The Industrial Design Program prepares students to be creative, practical, user-centered, aesthetics-focused, problem-solving, and opportunity-exploring designers, design strategists, or design leaders.
The NC State University Industrial Design Program is one of the top professional programs in this discipline in the country. The program offers Bachelor of Industrial Design (BID) and Master of Industrial Design (MID) degrees, both accredited by The National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD).
Students learn and practice design in a studio environment very similar to that of professional design offices. Students methodically study human physical and cognitive interaction with artifacts and services in order to discover user experience insights and then create innovative solutions to design problems. The dynamic and sophisticated balance of form, function, innovation, and practicality are constantly debated and articulated throughout the journey to better design.
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Over the past 40 years, the Industrial Design program at NC State has grown into one of the highest-ranked ID programs in the U.S. Its graduates go on to be designers at companies like IBM, Adidas, and Under Armour. Its faculty partner on grants from the NIH to tackle human centered design for maternal and fetal medicine. Finally, the program will be moving to a dedicated space where they can work collaboratively and creatively.
The Industrial Design faculty have joined NC State University from prestigious institutions around the world, each bringing years of experience in design, research, innovation, and education. The graduates from the program are enhancing the quality of life experiences with the creative design of products, services, branding, and communication systems for companies such as IDEO, Nike, Volvo, IBM, Toshiba, Dell, Pentagram, PepsiCo, RKS Design, Microsoft, The Smithsonian, Adidas, Hasbro, Target, and Bosch.
Industrial design is the professional service of creating and developing concepts and specifications that optimize the function, value, and appearance of products and systems for the mutual benefit of both user and manufacturer. Industrial designers develop these concepts and specifications for the user and manufacturer through the collection, analysis, and synthesis of data, often within the context of cooperative working relationships with other members of a development group such as management, marketing, engineering, and manufacturing specialists. They then communicate their clear and concise recommendations through drawings, models, and verbal descriptions that embody all relevant design criteria determined by the group.
The industrial designer’s unique contribution emphasizes those aspects of the product or system that relate most directly to human characteristics, needs, experiences, and interests. This contribution requires specialized understanding of visual, spatial, and tactile senses as well as product safety and convenience criteria. Industrial designers are experts in anticipating psychological, physiological and sociological factors and perceptions that influence users of products and services. Industrial designers also maintain a practical concern for the technical processes and requirements for manufacturing; marketing opportunities and economic constraints; and regulatory requirements relevant to good design.
In addition to supplying concepts for products and systems, industrial designers are often retained for consultation on a variety of problems that have to do with product and organization identity systems, development of communication systems, interior and exhibit design, advertising devices and packaging, and other related services. Their expertise is often sought in a wide variety of administrative arenas to assist in developing industry standards, regulatory guidelines, and quality control procedures to improve manufacturing operations and products. Industrial designers are guided by a professional obligation to protect the public safety and well-being, to respect the environment, and to observe contractual and ethical business practices.
Positive Change Through Design | Aly Khalifa is a designer and engineer who believes in using innovation as a force for good. An alum of both the @ncstatedesign and the @ncstateengr —he helped launch early sustainability campaigns on campus—setting the stage for a career centered on positive-impact projects at every scale, from statewide bicycle highways to equipment for the U.S. Cycling Team.
He credits much of his path to the foundations he gained at NC State, where he learned user-centered empathy and creative entrepreneurship. Since then, he’s founded multiple ventures, including SPARKcon (a creative festival in downtown Raleigh) and Gamila, a gourmet product company acquired by Seventh Generation.
In recent years, Aly has focused much of his work on addressing ocean plastic. He co-founded the Oceanworks materials platform, partnered with Australia’s Plastic Collective to develop community-based recovery systems, and contributed to the Verra Plastic Credit methodology. This work ultimately led him to collaborate with sustainability pioneer William McDonough, serving as CTO of his innovation practice and helping Fortune 100 companies advance their environmental goals.
Aly remains actively involved with NC State—as a Visiting Professor, Social Entrepreneur in Residence, member of the Design Leaders Council, past Art2Wear Chair, and current member of the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Board.
Through this talk, Aly will share some of his stories and lessons in a career attempting positive change through design....
NEW Interdisciplinary Study Abroad: Circular Design in Scandinavia 🇸🇪🇩🇰 #LinkinBio
Immerse yourself in Scandinavian design, exploring circular and biophilic design principles in Sweden and Denmark. Students will engage with iconic architecture, design firms, innovative giants like IKEA and LEGO, and tour world-class design museums and historical sites. The class will culminate in conceptualizing impactful, eco-conscious portfolio pieces inspired by this cultural immersion in Scandinavian design....
We will be starting B-Roll Fridays this Friday! What is B-Roll Friday you may ask? A fun way for us to get to know each other and see what our peers are up to!
This instagram account will be posting fun and silly action shots - aka B-Roll footage from your camera rolls. Don’t be afraid to share wacky photos that show your personality and what ID things you’re up to around campus and beyond.
If you’d like to be featured, please share your pictures to the google drive folder at the link in this post, scan the QR code above, or email them to ekburkha@ncsu.edu with the Subject ‘B-Roll Friday’.
🚀 Detroit, we’re here! Kicking off the @intldesignconf with a fantastic alumni and friends meetup!
So excited to reconnect with our amazing @ncstate_gxid community. There’s nothing like bringing together brilliant minds who are shaping the future of #industrialdesign #GoPack...
NEW interdisciplinary study abroad in Scandinavia! Info session Wed @ 12:30 in KAM 130. #circulardesign #sustainability #design #architecture #copenhagen #malmö...
