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Industrial Design

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.

Finally, a Home

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. 

Industrial Design Studio Space

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.

What is Industrial Design?

What is ID? Post-It note board

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.

See Student Work

See more examples of student work here: Department of Industrial Design Student Work

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Hi CoD! Check out the Instagram story on this account all day today for behind-the-scenes updates and content! Check out the @ncsuart2wear bio or at linker.ee/art2wear2025 for tickets, we still have tickets for the 9:00 pm show! Join us for a night of performance art, music, and mocktails! #art2wear ...

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What if you could walk through a house that never existed? 🏡

NC State Master of Architecture candidate Harshavardhan Raju brings the visionary, but never built, Slow House by Diller + Scofidio to life through a stunning digital rendering and narration.⁠

Take the journey from door to window. From concept to experience.⁠
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"To me, design is all about relationships. You cannot do it by yourself." 👏🤝

Kelly Umstead, associate professor of industrial design, has been named a 2024–25 University Faculty Scholar — and for good reason. She`s known across campus as an educator who prioritizes love, attention and empathy in design.

Learn more about Kelly and her trailblazing work at the College of Design at the "News" link in our bio.
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📰🥚 From the Archives: The Landing of the Egg

NC State librarians have recently released this photo from their extra-special collections. New evidence suggests the Egg was not installed. It landed.

Who built it? Why is it here? More importantly, when will it wake up and tell us the secrets to otherworldly design?
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💸 $193,688 raised for our students
🎁 283 gifts given to programs and scholarships
🫶 One community brought together

To everyone who showed up for #GivingPack - thank you. Your generosity and care keep our passion strong and great design education fueled. 🙏
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“This is a rare space, where students and young people get to experiment and get to play.”

We’ve got 3 hours left for #GivingPack. Let’s finish strong, designers. 🔗 in bio to make those late-night gifts.
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Whether it’s lifting the built environment or building a student’s confidence in the studio - your support sets the foundation. 💪

Let’s keep up the momentum going this evening by #GivingPack: 🔗 in bio
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