All News

Nov 25, 2024

Doctoral Students Showcase Work through Design Probes: Research Strands

On November 21, the College of Design's doctoral programs brought together practitioners from the Doctor of Design and PhD in Design programs to showcase their outstanding research in a poster session and review titled "Design Probes: Research Strands." Students bridge academia and practice across diverse design fields, and the event showcased the collaborative ecosystem that spans the college's four departments and fosters a vibrant environment for interdisciplinary perspectives.

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.

Nov 12, 2024

Cultivating Design Solutions with Green Heffa Farms

In the spring of 2024, PhD student and instructor Erin White brought students from his D101 Design Thinking course to solve multiple challenges faced at Green Heffa Farms. The students, many of whom are not design majors, addressed challenges such as storage issues, workflow efficiency and social media strategy.

Oct 24, 2024

Work underway on Goldsboro flood mitigation and resilience project: three projects aim to protect property and increase flood resilience

A partnership between the state and City of Goldsboro has resulted in the completion of the Goldsboro Community Floodprint, and the initial implementation of the plan’s recommendations. The floodprint is a local plan that contains flood mitigation and resilience recommendations developed through public input and planning. Funded by the N.C. Office of Recovery and Resiliency (NCORR) using the state’s HUD mitigation grant and led by the N.C. State University Coastal Dynamics Design Lab (CDDL), this is the second of ten CDDL/NCORR community floodprints to be completed.

Oct 21, 2024

College of Design Chooses Matt Checkowski ‘98 as 2024 Distinguished Alumnus

The College of Design is proud to recognize Matt Checkowski [BGD ‘98] as this year’s distinguished alumnus. Checkowski, vice president of multisensory brand innovation and strategy at Mastercard, will be honored at the Wolfpack Boards Luncheon in October and serve as the College of Design spring 2025 commencement speaker.  Matt Checkowski’s work explores the intersections of design, narrative and technology, working across boundaries to elevate and expand storytelling. 

Oct 8, 2024

Shawcroft Drawing Competition Celebrates 30th Year

Four students were awarded prizes for their work during the 30th Shawcroft Drawing Competition. Submissions are judged based on students’ use of hand drawing skills in the categories of the design process, documentation and analysis, and presentation.

Sep 25, 2024

Memorializing Flooding: How a Chance Collaboration Led to a Landmark Public Art Project

In the world of design and public art, serendipity often plays a pivotal role. This was certainly the case for a group of designers and artists who, after initially crossing paths in the College of Design, found themselves working together years later on a significant public art project in Raleigh. This project, which began as an educational initiative, ultimately evolved into a large-scale installation that engages the community on multiple levels.

Sep 17, 2024

Landscape Architecture Students Win National Awards for Fourth Year in a Row

The Department of Landscape Architecture and Environmental planning is thrilled to share that student teams won national ASLA awards for the fourth year in a row. Since 2020, student teams in the Master of Landscape Architecture program have won 12 awards nationally.

Sep 11, 2024

Gallery: The 2024 Envisioning Research Winners

From volcanoes to microscopic polymers, NC State researchers highlighted their vital work in natural resources, biochemistry, engineering and more through the 2024 Envisioning Research Contest.

Sep 10, 2024

Sight Unseen, Students Design UX for Intelligence Analysts

A Fictitious Terrorist Attack “In 2019 a bombing killed two people and injured others in the city of Macondo, a mountain town in Oceania. A commercially made drone fitted with…

Sep 10, 2024

Sight Unseen, Students Design UX for Intelligence Analysts

A Fictitious Terrorist Attack “In 2019 a bombing killed two people and injured others in the city of Macondo, a mountain town in Oceania. A commercially made drone fitted with…

Sep 3, 2024

Recent Grad Brings Home 2024 IDSA Student Merit Award

Industrial Design alumnus Danny Wang [BID '24] recently won the IDSA Student Merit Award for the South District. This means Danny will compete at the International Design Conference & Education Symposium in Austin, Texas September 11-13 for the national award.

Aug 26, 2024

The Scope of Our Research: Winners of the 2024 Envisioning Research Contest

The 2024 Envisioning Research contest captures the spectacular landscape of research being conducted at NC State.

Aug 20, 2024

Bringing New Life to Paper Streets 

The City of Durham has over 600 “paper streets” - narrow strips of land planned for use as a street, but never built. College of Design students partnered with the city’s Office of Performance and Innovation to bring new life to these previously underutilized spaces, envisioning micro-parks, art installations, educational outdoor spaces, and valuable pedestrian corridors.

Aug 15, 2024

“A remix of Pink Floyd, 2001 Space Odyssey and Akira” – Faculty member enters Pink Floyd animation competition

Marc Russo can distinctly remember one of his first introductions to Pink Floyd. He was sitting on the front steps of his friend’s house in 1980, listening to “The Wall”, and he was 11 years old. “It was like a battle cry,” he says. “I didn’t understand much more of the album, but I was connected to this song.” 44 years after that first encounter, Russo, alumnus and associate professor of media arts, design and technology,  is connecting his love of Pink Floyd with his professional work in a different way - designing an animation as entry for a contest hosted by the band to celebrate the 50th anniversary of their release of “Dark Side of the Moon.”

Jul 30, 2024

Newton D’Souza to lead doctoral programs for the College of Design

Newton D’Souza, PhD will head up a new doctoral programs unit within the College of Design at North Carolina State University, effective August 12, 2024. 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.

Jul 30, 2024

A Love of Art and Technology

Roxanne Hicklin graduated with a BA in Fine Arts from Salem College. She spent her summers as a sketch artist at Carowinds, capturing quick likenesses of people on the sidewalk before their attention wandered, along with their feet. Following graduation, she was able to parlay that skill into working at Channel 5 News as a courtroom sketch artist, learning graphic arts and computer animation while there. Her ability to be adaptable and always learning on the job led her from Channel 5 to SAS, and finally landing as a volunteer and philanthropist at NC State, where she’s mentoring and nurturing a new generation of artists.

Jul 26, 2024

Audrey Lankford Barnes joins College of Design as Department Head of Graphic Design and Industrial Design

The College of Design at North Carolina State University is pleased to announce the appointment of Audrey Lankford Barnes as the new Department Head of Graphic Design and Industrial Design, effective August 1, 2024. Barnes joins us from James Madison University (JMU), where she served as an Associate Professor and Area Head of Industrial Design in the School of Art, Design and Art History.

Jul 25, 2024

The Future of Design in Technology

How will technology continue to affect our role as designers? We interviewed two faculty in the College of Design to explore technology’s role as it relates to ideation, human-machine teaming, and the impacts on our rights and resources.

Jul 16, 2024

Crowning Glory: Industrial Design Alumna Featured at CAM

Samantha Everette's love for photography began while studying abroad in Ghana as an industrial design student. Equipped for the first time with a semi-professional camera, she immediately experienced the joy of capturing portraits of people and their culture. Now, her work is making waves in the Triangle's creative community.

Jul 15, 2024

Designing a Path Through Mental Health: Wellness in the First Year Experience

Following several major grants awarded to the College of Design by the NC State University Foundation, the First Year Experience has blossomed into a program that integrates wellness and mental health awareness into an interdisciplinary design curriculum. The College of Design is a very close-knit community, and most of the first year involves practicing intellectual risk-taking through studio-based learning. The wellness-informed curriculum was created because the freshman experience in design bridges the vast threshold or transition between high school and college where students are expected to routinely fail and subsequently grow through trial and error.

Jun 18, 2024

College of Design Students and Faculty Win Awards at NCASLA

Students, faculty and alumni attended the NCASLA Conference in Asheville, receiving multiple awards and presenting to professionals from across the state. The Department of Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning sponsored fourteen Master of Landscape Architecture (MLA) students in the College of Design to attend the event.

Jun 5, 2024

MADTech Department Head Derek Ham accepts new position as director of Carnegie Mellon University’s Entertainment Technology Center

MADTech Department Head Derek Ham, PhD, has accepted a new position as director of Carnegie Mellon University (CMU)'s Entertainment Technology Center (ETC) in Pittsburgh, PA, effective September 1.

Jun 5, 2024

Student Art Sale Soars to New Heights; Largest Sale To Date

The 2024 Student Art Sale featured work from over 75 artists across 11 colleges at NC State, granting student artists of all disciplines an opportunity to be represented and share their art. The 2024 Visual Artist Winners are Sean Evans, a second year majoring in graphic and experience design, with the piece “Platinum” for the 2D category, Erin Emott, a graduate student in plant biology, with the piece “Skelly” for the 3D category and Jack E. McKissock, a first year in media arts and technology, with the piece “Sahbabii” for the digital category.

May 20, 2024

New Gift From Peter A. Pappas ’83 Will Transform Real Estate Development in North Carolina

With a significant contribution from Peter A. Pappas ’83, NC State will become home to a new program that will prepare students for careers in real estate development. The Peter A. Pappas Real Estate Development Program will provide a comprehensive approach to real estate development, focusing on land-use, transportation and open-space planning.

May 6, 2024

Reds and Whites: A Work of Art Anchors Centennial Campus

Thanks to an NC State connection, a masterwork by world-renowned artist Larry Bell is cementing a sense of place on the university’s Centennial Campus.

Apr 30, 2024

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.

Apr 25, 2024

Freedom by Design Celebrates with Custom-Designed Outdoor Learning Center

Students of the Governor Morehead School (GMS) celebrated the redesign of their new Outdoor Learning Center surrounded by community members, builders and NC State students who contributed to the project’s design and much of the labor, both in the shop and on the site. 

Apr 19, 2024

NC State Creatives: Ashtyn Thomas

To first-year architecture student Ashtyn Thomas, design represents possibility and opportunity. In addition to celebrating her Lumbee identity and community, she is using her passion to design spaces that provide economic stability, cultural enrichment and resilience for indigenous communities throughout North Carolina.

Apr 19, 2024

Meet Rheanna Murray

Program/Term: Spring Classic, 2023 Major/College: Graphic Design, College of Design Rheanna’s passion for design and eagerness to study abroad to keep up with the family tradition has taken her all…

Apr 15, 2024

Designing an Inclusive College Experience

For College of Design alumnus Demarcus Williams. giving back is about helping current and future students have the same experience or one that’s even better.

Apr 12, 2024

2023-24 University Teaching Awards Announced

NC State has honored 40 faculty for their commitment to educational excellence with the 2023-24 University Teaching Awards. Award recipients were recognized at a University Teaching Awards Luncheon and Ceremony on Thursday, April 11 at the Dorothy and Roy Park Alumni Center.

Apr 11, 2024

Unity Through Design: Q&A with Melissa Manjarrez Dominguez

Raised in the heart of a community ravaged by cartel fighting, Melissa Manjarrez Dominguez witnessed firsthand the spread of violence and fear. Yet, amid the chaos, she also observed something remarkable – the power of certain spaces to bring people together, offering respite from the turmoil and fostering unity.

Apr 8, 2024

Tom Barrie Wins University’s Highest Honor 

Professor of Architecture Thomas Barrie is a recipient of the university’s highest honor for faculty, the Alexander Quarles Holladay Medal for Excellence. The award is bestowed by the NC State Board of Trustees and recognizes members of the faculty whose careers have demonstrated outstanding achievement and sustained impact in research, teaching or extension and engagement. 

Apr 5, 2024

Winners Named for 2024 Graduate Research Symposium

Nearly 200 NC State graduate students presented their research projects during the 17th annual Graduate Student Research Symposium, 27 top performers awarded.

Apr 3, 2024

Four Faculty Win Holladay Medal

Four faculty members received the Alexander Quarles Holladay Medal for Excellence, the highest honor bestowed by NC State and the university’s Board of Trustees. Chancellor Randy Woodson will recognize the awardees during the Celebration of Faculty Excellence on April 30.

Apr 2, 2024

NC State Alum Bridges Cultures through Graphic Design

Harnessing her creativity in design and typography, Blair Richardson, a graduate of the graphic design program at NC State, has connected cultures worldwide throughout her successful career. She has lent her design and typography skills to countless clients and projects, from cookbooks to museum exhibitions.

Apr 1, 2024

M. Elen Deming Honored for Exceptional Service to CELA and LAF

Educator and researcher M. Elen Deming was presented with the Forster Ndubisi Professional Service Award at the Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture (CELA) Dinner on March 22, 2024.

Mar 27, 2024

Artificial Apotheosis: The Student Publication, Volume 40

This year’s Student Publication, volume 40, explores the intersection of design and spirituality. Editor Steven Nohren dove headfirst into editing the publication as a design studies student, returning full-time after taking a sabbatical during the pandemic. Now, he’s attending talks on AI and approaching professionals to contribute to one of the college’s oldest print media. 

Mar 8, 2024

Two Graphic Design Students Featured in GDUSA’s Students to Watch

Graphic Design students Erin Secosky and Bhavana Veeravalli were recently featured as part of GDUSA’s 2024 “Students to Watch” list.

Mar 5, 2024

Matthew Peterson named University Faculty Scholar

Matthew Peterson is an associate professor of graphic & experience design and one of 22 educators institution-wide chosen as part of the 2023-2024 NC State University Faculty Scholars cohort. The program, begun in 2012 by Chancellor Randy Woodson, recognizes and rewards emerging academic leaders who demonstrate significant academic achievement. Once selected, faculty carry the title for the duration of their appointment.

Feb 28, 2024

A Groundbreaking Designer’s NC State Roots

Brandon Johnson has known what he wanted to do for a career since he spent a good part of his seventh-grade English class doodling golf course designs on his blue-lined notebook paper. When he came to NC State in the fall of 1992, he told advisor Art Rice his goal was to create golf courses, which…

Feb 27, 2024

Noelle Robinson Wins Robert. L. Wesley Award

School of Architecture student Noelle Robinson was one of five students to win the 2024 SOM Foundation's Robert L. Wesley Award. With her win, Noelle will receive a $10,000 award in addition to a yearlong mentorship program that connects the students with leading BIPOC practitioners and educators.

Feb 21, 2024

Discover the Power of Design Thinking

Aspiring designers arrive at the College of Design with diverse dreams and leave prepared to bring the values of design thinking to their communities and careers.

Feb 8, 2024

Reshaping Raleigh: Environmental Designer Brings Iconic Spaces to Life

Alumnus Joshua Gajownik '04 thought he wanted to be an aerospace engineer. Now, 20 years on, the College of Design graduate is a successful practicing environmental designer. He touches every single detail of the properties he works on, from the branding to the furniture selections, even down to the in-room art.

Jan 31, 2024

LAF Fellowship Spotlight: Meg Calkins on a Material Shift

About 90% of a constructed site’s carbon footprint comes from the materials used to build it. If landscape architects really want to reduce the carbon footprint of their work, they need to radically rethink not just materials selection but also material assemblies and the types structures they design. This is Meg Calkins’ message to the discipline and the focus of her 2023-24 LAF Fellowship.

Jan 26, 2024

MLA Student Shabnam Mohammadzadeh Receives Dean’s Wings on Wings Award

As part of the fall 2023 commencement ceremony, Dean Mark Hoversten recognized an exceptional student for their performance in the classroom and service to the college with the Dean’s Award for Outstanding College Citizenship and Academic Excellence, known as the Wings on Wings award.

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.

Jan 25, 2024

How can A.I. Transform Voice Language Analysis?

Master of Graphic & Experience Design (MGXD) students collaborated with the Laboratory of Analytic Sciences (LAS) here at NC State to explore the potential of machine learning to assist in voice language analysis tasks.

Jan 17, 2024

NC State Students and Alumni Win Numerous AIANC Design Awards

Each year, the American Institute of Architects North Carolina Chapter (AIANC) recognizes design that exceeds the benchmarks for outstanding architectural design, structural composition and application of design theory. Over 140 projects were submitted to this year's program, with 24 awarded. The College of Design at NC State University had numerous winners recognized, including five student entries, AIA NC Educator of the Year, and the F. Carter Williams Gold Medalist.