August 14, 2026

The 2026 Designlife Magazine

The 2026 issue of the annual Designlife Magazine is here! Read about what our students, faculty and alumni have been up to over the past year.

July 24, 2026

Installation Bridges Playful, Eye-Catching Art With Agricultural Sciences

You’ve heard of the butterfly effect, the idea that a seemingly small event like a butterfly flapping its wings can have large consequences thousands of miles away. NC State designers hope the installation they call The Butterfly Effect have its own rippling influence.

July 21, 2026

Designing with Sustainability: Old Tree Gets New Life in Urban Wood Course

When a dying oak tree in the Brooks Hall courtyard had to be taken down, Audrey Barnes ’03 decided to give it new life. In spring 2026, the tree was ready to begin its next chapter.

July 21, 2026

Re:purposed Explores the Future of Industrial Design

A new documentary, re:purposed — the evolution of industrial design, explores how the field is moving beyond mass production toward collaboration, empathy, systems thinking and sustainability. Co-produced by NC State College of Design department head Audrey Barnes and filmmaker John Trice, the film brings together designers, educators and industry leaders to examine the profession’s past, present and future.

July 09, 2026

A Decade of Vision: Ten Years of Transformative Leadership

Over the past decade, Dean Hoversten has led the NC State College of Design through a period of growth, expanded impact and deepened community. 

July 01, 2026

New Members Join College of Design Leaders Council

Seven new members join the College of Design Leaders Council in 2026, an advisory body to the college. In addition to the new cohort of members, president Jennifer Heintz will step down as Betsy Peters Rascoe assumes the role for the next two years.

June 23, 2026

Designing Together: Inside the First GXD+ID Joint Studio with Lenovo

In a new sponsored studio from Lenovo, students from industrial design and graphic & experience design came together to work as unified, holistic design teams. The studio asks a fundamental question: what happens when hardware and software designers learn to think and build together from the start?

June 01, 2026

An Unlikely Path: How Industrial Design Led Ted Maliga to the U.S. Secret Service

On first look, a degree in industrial design may not seem like a typical pathway into national security. However, for Ted Maliga, a graduate from NC State University’s College of Design, that connection led to a 25-year career with the U.S. Secret Service. During his tenure as chief technology officer and assistant director for the Office of Technological Development and Applied Research, Maliga helped the Secret Service tackle some of the most complicated security challenges. 

May 05, 2026

Our 2026 Graduates’ Stories

NC State alumni do amazing things. They expand access to education. They discover new pterosaurs. They travel around the moon. (If you’re new here, this is a Christina Koch fan site.) On Saturday, May 9, more than 7,400 graduates will become Wolfpack alumni. Many of them have already done amazing things during their time as students…

February 06, 2026

College of Design Dean Mark Hoversten to Step Down

College of Design Dean Mark Hoversten will step down effective July 1, 2026, after dedicating a decade of service to NC State.

January 28, 2026

Design Authorship in the AI Age

Assistant professor in NC State University’s College of Design Byungsoo Kim is conducting a study exploring students’ perceived sense of authorship — the comfort level in claiming designs as their own — when they incorporate AI tools into their creative process.

November 10, 2025

Rooted at NC State: Red Dot Design Award Winner Showcases Research-Design-Industry Partnership

What began as a classroom challenge to improve care for mothers and newborns has grown into an award-winning medical device. After studying how hospital design made it difficult for mothers recovering from cesarean birth to reach their infants, NC State industrial design students collaborated with UNC researchers and design firm Trig to create the Couplet Care Bassinet. Now used in hospitals across the U.S., the bassinet allows new mothers to safely connect with their babies — a powerful example of design improving everyday lives.