Max Cohen

Filming for NC State's eSports tournament taking place in the Virtual Production Lab

Jul 16, 2025

Designed to Play: The College of Design Makes Its Mark on Esports at NC State

NC State University’s esports program partnered with the College of Design to produce promotional content for the 2025 College League of Legends and Valorant Championship Grand Finals. Using virtual production technology, students created high-impact visuals that reflect the growing role of design and media in collegiate esports.

May 30, 2025

A Look Back at Art2Wear: Revive

In Art2Wear: Revive, students broke tradition and rebuilt something unforgettable. Through immersive design, mythic themes and a touch of plastic, the show redefined what wearable art can be.

Nov 22, 2024

NC State Creatives: Lauren Miller

Lauren Miller, a recent graduate of NC State’s College of Design, is an award-winning animator and storyteller. Her animated short Touch won ‘Best of the Fest’ at the Queer Expressions Film Festival. With a passion for human-centered design and uplifting underrepresented communities, Lauren creates work that resonates with diverse audiences.

Dare Coulter in front of book illustration

Jan 25, 2024

Alumna Dare Coulter wins 2024 Coretta Scott King Book Award

Alumna Dare Coulter [Art + Design ’15], illustrator of “An American Story,” is one of two winners of the 2024 Coretta Scott King Book Awards honoring African American authors and illustrators of outstanding books for children and young adults.

Portrait of Lesley-Ann Noel holding her recently published book, "Design Social Change."

Jan 10, 2024

Q&A: Lesley-Ann Noel on Her New Book, “Design Social Change”

Assistant Professor Lesley-Ann Noel’s recently-published book, titled “Design Social Change” was written as a guide for topics, mindsets and principles that designers can use to drive the way they think about change. We talked with Dr. Noel about the book’s mission and inspiration.

Portrait of Emily Burdo outside with sunflowers

Aug 29, 2023

Q&A | Emily Burdo on Embedded Counseling at the College of Design

Emily Burdo, LCSW, has taken on the role of a full-time embedded counselor at the College of Design. In her new capacity within the college, Burdo’s primary objective is to establish an inviting environment for personalized emotional support. Additionally, she aims to equip students with the necessary resources to explore various avenues of mental health assistance.

Susan Toplikar with her husband, Mike Cindric in 1996. Photo courtesy Design Dimension.

Jun 30, 2023

A Continuing Legacy: Susan Toplikar Fund Connects Students to Professionals

Through a fund named after one of the College of Design’s most missed instructors, students are gaining the opportunity to build new meaningful relationships with professionals across the Triangle.

Model walks wearing an item from Ellie Baker's collection “Vita naturilis” during the 2023 Art2Wear show. Her collection uses the movement in nature as kinetic forces in her design.

May 4, 2023

Art2Wear Celebrates Motion, Life and Change

Art2Wear 2023 had a mission to inspire students to create wearable art as part of a greater narrative that includes art, fashion, digital production, world-building and storytelling.

A partial rendering of the San Ignacio Church interior

Jan 9, 2023

A Digital Heritage: Interdisciplinary Project Aims to Bring Colombian Church to Life

By combining the fields of archaeology and 3D design, Assistant Professor of Archaeology Julie K. Wesp and Assistant Professor of Media Arts, Design and Technology, Justin Johnson are working together to bring a centuries-old church back to life.

Oct 14, 2022

Latinx Voices of Design: Clarissa Gernat

Clarissa Gernat is in her first year as a graduate student in the college’s Art+Design program. She shared her experiences growing up with her family in Honduras, how her heritage ties into her creativity and her experiences at the College of Design.

Screen Grab from Iyare Oronsaye's project "Juneteenth" for the Minnesota Historical Society

May 24, 2022

Student Profile: Iyare Oronsaye Seeks to Improve Diversity in Animation

Iyare Oronsaye is currently the director and assistant professor of the animation and illustration program at the University of Northwestern as well as a student practitioner in the College of Design’s Doctor of Design (DDes) program. As a DDes student, Oronsaye is researching how inclusivity can make positive impacts within the animation industry.

Barnstormers: Determined to Win to be shown at CannesXR

May 12, 2022

Art + Design’s Derek Ham to be Featured at Cannes

Department Head of Art + Design, Derek Ham, will have his most recent completed VR title, “Barnstormers: Determined to Win” shown in one of the world’s most well-known and prestigious film festivals – the 2022 Marché du Film – Festival de Cannes.

Apr 15, 2022

Art2Wear Takes the Stage in 2022

On April 27 in Talley Student Union’s Stewart Theatre, spotlights will once again shine on the runway following Art2Wear’s two-year hiatus from its widely anticipated in-person fashion show. The annual event is organized and hosted by the College of Design’s Art + Design department, and usually attracts about 1,000 attendees including NC State students, greater Raleigh community members and industry partners.

Jan 7, 2022

From A-to-Z: Lesley-Ann Noel and Decolonizing Design

Assistant Professor of Art + Design Dr. Leslie-Ann Noel aims to bring underrepresented voices into everyday design education through social innovation, inclusive community-led research and public health solutions. By creating tools such as the Designer’s Critical Alphabet and the “Who Am I” Positionality Wheel, she is making conversations around race and bias more common in classrooms and workplaces.

Nov 11, 2021

Nothing is Perfect: Meditation, Virtual Reality and Juvenile Justice

Most students detained at San Francisco’s Juvenile Hall have faced extreme hardships beginning at a very young age. So how can we aid the healing process through design? In Derek Ham’s ADN 560 studio, students were tasked with developing virtual worlds tailored to the specific needs and issues faced by incarcerated youth.

AIGA Worldstudio Scholarship Banner Image

Oct 26, 2021

Two Students Bring Home AIGA Worldstudio Scholarships

First year Art + Design student Olivia Santangelo and Art + Design sophomore Ajane “AJ” Lawrence each won awards for their bodies of work in the fields of graphic design and illustration, respectively.

Oct 1, 2021

Always the Gold Sandal

My mom, Dana, built tool sets at a tool factory; on the weekends she became a sexy Donna Karan power woman. My Grandma Hattie was a factory knitter, but she moonlighted as a feline Patrick Kelly–esque dame, particularly on Sundays. Read the full story by Charles Harbison for The Atlantic.

Jul 15, 2021

Angela Medlin: Doing the Long Math

Until she was in a position to hire talent while working for brands like Levi Strauss & Co, The North Face, Eddie Bauer, Nike and Adidas, Angela could not help but notice that she was the only Black designer in the room. After 30 years in the industry she made a life-changing decision – she was going to design for herself again.

Jun 24, 2021

The Show Never Stopped: Art2Wear Lives on in Virtual Museum

Unlike previous shows, this year’s virtual format showcases more than what audience members usually see on the runway. While many A2W attendees miss the in-person experience of shows past, they are now able to get an in-depth look at each designer’s process, story and inspiration behind their collections.

Save the date for the Art2Wear Event on June 11, 2021

Jun 3, 2021

Advance into Art2Wear 2021: Tickets Now Available

In celebration of the College of Design’s 20th annual fashion show, the department of Art + Design is ready to completely immerse audiences in their craft through its first-ever virtual reality experience.

Art-Design-Excellence-in-Assessment-Honoree

Dec 22, 2020

Masters of Art + Design Program Recognized for Excellence in Assessment

The Masters of Art + Design program has been recognized by the NC State Graduate School as a 2019-2020 Excellence in Assessment Honoree.

Justin-Johnson-Designlife-Podcast-Portrait

Aug 20, 2020

Designlife Podcast: Justin Johnson

Today we are discussing how gaming, especially in a virtual reality setting, can be applied to treating post traumatic stress disorder. We’re joined by NC State College of Design Assistant Professor and Doctor of Design student practitioner, Justin Johnson. As a combat veteran and lifelong gamer, Justin has been researching how the natural environment can be…

Aug 12, 2020

DDes Student Researching How to Design VR That Heals

Justin Johnson is researching how VR can be used to treat PTSD and promote cognitive restoration.

May 4, 2020

Julia Littleton: Balancing Cheer, Design and Graduation During COVID-19

Defying Expectations The worlds of design and athletics are equally demanding. Both require discipline, extensive training and a never-ending learning curve. To Julia Littleton, a […]