Matter

Raney Wilson is a sophomore graphic design student in the College of Design from Saxapahaw, NC and a recipient of the Raleigh Hunter Scholarship in Visual Design. Hear how scholarships have impacted her experience at the college. 

Feb 8, 2021

Design Identities: Renee Seward

Renee is an Associate Professor and Program Coordinator of the Communication Design program at the University of Cincinnati’s College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning. She is a graduate of the Graphic Design program at the University of Cincinnati in 2002 and received her Master’s from North Carolina State in 2008. 

Dec 3, 2020

Congratulations, Graduates!

For our 2020 graduates, this year's commencement ceremony was like no other. It began with a video of Dean Hoversten searching the campus for our students. Then, the department heads shared words of encouragement with the students, commending them for their outstanding work this year. 

Dec 1, 2020

Deborah Littlejohn wins a 2020 Design Incubation Award

Deborah Littlejohn won a 2020 Design Incubation Award for her work in her GD303 course, which incorporates augmented reality into textbooks. 

Sep 7, 2020

Switching Back the Code: A Q&A with Jemima Liteli

Jemima Liteli is a junior studying graphic design at NC State. Attending predominantly white institutions (PWIs) for the majority of her life has caused her to feel the otherness, isolation and disconnection that other BIPOC students often feel. When she first came to the College of Design, Jemima found it hard to break the habits of assimilation she developed over the years. She credits the community she found at NC State for her growth and empowerment as an activist and a designer. 

Jun 29, 2020

Black Design Matters: A Q&A with Demarcus Williams

He was the only Black student to graduate that year with a bachelor’s degree in Graphic Design, and one of seven Black students in his class accepted into the College of Design out of 120. 

Jun 9, 2020

Black Lives Matter

The College of Design continues to be saddened and angered by the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and countless others who are unjustly murdered based on the color of their skin. We cannot let this continue to happen. Furthermore, we cannot let our profession, one which is predominately white, remain silent on… 

May 11, 2020

Congratulations, Class of 2020!

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

Apr 24, 2020

Design Faculty Win NC State Awards

Five College of Design faculty were recently honored with university-level awards from the chancellor, provost, and alumni association. The award winners are listed below. University Faculty Scholar Derek Ham, Ph.D. Assistant Professor of Graphic Design, Affiliated Assistant Research Professor of Architecture Derek Ham was chosen as a University Faculty Scholar for 2020. The program, established… 

Apr 16, 2020

Voting in the 21st Century with Mobile Blockchain Technology

verification of your identity, and using an outdated voting machine are relics of a bygone era. Now, more than ever, there is a need to bring voting into the 21st century. A trio of students in the College of Design are proposing to do just that. Students Camden Conekin, Palmer Fox and Kenneth Wical tackled voting using mobile blockchain technology as part of a project for their Graphic Design 301 studio. 

Feb 17, 2020

Graphic Design Students Featured in GDUSA Students to Watch

Graphic Design students Kennedy Liggett and Joseph Rogers were recently featured as part of GDUSA’s “Students to Watch” list. Read a little more about each student below. Kennedy Liggett, Senior, Graphic Design: Kennedy Liggett is a senior majoring in Graphic Design. She is passionate about helping others and designing purposeful work that creates a more… 

Jan 4, 2020

What role might machine learning ethically play in retail spaces?

Last spring, grad students in the Master’s in Graphic Design Program at North Carolina State University partnered with an auto parts company to explore this question. The company was particularly concerned with protecting the privacy and agency of their customers. 

Jan 2, 2020

From Biology to Graphic Design: Andy Hilts Brings Modern Design to SAS

From Biology to Graphic Design: Andy Hilts Brings Modern Design to SAS Andy Hilts, a junior in the Graphic Design program at NC State’s College of Design (CoD), didn’t always consider a career as a creative. Now, his work is featured in a global campaign by one of the Triangle’s most prolific tech companies. Like many… 

Dec 6, 2019

Creating a Lasting Legacy to the College of Design

As Bill Dove shares stories about his 86 years of life, some of the names and dates are admittedly a little blurred.  The reason has little to do with age. 

Aug 7, 2019

Design Thinking in Law

What can the practice of law learn from the practice of design? A lot more than you think! Learn how the NC State College of Design and Campbell University partnered to teach Design Thinking in Law. 

May 31, 2019

Spring 2019 Commencement Address by Kathleen Kincaid

Distinguished Alumnus ('92 MGD) Kathleen Kincaid gave the commencement address during the Spring 2019 NC State College of Design graduation ceremony on May 10, 2019.  

May 30, 2019

Graphic Design At NC State Ranks #4 At GraphicDesignDegreeHub.com

The Graphic Design Degree Hub has ranked the NC State College of Design's Graphic Design program #4 in the US for Visual Communications Degree Programs in 2019. 

Apr 25, 2019

2019 Design Employee Excellence Awards

The College of Design proudly honored faculty and staff on April 23, 2019. Congratulations to all of the winners, and thank you for all that you do to make the NC State College of Design a place of innovation and excellence. 

Apr 10, 2019

New CIP for Grad Programs in Architecture and Graphic Design

NC State College of Design’s graduate degrees in architecture and graphic design now have a STEM designation through the Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP). 

Mar 30, 2019

Design on a Deadline

Graphic design seniors developed an interactive symposium, 'reACT: Mobilizing the Everyday,' as a way of designing an experience that would introduce the complex issue of design mobilities.