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
A letter to our newest Designers. 💌🐾
The process of design might have ups and downs, but feeling at home with the College of Design is constant. To the students of #NCState28 and everyone who has yet to join us, we’re so glad you’re here! Here’s to everything you’re bound to create.
Love, @NCStateDesign.
🇵🇱🐺 The College of Design is thrilled to invite you to the Maciej & Stanislawa Nowicki Symposium & Exhibition, presented by the NC State School of Architecture, in collaboration with esteemed partners including the Polish-American Club of the Triangle and @polishculturalinstituteny.
🗓 Friday, September 13, 2024
📍 James B. Hunt, Jr. Library, NC State University, Raleigh, NC
Join us for a full day of engaging discussions, insightful presentations, and a Saturday tour, celebrating the profound impact of Maciej and Stanislawa Nowicki on American and Polish architecture.
This event will explore their legacy, including Stanislawa`s groundbreaking role as the first female professor of architecture in the U.S., and Maciej’s innovative collaborations.
🌟 Event Highlights:
💡 Morning Sessions: Conversations with experts, including a talk with Peter Nowicki.
🏛 Afternoon Sessions: Explore topics like Poland’s influence on modernism in North Carolina and the innovative design of Dorton Arena.
🤝 Evening Reception & Exhibition Opening: Connect with thought leaders and enjoy an exclusive exhibition walk.
🍽️ The Polish-American Club of the Triangle will generously provide food and refreshments.
This is a unique opportunity to explore the intersection of architecture, history, and culture.
👉 RSVP in our bio to secure your spot and be part of this enriching experience!
Congratulations to Industrial Design alumnus Danny Wang for winning the @idsadesign Student Merit Award for the South district! 👏🎉
This means Danny will compete at the International Design Conference & Education Symposium in Austin, Texas for the national award.
"As people, we often become stagnant and complacent with how things are, forgetting to ask ourselves how things could be," says Danny.
"As a designer, it is my responsibility to ask these `what if` questions that lead to new and unique experiences. I am very experimental with shapes and forms, often finding value in sparking new conversations rather than adhering to the status quo. My goal is to create evocative designs, that require a precise harmony between function, aesthetics, and user experience."
🏆 Read about the winning projects:
🚌 Micro-Mobility: AXL Micro-mobility is a micro car optimized for the American market. This micro-mobility solution is capable of high-speed travel by extending its wheels while in motion, offering stability on highways while being space-efficient in cities. The design language also echoes this theme of motion with aggressive diagonal lines and open spaces around the wheels.
👑 Tiara: Tiara is a personal electroencephalogram (EEG) monitoring device that helps chronic migraine users proactively anticipate and prevent the onset of migraine attacks. The device detects brain wave activities associated with migraine attacks, allowing the user to effectively prevent/prepare for the headache phase hours beforehand. The device is meant for daily monitoring applications, so the design resembles a fashion accessory with soft pillow forms and functional fabric decor.
⏳ Smart Timer: Boasting a one-finger activation method, the Smart Timer allows home bakers to not need to wash both hands before setting a timer. The Smart Timer takes our traditional understanding of a kitchen timer and ushers it into modernity. The goal was not to design a replacement for the kitchen timer (a phone timer app would suffice for that purpose) but to elevate this quintessential product to meet the user experience standards that modern industrial design demands.
💻 Visit dannyw.com for more!
Join the College of Design and @fishmarketncsu for their upcoming show, Summer B-Roll, in Downtown Raleigh! 🐟🐺🎨
Summer B-Roll is a multimedia exhibit, showcasing the creative personal projects that design students have worked on throughout summer 2024.
📅 September 6
⏰ 6:00 pm - 11:00 pm
📍 Fish Market Gallery, 133 Fayetteville St., Raleigh
🅿️ Parking can be found in the Municipal Parking Deck at 201 W Morgan St.
The Fish Market Gallery is still looking for student submissions! If you have creative photos to share from the summer or have artistic pieces that you’d like to hang on the Fish Market Gallery walls, we’d love to see them! Check out @fishmarketncsu’s submissions highlight to learn more. 💌
Featured Artists:
👩🎨 Sarah Jones, “L’Enfant Plaza Metro”
Sarah is an 18-year-old Indigenous graphic designer studying animation with a major in Media Arts, Design, and Technology (MADTech) and a minor in Film Studies. After taking a film photography class at the Crafts Center, she was eager to buy her own film camera to experiment with, resulting in this collection of photographs on her most recent family vacation to Washington, DC.
👩🎨 Sofia Mastorakis, “Self, Triptych”
Sofia Mastorakis is a senior in Industrial Design with an interest in fiber arts and installation sculpture. “Self, Triptych” was inspired by digital scanner photography. It was created by taking scans of hands grabbing various body parts and pressing them up against a scanner, then translating those images to embroidery.
👩🎨 Lucy Osborn, “Fracture”
Lucy Osborn, a senior in Art & Design, had the privilege of studying abroad in Prague this summer. By immersing herself in the diverse culture of the Czech Republic, Lucy was able to explore new printmaking and etching techniques in a professional setting. With these new experiences under her belt, Lucy is ready to continue as a more well-rounded designer.
👨🎨 Spencer Terry, “Stool”
Spencer is a senior in industrial design. He needed a stool for his workshop and decided it would be a good opportunity to explore wood joinery and manufacturing techniques to create a stool that would be reproducible using no fasteners.
Over the summer, Graphic and Experience Design student Melissa Ciro-Velasquez wanted to celebrate the incoming #NCState28 class with a brand-new sticker design. ✍️🐺
"My favorite aspect about design is how it combines creativity with functionality. A good design will look appealing while also solving real-life problems and enhances usability."
Ciro-Velasquez offers incoming students one piece of advice: don`t compare your work to other designers in your class.
"Everyone is different and has different skill levels and goals. I came into this school with no experience in design so it’s ok, you’re not alone, we are here to learn and grow!"
In Spring 2025, Ciro-Velasquez looks forward to studying abroad in Australia.
The sun is shining. The designers are designing. 🌅
Raise your ✋ if you are ready to ✨c r e a t e✨
Happy FDOC, designers!
“As long as humans are part of the equation, designers will be needed. Machines cannot truly understand the human experience." - Helen Armstrong, professor of graphic & experience design and director of graduate programs.
Is AI here to take over our jobs? We asked two faculty in the College of Design to explore the future of design within the realm of technology, and delve into some of the pros and cons of redefining their work with this endlessly-transforming industry.
While the nature of design has always been to explore, question, ideate, iterate, prototype, test and test again, newly emerging technologies related to Artificial Intelligence (AI) have the potential to disrupt our current cycles of work and propose new roles for a future generation of students.
Learn more about how the experts at the College of Design are talking about the challenges, opportunities and predictions surrounding AI in design: 🔗 in bio
Pictured:
1️⃣ Yash Shah, a student in the Master of Advanced Architectural Studies (MAAS) program, created a workflow with the generative AI platform Midjourney to visualize future scenes of the Matunga Market in Mumbai as an example of a vibrant and flexible model of urbanism and food production.
2️⃣ Erisa Harris, a student in Protz’s Advanced Architectural Design Studio, used Unreal Engine to create Icelandic turf houses, a near-extinct but promising example of biogenic building technology. Erisa used photos and the AI texture generator Poly to create the digital turf material.
3️⃣ Students Hannah Faub, Randa Hadi, Harrison Lyman and Matt Norton in Armstrong’s master of graphic & experience design class partnered with an auto parts company to explore how the company might ethically leverage machine learning to produce personalized, efficient, useful consumer interactions. The interface shows what a sales team member might see as an existing customer profile.
📲🎨 From sketching at Carowinds to mentoring the next generation of artists at @NCState, Roxanne Hicklin`s journey is a testament to her love of art and technology.
Hicklin, who isn’t an alumna, found her connection to NC State through the women’s basketball team. She was a personal friend of Kay Yow and was able to go with the teams on a few road trips while Yow was a coach. While she wishes she had attended NC State, she realized that she didn’t have to be an alumna to support the university.
Discover how her passion for art and philanthropy is making a difference. Tap the link in our bio to read more!
Please welcome Newton D`Souza as the College of Design`s new director of doctoral programs!
“As a land-grant university that significantly impacts educators and the broader community, I am enthusiastic about leading the doctoral programs at NC State College of Design and advancing interdisciplinary design scholarship.”
D’Souza will oversee the two doctoral programs offered by the college, a traditional PhD in Design program and a hybrid Doctor of Design degree.
He is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Ernest L. Boyer International Award for Excellence in Teaching, Learning and Technology and Award for Innovative Excellence in Teaching, Learning and Technology from the 25th International Conference on College Teaching and Learning, an Excellence in Teaching with Technology Award and a Distinguished Teacher Award from the University of Missouri, and the Chancellor’s Graduate Student Award from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
🗣 Hey Designers!
You are invited to the 7th annual Doctor of Design Symposium for Design Research, titled Design Beyond: Systems, Organizations, and Culture! Expand your design toolkit and gain a holistic perspective on tackling tomorrow`s challenges.
🗓️ Date: Friday, August 16, 2024
🕒 Time: 9:00 am - 2:00 pm (Virtual Event)
🔗 Register in bio
Join us for an immersive day of insights and discussions on the critical intersection of systems thinking, organizational design, and culture. This year’s symposium promises to be a deep dive into how design professionals and researchers approach complex challenges by understanding the interconnectedness of systems.
✨ Highlights include:
Keynote Address by Dr. Richard Buchanan on the transformative power of organizational design.
An Introduction to Systems Thinking by Dr. Pierce Edward Cornelius Otlhogile-Gordon, Ph.D.
A panel discussion on Systems Thinking in Theory and Practice featuring experts like Andrés Téllez, PhD, Bess Williamson, and more.
Networking Opportunities to connect with fellow design enthusiasts and professionals.
Whether you`re a seasoned designer, a graduate student, or simply passionate about the future of design, this event is a must-attend! Learn more and register in our bio.
The latest issue of Designlife Magazine is now online! 📲👀
While our last issue of Designlife Magazine focused on the college`s past in celebration of its 75th anniversary, this issue fulfills the second half of our vision - establishing the inspirational grounding for the future of design education.
We explored the future of design in four areas - education, community, climate and technology - tapping into the thought leadership of current and former faculty who are shepherding the generation of designers to prepare for an ever-evolving future.
Check out the full issue in our bio!