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
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?
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
Since buying her home in 2007, Gret Mackintosh has been designing a lush environment filled with foraged flora native to the Lowcountry - all in her backyard.
“I double majored in art and design and landscape architecture at the NC State College of Design, and in school, I always thought of the two things separately. But I have been using those skills together more and more over the years.”
Mackintosh and her Charleston, SC garden were recently featured in @gardenandgun.
🔗 in bio to read the full story.
📸: Sully Sullivan for Garden & Gun Magazine
💪 Ready
💃 Confident
💼 Professional
Say hello to the newest members of @ncstate’s design community. Welcome home, Wolfpack! 🐺
Summer. Midday. A slight breeze.
Thinking of the spring, under a tree. 🌳
We`re scaling new heights in the fields of environmental justice and climate resilience. 🏡🏞
Students, faculty and alumni attended the @ncasla_landarch Conference in Asheville, receiving multiple awards and presenting to professionals from across the state.
The Department of Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning (@ncstatelaep) sponsored fourteen Master of Landscape Architecture (MLA) students in the College of Design to attend the event.
The theme for the 2024 conference was “Elevate,” which examined the idea of scaling new heights, including topics related to differing factors that join to create innovative and diverse solutions.
Topics included projects and processes that promote collaboration, environmental justice and social and economic resiliency for local communities.
🔗 Check out all of the projects and awards in our bio!
📍Kefalonia, Greece
The past two weeks have been nothing short of an adventure! Myself and a group of students studied abroad in Greece, specifically researching the ancient burial tombs of Mazarakata. We worked with the ministry of culture to create a UI concept of a walkthrough of the site using 3D photogrammetry technology. In the years to come, our research will pave the way for designers to make this project come to life, in hopes that it will be used by the local community in Kefalonia.
When we were not working, we went on excursions around the island, ate authentic Greek food, enjoyed time at the beach, and walked around the town. Studying abroad, thanks to the College of Design, allowed me to immerse myself in another culture, as well as meet other students in my major. This is an experience I will remember for the rest of my life and I hope to return back to Greece one day!
Yamas! (Cheers)☺️🇬🇷
- Ashton Walthall (‘25)
Design is a celebration of every color, every shape, and every human connection. And at the College of Design, we celebrate you. Happy Pride, y’all! 💕🌈❤️
Congratulations to the 2024 @artsncstate Visual Artist winners from the College of Design! 🎉👨🎨
🏆 Sean Evans, Graphic and Experience Design for his piece, “Platinum” in the 2D category.
🏆 Jack E. McKissock, MADTech, for his piece “Sahbabii” in the digital category.
The awards come as the 2024 Student Art Sale experienced its highest-earning year to date, with over 580 patrons visiting Talley Student Union on April 12. This year marked the first time the sale was located in the Talley Student union ballrooms after it had outgrown its previous home in the Talley third floor atrium.
Learn more about the winning works, the event and what`s to come for the Student Art Sale in our bio!
For over 60 years, Larry Bell has mesmerized with his glass and light masterpieces. Now, thanks to a special Wolfpack connection, Bell’s stunning creation is making its mark on Centennial Campus. 🟥⚪
📍 Reds and Whites now stands proudly, welcoming everyone to @ncstate with an artistic touch that embodies the spirit of Centennial Campus. The work not only encapsulates the spirit of the university, but it also symbolizes collaboration across NC State, with contributions from the College of Design, @ncstateengr, @ncsulibraries and NC State Facilities.
🔗 Discover the magic on Centennial Campus and feel the Wolfpack pride through every piece of this extraordinary installation in our bio.
🚨 Exciting News! 🚨
Thanks to a generous $10M commitment from Peter A. Pappas, a 1983 graduate and CEO of Pappas Properties and Terwilliger Pappas, @ncstate is launching the Peter A. Pappas Real Estate Development Program! 🎓🏙️
This new program will be housed at the College of Design, and will provide a comprehensive education in real estate development, covering land-use, transportation, and open-space planning.
Building on the Initiative for Community Growth led by Chuck Flink, this program meets the growing demand for real estate education. Over 70 students from five colleges have already enrolled in initial courses. 📚💼
Plus, NC State students can now join the City Design Certificate program with a focus on real estate development. These elements will be integrated into the Pappas Real Estate Development Program.
Read more about this incredible gift and the new program addressing rapid growth in NC! Link in bio.
Be Transported to the Wild and Wacky Dimensions of Art2Wear 2024 🧵✂️🐺
On a balmy spring evening, in a packed house at Stewart Theater, students from the College of Design and across the university paraded their collections as part of Art2Wear 2024, pulling the audience into another dimension.
With each collection, designers led us into their own worlds, from the depths of the ocean to wind-swept dunes, even traveling into outer space.
The eight designers who showcased collections of four or more looks came from disciplines across the college, and their fields of study influenced their final looks.
Dive into all eight collections from the 2024 @ncsuart2wear experience in our bio!
🐺❤️☔️
It`s not just a playground. It`s a symbol of inclusivity, empowerment and hope. 🧑🦯🏞
Students of the Governor Morehead School (GMS) celebrated the redesign of their new Outdoor Learning Center in a ceremony on Thursday, April 11, surrounded by community members, builders and @ncstate_architecture students who contributed to the project’s design and much of the labor, both in the shop and on the site.
The project has been one of the most ambitious in the Freedom by Design (@fbd_ncsu) club, housed within the American Institute of Architects (@aiasncsu) student chapter at NC State. Students in Freedom by Design are committed to designing and building solutions to community problems, and have worked with teachers and administrators at the Governor Morehead School to anticipate and account for student needs in this space.
“This project represents countless hours of meetings, volunteer services, designs, redesigns and donated funds,” said Melvin Diggs, director of the Governor Morehead School. “Every part, every shape is designed to help support our students’ learning experience to build confidence in themselves to be empowered learners, seek out new challenges, and be the successful citizens we know that they will be.”
Read the full story in our bio.