But no matter which path you choose, the College of Design will immerse you in a community of creative thinkers<\/strong> who aren\u2019t afraid to advance bold ideas, and help you connect your interests with the power of design thinking<\/strong> to shape the world for the better.<\/p>\n\n From an early age, Cora Jones, a sophomore majoring in media arts, design and technology, knew she didn\u2019t want to hold herself back from exploring the full possibilities of design. Traditional forms of art like drawing and painting grabbed her interests as a child, and those interests soon grew to include other artforms and experiences, like theater and digital art. It was this open-minded embrace of the creative process that drew her to the College of Design.<\/p>\n\n \u201cI never saw myself doing anything outside of creating and designing and making things,\u201d said Jones. \u201cBut when it came time to pick a college, I didn\u2019t want to limit myself to just one form or medium. I wanted to be somewhere where I could diversify my skills, instead of just honing in on one specific area.\u201d<\/p>\n\n Like Jones, Anna Bode, a senior majoring in design studies, grew up enjoying the creative process. Although she began her undergraduate studies majoring in marine biology at UNC-Wilmington, a \u201cmoment of realization\u201d in her first semester convinced Bode that her true calling lay in design. She then started to look for a school that could match her motivations.<\/p>\n\n \u201cThe College of Design appealed to me because of the interdisciplinary aspect of it,\u201d said Bode. \u201cI didn\u2019t know exactly what I wanted to study, but I knew I wanted it to be related to design. Knowing that the college offered so many options, I felt I had the flexibility to assess the situation and choose where I wanted to focus once I got here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n Bode and Jones found themselves in the right place, because the College of Design\u2019s First Year Experience gives all incoming students a broad exposure to the field of design<\/strong>. The introductory, interdisciplinary program combines hands-on studio courses with courses focused on the principles and processes behind design thinking \u2014 an iterative, solution-driven and people-centered model of thinking that can be applied across many fields to address complex challenges.<\/p>\n\n \u201cOne of the best things about the First Year Experience is getting all the different perspectives from people and the variety of experiences they were bringing into it,\u201d said Bode. \u201cIt provides a great foundation for everyone coming in.\u201d<\/p>\n\n \u201cYou\u2019re studying next to future industrial designers, architects and graphic designers,\u201d said Jones. \u201cIt\u2019s a great way to get you thinking, \u2018Sure, I may someday want to make furniture or be an architect or an animator \u2014 but before all that, let\u2019s take a step back and figure out how to be a designer, period.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n For first-year students, the fall semester features lecture and studio courses that intermix students who will go on to pursue different majors in the college. By the spring semester, students pick a focus and transition to discipline-based courses that impart the fundamental skills they\u2019ll need for their majors.<\/p>\n\n Jones\u2019 love for combining multiple artforms into her creative activities led her toward the media arts, design and technology major \u2014 often shortened to MADTech \u2014 which produces visual storytellers who are comfortable working across creative mediums. Bode\u2019s interests in history and social issues drew her to design studies, a program that combines research, writing and exhibition to investigate how design influences \u2014 and is influenced by \u2014 human behaviors and values.<\/p>\n\n Once sophomore year rolls around, courses become geared even more toward specific design disciplines<\/strong>. Most of the pathways students can follow, however, continue to emphasize interdisciplinary learning. Jones, as a member of the MADTech program\u2019s first cohort, appreciates that students in her major are encouraged to innovate and push beyond disciplinary boundaries as they grow with the program.<\/p>\n\n \u201cWhat I particularly love about the MADTech program is the emphasis on experimentation and the fact that we\u2019re not always building something to be functional in a way that, say, an architect designs a building,\u201d said Jones. \u201cOften, we\u2019re working in a digital space and using images to tell stories that resonate with people.\u201d<\/p>\n\n In one memorable assignment, a Halloween-themed multimedia project called \u201cMotion and the Macabre,\u201d Jones \u2014 not typically inclined to weave horror elements into her storytelling \u2014 went outside her comfort zone to create a stop-motion video that did just that. The video featured a dancer who, just as she\u2019s starting her routine, removes her gloves to reveal a spooky surprise: the muscles of her hand hiding underneath.<\/p>\n\n \u201cIt was a project that involved a ton of mediums and pushed me to try something different, and I had so much fun with it,\u201d said Jones. \u201cI went to the Makerspace for the first time, which is free to use, and I printed everything I needed to get it done.\u201d<\/p>\n\n Inspired by the try-anything philosophy of her major, Jones embraces a variety of design-related experiences at NC State. She works as a design editor for the campus arts and literary magazine Windhover<\/a><\/em>, and she even modeled for the college\u2019s annual Art2Wear<\/a> show, displaying articles of wearable paper that she created with other students as part of their First Year Experience.<\/p>\n\n Jones hasn\u2019t decided which MADTech concentration she\u2019ll pursue as a junior \u2014 soft construction and fibers, game design and interactive media or animation \u2014 and graduation is a few years off, but she feels confident that she\u2019s acquiring the versatile design toolkit to excel wherever her path takes her.<\/p>\n\n \u201cI feel myself growing toward a role as a creative director of some sort, and definitely working closely with other creative people,\u201d said Jones. \u201cBut with how fast things are changing in the design industry, the job title I might have one day \u2014 maybe it doesn\u2019t even exist today.\u201d<\/p>\n\n Bode, as a senior, is closer to defining her focus in design. Her early courses in design studies opened her mind to the many ways design intersects with human activities, and motivated her to better understand those intersections.<\/p>\n\n In one project, Bode and her classmates researched accessibility handbooks from real-world companies, then outlined key elements for designers to consider \u2014 like the use of ramps and braille signage \u2014 in designing environments that are accessible for all users.<\/p>\n\n \u201cEver since that project, I\u2019m constantly walking around noticing designs that have those accessibility features built into them,\u201d said Bode. \u201cAnd I also notice designs that might be lacking them, where someone could come in and make that experience better for people.\u201d<\/p>\n\n As a history minor, Bode tailored her studies to incorporate her historical interests and explore the role of design in shaping societal values. In her senior capstone project, she\u2019s analyzing the shift to modern art that took place from the mid-19th to the mid-20th centuries as she seeks to explain how that shift influenced cultural movements and countermovements.<\/p>\n\n \u201cAt first, I thought my capstone had to fit rigidly into the confines of design,\u201d said Bode. \u201cI didn\u2019t feel like I could blend design and history in the same project. But my professors gave me the opportunity, confidence and assurance to do it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n Bode pictures herself designing exhibits \u2014 possibly in a museum setting \u2014 to help people better understand how history has molded human experiences. She plans to apply to NC State\u2019s Master of Arts in Public History program, and she\u2019s confident that the knowledge she\u2019s gained in the College of Design will help her achieve her goals.<\/p>\n\n \u201cI\u2019ve learned that a lot of bad design has come from designers only thinking about themselves as the user of a product or experience, which can limit that experience for many users,\u201d said Bode. \u201cI know that I want to design historical learning spaces that are accessible for everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n\n The College of Design puts its graduates in positions to succeed, wherever they choose to go; it also provides plenty of opportunities for them to grow within the college, as graduate students<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n Tatiana Veloso came to NC State from her home country of Brazil in 2022 to study in the Master of Landscape Architecture (MLA) program, drawn by the reputation of its world-class faculty and the opportunity to learn from them. As an undergraduate, she merged her interests in engineering and design to find her focus in architecture and urbanism. For her graduate studies at NC State, she shifted slightly, to landscape architecture, where she feels she\u2019ll have the greatest hand in improving the spaces that shape people\u2019s daily lives.<\/p>\n\n \u201cWhat interests me is public space, designing public spaces and thinking about how to advance social equity and environmental justice in the public realm,\u201d said Veloso.<\/p>\n\n Now in her final semester, Veloso is preparing for her comprehensive MLA oral exam, her last major milestone before she graduates this spring.<\/p>\n\n For the exam, students choose topics \u2014 their \u201cdesign imperatives\u201d \u2014 that reflect what they believe is their greatest purpose as a designer. Veloso is focusing on the unique challenges confronting community planners in Rio de Janeiro, on the coast of her native Brazil, where 1.5 million people live in impoverished conditions in informal settlements called favelas. In these neighborhoods, the risks from natural hazards, like flooding, have only worsened with a warming climate and with increased development in the surrounding city.<\/p>\n\n \u201cMy topic is looking at how to co-create climate resilience with residents of these settlements in a way that\u2019s equitable and that incorporates community engagement,\u201d said Veloso. \u201cIt\u2019s all about preparing these environments for climate change and risk in general, and improving the well-being of these communities.\u201d<\/p>\n\n In her studio courses, Veloso is gaining hands-on experience navigating the same kinds of land use problems her design imperative is aimed at solving. She\u2019s also strengthening her ability to collaborate with stakeholders and with other designers.<\/p>\n\n This semester, Veloso and her classmates are helping to analyze the climate-related vulnerabilities facing a small urban community in southeast North Carolina, as they work with that community to implement resilient landscape solutions, such as cultivating \u201cliving shorelines\u201d of vegetation along a riverfront to manage flooding.<\/p>\n\n \u201cWe were just in the Wilmington area to learn more about the community, Belville, that we\u2019re designing solutions for,\u201d said Veloso. \u201cWe ate dinner together and then walked around the area to get to know the waterfront and the town center. Those site visits, where I get to know North Carolina and my classmates better at the same time, are among my favorite experiences in the program.\u201d<\/p>\n\n There are countless ways to amplify your College of Design experience<\/strong> through out-of-class activities, community connections and memory-making moments.<\/p>\n\n Cora Jones<\/strong> has spent her freshman and sophomore years living in the Arts Village, fully immersing herself in the Wolfpack\u2019s wider art and design community:<\/p>\n\n \u201cBeing around so many creative people all the time, it really feeds my soul.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n Anna Bode<\/strong> took her interests in history and design overseas last spring, studying abroad in Florence, Italy:<\/p>\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s one thing to learn about art and design, to read about it or see it on a screen. But being able to experience it firsthand \u2014 in the literal birthplace of the Renaissance \u2014 it gives you a whole new understanding and appreciation.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n Tatiana Veloso<\/strong>\u2019s involvement in the Student American Society of Landscape Architects (SASLA) has given her opportunities to grow as a leader in design: <\/p>\n\n \u201cSASLA organizes a lunch with visiting lecturers to the college, so students can ask them questions and engage with them in a different format. We also have a professional development team that organizes networking events and provides guidance on professional development.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div><\/span><\/span>Expand to read more<\/span>Collapse<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/aside>\n\n\n\n Veloso is not yet sure where she\u2019ll be headed after graduation, but she feels her experiences in the College of Design are preparing her to implement professional solutions in real-world communities, and contribute to more equitable and sustainable designs. When Veloso speaks of her experiences in the MLA program, she could easily be speaking for the college as a whole.<\/p>\n\n \u201cThe faculty are doing amazing research on the cutting edge of different areas of design, and many students are involved in that research as well,\u201d said Veloso. \u201cAs a cohort, we exchange ideas and help each other work through problems. Everybody has a different process to design, and the best part is that we all get to learn from each other.\u201d<\/p> This post was originally published<\/a> in NC State News.<\/em><\/p>","protected":false,"raw":" \u201cGood design changes lives.\u201d That\u2019s a motto repeated often in the College of Design \u2014 and it\u2019s certainly true for the students who come to learn in its classrooms and studios.<\/p>\n\n Students in the college can pick from one of five undergraduate pathways<\/strong>: architecture, design studies, graphic and experience design, industrial design, or media arts, design and technology. Each program prepares students for rewarding careers that enable them to bring the benefits of good design to the world, and most of these pathways offer graduate degrees.<\/p>\n\n But no matter which path you choose, the College of Design will immerse you in a community of creative thinkers<\/strong> who aren\u2019t afraid to advance bold ideas, and help you connect your interests with the power of design thinking<\/strong> to shape the world for the better.<\/p>\n\n From an early age, Cora Jones, a sophomore majoring in media arts, design and technology, knew she didn\u2019t want to hold herself back from exploring the full possibilities of design. Traditional forms of art like drawing and painting grabbed her interests as a child, and those interests soon grew to include other artforms and experiences, like theater and digital art. It was this open-minded embrace of the creative process that drew her to the College of Design.<\/p>\n\n \u201cI never saw myself doing anything outside of creating and designing and making things,\u201d said Jones. \u201cBut when it came time to pick a college, I didn\u2019t want to limit myself to just one form or medium. I wanted to be somewhere where I could diversify my skills, instead of just honing in on one specific area.\u201d<\/p>\n\n Like Jones, Anna Bode, a senior majoring in design studies, grew up enjoying the creative process. Although she began her undergraduate studies majoring in marine biology at UNC-Wilmington, a \u201cmoment of realization\u201d in her first semester convinced Bode that her true calling lay in design. She then started to look for a school that could match her motivations.<\/p>\n\n \u201cThe College of Design appealed to me because of the interdisciplinary aspect of it,\u201d said Bode. \u201cI didn\u2019t know exactly what I wanted to study, but I knew I wanted it to be related to design. Knowing that the college offered so many options, I felt I had the flexibility to assess the situation and choose where I wanted to focus once I got here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n Bode and Jones found themselves in the right place, because the College of Design\u2019s First Year Experience gives all incoming students a broad exposure to the field of design<\/strong>. The introductory, interdisciplinary program combines hands-on studio courses with courses focused on the principles and processes behind design thinking \u2014 an iterative, solution-driven and people-centered model of thinking that can be applied across many fields to address complex challenges.<\/p>\n\n \u201cOne of the best things about the First Year Experience is getting all the different perspectives from people and the variety of experiences they were bringing into it,\u201d said Bode. \u201cIt provides a great foundation for everyone coming in.\u201d<\/p>\n\n \u201cYou\u2019re studying next to future industrial designers, architects and graphic designers,\u201d said Jones. \u201cIt\u2019s a great way to get you thinking, \u2018Sure, I may someday want to make furniture or be an architect or an animator \u2014 but before all that, let\u2019s take a step back and figure out how to be a designer, period.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n For first-year students, the fall semester features lecture and studio courses that intermix students who will go on to pursue different majors in the college. By the spring semester, students pick a focus and transition to discipline-based courses that impart the fundamental skills they\u2019ll need for their majors.<\/p>\n\n Jones\u2019 love for combining multiple artforms into her creative activities led her toward the media arts, design and technology major \u2014 often shortened to MADTech \u2014 which produces visual storytellers who are comfortable working across creative mediums. Bode\u2019s interests in history and social issues drew her to design studies, a program that combines research, writing and exhibition to investigate how design influences \u2014 and is influenced by \u2014 human behaviors and values.<\/p>\n\n Once sophomore year rolls around, courses become geared even more toward specific design disciplines<\/strong>. Most of the pathways students can follow, however, continue to emphasize interdisciplinary learning. Jones, as a member of the MADTech program\u2019s first cohort, appreciates that students in her major are encouraged to innovate and push beyond disciplinary boundaries as they grow with the program.<\/p>\n\n \u201cWhat I particularly love about the MADTech program is the emphasis on experimentation and the fact that we\u2019re not always building something to be functional in a way that, say, an architect designs a building,\u201d said Jones. \u201cOften, we\u2019re working in a digital space and using images to tell stories that resonate with people.\u201d<\/p>\n\n In one memorable assignment, a Halloween-themed multimedia project called \u201cMotion and the Macabre,\u201d Jones \u2014 not typically inclined to weave horror elements into her storytelling \u2014 went outside her comfort zone to create a stop-motion video that did just that. The video featured a dancer who, just as she\u2019s starting her routine, removes her gloves to reveal a spooky surprise: the muscles of her hand hiding underneath.<\/p>\n\n \u201cIt was a project that involved a ton of mediums and pushed me to try something different, and I had so much fun with it,\u201d said Jones. \u201cI went to the Makerspace for the first time, which is free to use, and I printed everything I needed to get it done.\u201d<\/p>\n\n Inspired by the try-anything philosophy of her major, Jones embraces a variety of design-related experiences at NC State. She works as a design editor for the campus arts and literary magazine Windhover<\/a><\/em>, and she even modeled for the college\u2019s annual Art2Wear<\/a> show, displaying articles of wearable paper that she created with other students as part of their First Year Experience.<\/p>\n\n Jones hasn\u2019t decided which MADTech concentration she\u2019ll pursue as a junior \u2014 soft construction and fibers, game design and interactive media or animation \u2014 and graduation is a few years off, but she feels confident that she\u2019s acquiring the versatile design toolkit to excel wherever her path takes her.<\/p>\n\n \u201cI feel myself growing toward a role as a creative director of some sort, and definitely working closely with other creative people,\u201d said Jones. \u201cBut with how fast things are changing in the design industry, the job title I might have one day \u2014 maybe it doesn\u2019t even exist today.\u201d<\/p>\n\n Bode, as a senior, is closer to defining her focus in design. Her early courses in design studies opened her mind to the many ways design intersects with human activities, and motivated her to better understand those intersections.<\/p>\n\n In one project, Bode and her classmates researched accessibility handbooks from real-world companies, then outlined key elements for designers to consider \u2014 like the use of ramps and braille signage \u2014 in designing environments that are accessible for all users.<\/p>\n\n \u201cEver since that project, I\u2019m constantly walking around noticing designs that have those accessibility features built into them,\u201d said Bode. \u201cAnd I also notice designs that might be lacking them, where someone could come in and make that experience better for people.\u201d<\/p>\n\n As a history minor, Bode tailored her studies to incorporate her historical interests and explore the role of design in shaping societal values. In her senior capstone project, she\u2019s analyzing the shift to modern art that took place from the mid-19th to the mid-20th centuries as she seeks to explain how that shift influenced cultural movements and countermovements.<\/p>\n\n \u201cAt first, I thought my capstone had to fit rigidly into the confines of design,\u201d said Bode. \u201cI didn\u2019t feel like I could blend design and history in the same project. But my professors gave me the opportunity, confidence and assurance to do it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n Bode pictures herself designing exhibits \u2014 possibly in a museum setting \u2014 to help people better understand how history has molded human experiences. She plans to apply to NC State\u2019s Master of Arts in Public History program, and she\u2019s confident that the knowledge she\u2019s gained in the College of Design will help her achieve her goals.<\/p>\n\n \u201cI\u2019ve learned that a lot of bad design has come from designers only thinking about themselves as the user of a product or experience, which can limit that experience for many users,\u201d said Bode. \u201cI know that I want to design historical learning spaces that are accessible for everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n\n The College of Design puts its graduates in positions to succeed, wherever they choose to go; it also provides plenty of opportunities for them to grow within the college, as graduate students<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n Tatiana Veloso came to NC State from her home country of Brazil in 2022 to study in the Master of Landscape Architecture (MLA) program, drawn by the reputation of its world-class faculty and the opportunity to learn from them. As an undergraduate, she merged her interests in engineering and design to find her focus in architecture and urbanism. For her graduate studies at NC State, she shifted slightly, to landscape architecture, where she feels she\u2019ll have the greatest hand in improving the spaces that shape people\u2019s daily lives.<\/p>\n\nFind Your Focus in Design<\/h2>\n\n
![\"College](\"https:\/\/news.ncsu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Cora-Jones-12.jpg\")
<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a>Grow Toward Your Interests<\/h2>\n\n
<\/a><\/a>Level Up Through Graduate Studies<\/h2>\n\n
<\/a>Find Your Focus in Design<\/h2>\n\n
<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a>Grow Toward Your Interests<\/h2>\n\n
<\/a><\/a>Level Up Through Graduate Studies<\/h2>\n\n