All News

Nov 28, 2022

Meet the Artist: Isaiah Jacobs

NC State architecture student Isaiah Jacobs, a Native American who’s a member of the Lumbee tribe, does his part to promote diversity, equity and inclusion at the university. 

Nov 22, 2022

3 Tips for Collaboration from a College of Design Professor

For the last 7 years, LAS collaborator Sharon Joines has used her expertise in industrial design, human centered design, and ergonomics to help the Laboratory for Analytic Sciences (LAS) advise other cross-sector collaborators on how to work better together. She shares how researchers from different sectors can more effectively communicate to support the lab's analytic prototyping projects. 

Nov 21, 2022

Turan Duda, FAIA Receives NC State’s Distinguished Alumni Award

As an internationally renowned architect, Turan has designed notable regional, national and international projects including the North Carolina State University Talley Student Union, 405 Colorado in Austin, the Center for Health & Wellbeing in Winter Park, and Ikon Tower in Monterrey, Mexico. 

Nov 18, 2022

FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies Expands Strategic Partnership with NC State through Initiative for Community Growth and Development

FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies expands its strategic partnership with North Carolina State University (NC State) to create future innovation opportunities through new research projects, sustainable facility design, and bioprocessing advancements at the future Holly Springs cell culture biomanufacturing site. The strategic partnership will focus areas of research and facility design to support FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies’ goal to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2030 for its new $2 billion site in Holly Springs. 

Nov 14, 2022

Faculty, Students and Alumni Win AIA NC Design Awards

Faculty, students and alumni were the recipients of numerous design awards from AIA NC. 

Nov 11, 2022

Duda Traveling Fellowship Offers New Perspectives on Latin American Architecture

Architecture graduates Anusha Khansaheb and Caroline Anderson recently returned from a research expedition to four Latin American cities. Together, they addressed the impact of architecture in a post-colonial landscape, and how unique identities tie into how these cities develop. 

Nov 7, 2022

Harry Bates, Modernist Architect of Long Island Homes, Dies at 95

Withstanding “a tsunami of shingles” on houses going up on the East End, he stuck to an aesthetic of clean, elegant lines and simple materials. 

Nov 7, 2022

Graphic Design Program Changes Name to Reflect Expertise in User Experience Design

After months of preparation, the graphic design program will change its degree names to reflect career opportunities for students. These new degree names emphasize not only the current strong curriculum taught by faculty, but deepen the program's alignment with exciting trends in the profession. 

Oct 31, 2022

NC State Announces Wolfpack Red and White Wines

Two new NC State wines officially join the university’s licensed wine collection as part of an ongoing partnership with North Carolina wineries. 

Oct 26, 2022

Almost lost in time: College of Design students preserve local histories and social practices during study abroad project in Greece

Graphic design students, under the guidance of Professor Scott Townsend, traveled to Kefalonia, Greece in spring 2022. Their goal was to create a Living Histories website to house the oral histories collected from native Kefalonians. The histories of Kefalonia are being lost to time,” says Lewis. “Many younger residents are leaving the island, and we hope that our website can record cultural practices and histories to be accessed by future generations.” 

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. 

Oct 13, 2022

Not Just for Looks: Industrial Design Students Reimagine Cosmetics Packaging

Industrial Design students at the College of Design worked with Eastman Chemical Company to create refillable, reusable and rechargeable (“R/R”) packaging for the luxury cosmetics industry. In the studio, students worked with Eastman’s Tritan™, Cristal™, or Cristal™ One materials – each created to reduce plastic waste without compromising product aesthetic and usability. 

Oct 11, 2022

Putting the user first: two alums explore how their heritages shaped their work as UX designers

We took time to sit down with two graduates of the Master’s of Graphic Design program, Laura Rodriguez [MGD ‘11] and Luis Zapata [BID ‘11, MGD ‘17] to ask them about their experiences as students, as well as how their cultural identity has shaped their careers.  

Oct 10, 2022

For my sister, your sister, our sisters. 

Master of Industrial Design student Alan Yeh was approached by the NC State Iranian Student Association to spread awareness around the death of Mahsa Amini and the challenges Iranian women face. 

Oct 4, 2022

Uniting Design and Art

The North Carolina Museum of Art’s rebranding efforts encapsulate the museum’s collection through leading efforts by two College of Design alumnae. Christin Hardy and her colleague Allison Maslow are both graduates of the graphic design program at NC State, and their education has been formative in the current rebranding efforts for the NCMA. 

Oct 3, 2022

NC State Creatives: Makayla Esposito

Makayla Esposito is a graduate student in the NC State College of Design’s Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning program and she is passionate about making the invisible, visible. 

Oct 3, 2022

Students and Coastal Dynamics Design Lab Team Take Top Honors in ASLA National Awards

Students in the College of Design's Master of Landscape Architecture program received four of the 19 national student awards from the American Society of Landscape Architects this year. The Coastal Dynamics Design Lab won their third award in the last five years for their commitment to delivering world-class technical assistance at no direct cost to low-resource, historically underserved rural communities. 

Sep 28, 2022

OIS Shares Statement of Support

NC State’s Office of International Services (OIS) shares a message of support to the community regarding the Iran protests. Read the full message here. 

Sep 27, 2022

Student Projects win AIA ASPIRE Awards

Three of our student teams won AIA South Atlantic Region Aspire Awards. NC State students won three of the five awards this year, and have won 10 out of 15 awards in the last three years. 

Sep 26, 2022

Students showcase work in ASIFA-Hollywood Educators Forum

In spring 2022 the Department of Art+Design launched a Senior Capstone Animation Studio. In the studio, students worked individually and in groups on a year-long project to complete an animated film. The films ranged in form from hybrid 3D animation to traditional 2D animation and in length from 4 to 7 minutes. The films were screened as part of the ASIFA Hollywood-sponsored 2022 Student Animation Showcase with other animation programs from around the country. 

Sep 23, 2022

Latinx Voices of Design: Melissa Manjarrez Dominguez

Melissa Manjarrez Dominguez is a first-year graduate student in the college's Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning program. In her story, she recalls her youth in Sinaloa, Mexico, her experiences facing anti-immigration legislation in Alabama, and her desire to create landscapes that are enriching and available to everyone. 

Sep 21, 2022

Industrial Design Graduate Wins Gold at 2022 IDEA Awards

Master of Industrial Design graduate, Abby Scheer, recently won Gold in the Student Category for the 2022 IDSA IDEA Awards. The award is considered by many to be the most prestigious product and industrial design award in the United States. 

Sep 15, 2022

Meet our newest members: College of Design Leaders Council

The College of Design is excited to welcome four new members to its Leaders Council. Members of the Leaders Council support the college’s strategic direction, assist in securing financial resources to achieve its long-range goals and actively advocate for the college’s vision to become the leading public interdisciplinary design college in the country. 

Sep 6, 2022

Designing for Dance

“Designing for dance is the ultimate act of design,” says Professor of Art + Design J. Mark Scearce, Ph.D. For the ballet’s 25th anniversary, four of Scearce’s ballets will be produced, giving design students a rare front row seat in the art of meeting client expectations. 

Aug 26, 2022

Students Visualize Structures of Oppression; win NC State Envisioning Research Contest

Students in the College of Design recently took top prizes in the Graphics and Data Visualization and photography categories of the NC State Envisioning Research Contest. Three of the four entries from the college were part of the DIY Cartography: Oppressive Infrastructures class, which explored how we as a society are grappling with how to best serve diverse communities and create more equitable futures for all while visualizing the complex historic context around oppressive infrastructures in the US. 

Aug 17, 2022

Accessible Design Takes Spotlight in Competition

Fourteen students were tasked with designing a new building that focuses on accessibility and universal design on NC State Centennial Campus that would serve the Poole College of Management and the Graduate School. 

Aug 17, 2022

Ethnographic Fiber Artist Karen Baker on Slow Fashion and Natural Products: How One DDes Student Explores the Lost Histories of Textiles

Karen Baker, current student in the Doctor of Design Program at NC State's College of Design, is a weaver focused on design, history, and critical studies of textile and fiber in Washington, DC. She is currently researching the textile, fiber and craft contributions and techniques of enslaved and free African American weavers before the Great Migration. 

Aug 15, 2022

Gene Bressler steps in as interim department head of Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning

Eugene Bressler will serve as interim department head of landscape architecture and environmental planning following Meg Calkins’ retreat to the faculty at the beginning of July. Bressler returns to the college from retirement, where he served as head of the department from 2006 until his retirement in 2018. He will serve in the position until next spring. 

Jul 18, 2022

Landed Internationals wins IPHS Special Mention

Burak Erdim’s book, “Landed Internationals: Planning Cultures, the Academy, and the Making of the Modern Middle East” recently received special mention for the International Planning History Society (IPHS) first book prize. The First Book Prize is for the most innovative book in planning history, written in English and based on original new research. 

Jul 14, 2022

Student Brings Home 2022 IDSA Top Prize

Master of Industrial Design student Maggie Jarrett has been named the 2022 IDSA Graduate Student Merit Award winner for the South District. 

Jun 27, 2022

2022 Designlife Magazine

Read about the people and activities featured in the 2022 issue of Designlife Magazine. 

Jun 20, 2022

History and Augmented Reality Meet to Uplift a Black Icon from North Carolina

Students and faculty are bringing new life and awareness to icons like Negro League Baseball player Buck Leonard, using AR to enhance typical displays into interactive, mini-museums. Working with a grant from the NC State Foundation focused on “Mixed Reality for Social Impact,” Derek Ham, department head of Art + Design at NC State’s College of Design, is helping to tell the stories of underrepresented communities in the medium he knows best – Augmented Reality (AR). 

Jun 17, 2022

Can We Reverse the Rise in Maternal Mortality?

Two Ph.D. students from the College of Design joined a team of UNC-Chapel Hill doctoral candidates and won the 2022 Map the System Competition in Chapel Hill. Now, they are headed to Oxford University to compete against research teams from around the globe. 

Jun 16, 2022

In Search of Thoreau’s Flowers: An Exploration of Change and Loss

Robin Vuchnich, a new media artist, user experience designer, and an assistant professor of practice in the College of Design, leveraged digitized specimens from the Harvard University Herbaria to craft an immersive experience in the gallery theater of the Harvard Museum of Natural Science. In Search of Thoreau’s Flowers: An Exploration of Change and Loss is an immersive multidisciplinary experience that marries art and science through a modern artistic interpretation of Thoreau’s preserved plants. 

Jun 14, 2022

3D-Printed Ceramics Encompass Art, Technology and Tradition

The College of Design is buzzing with innovation as students and teachers alike discover new ways to mix creativity with technology. For one faculty member, that means taking clay craft to a new level by 3D printing ceramics. 

Jun 3, 2022

Head to the Cannes Film Festival at the Libraries!

Hill Library’s AR/VR Studio hosts the film festival’s virtual reality finalists, June 8-12 

Jun 2, 2022

Jennifer Peavey Plans to Back the Pack Forever

Through a special legacy gift, this NC State alumna hopes to provide professors in the College of Design with the resources to think and do ad infinitum. 

Jun 2, 2022

Brian Leonard Believes in Design That Improves Lives

Industrial designer Brian Leonard often finds himself in debates about form versus function. But rather than focusing on how something looks, he’s more concerned with how design can benefit people now and in the future. 

May 31, 2022

Mark Templeton Wants You to Think Outside the Box

College of Design alumnus Mark Templeton, NC State’s fall 2021 commencement speaker, crowned a storied career several years ago by retiring as CEO of Citrix, a multibillion-dollar software company. 

May 31, 2022

It All Adds Up: Alumnus Doug Bennett Reflects on a Lifetime of Giving

Doug Bennett attended the College of Design during an “explosive period” in our nation’s history, starting in 1965 and graduating with a Bachelor of Architecture in 1970. Throughout his time in the school, he was able to serve as the business manager on the Student Publication, and that was his first foray into philanthropy.  After graduating, he served in the U.S. Navy, and started a lifetime of giving. Bennett likened his continuous giving to a habit. He started giving, initially, modest donations to the College of Design and kept up with annual donations ever since.  

May 31, 2022

Honoring Faculty: Pat Rand Initiates Roger Clark Architecture Speaker Support Endowment

In honor of the outstanding and enduring teaching of Roger Clark, Distinguished Professor Emeritus in Architecture Pat Rand has created the Roger Clark Architecture Speaker Support Endowment. This annual lecture will allow the School of Architecture to bring leading professionals and architectural educators to campus to present architectural topics relevant to students’ future careers. 

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. 

May 20, 2022

When Graphic Design Meets Big Tech: Red Hat Sponsored Studio Tackles Autonomous Vehicles

Graphic design students recently partnered with Red Hat to create solutions for a world dominated by autonomous vehicles. Students then had to design for a variety of human factors such as family needs, career specializations and security concerns. 

May 18, 2022

Celebrating Another Successful Day of Giving

The College of Design celebrated another successful Day of Giving on March 23, 2022 thanks to the generous gifts of donors, alumni, faculty, staff, students and friends, all of whom believe in the importance of design education. Thanks to your support, the college was able to raise $474,885 from 373 gifts, exceeding last year’s 309 gifts by 21%. 

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.  

May 12, 2022

NLI Director Joins 80 Researchers Worldwide to Create Parameters for Healthy and Sustainable Cities

Director of the Natural Learning Initiative Dr. Deepti Adlakha’s latest research work was published as part of The Lancet Global Health Series on Urban Design, Transport and Health. Urban design and city planning influence how we can travel, the quality of the air we breathe, our access to essential facilities and services, our participation in social events, and our enjoyment of green spaces. All this is vital to our physical and mental health. In 2016, a series of papers in The Lancet highlighted the myriad links between cities and health and proposed a set of city planning indicators. In this follow-up series published in The Lancet Global Health, authors show how the indicators can benchmark and monitor progress to guide urban policy to achieve population health and sustainability targets. They provide tools that other cities can use to replicate the indicators and explore “where to next” to create healthy and sustainable cities, particularly in light of the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change. 

May 10, 2022

Celebrating the Think and Do the Extraordinary Campaign

Thanks to the generous support of our donors who contributed to the Think and Do the Extraordinary Campaign, we have been able to make tremendous strides in the last five years.  Because of you, we can look ahead to our future. We’re able to consider the next 75 years of design education and shape another seven decades of designers.  

May 9, 2022

Design Students Develop Compostable Take-Out Container Prototypes in Project Sponsored by Eastman

To combat packaging waste, NC State’s College of Design worked alongside Eastman to create food packaging with a new compostable material. 

May 7, 2022

Ph.D. Graduate Shares Her Journey From Program Acceptance to Assistant Professor

Meichun Liu, a recent graduate, shares her story from acceptance in the Ph.D. in Design program at NC State to landing a tenure-track assistant professor position at the University of Washington in Seattle, WA. She shares tips for success after graduation and talks about her discovery of the program and her research focus. 

May 5, 2022

Congratulations, Class of 2022!

We asked our spring graduates for some thoughts on their time in the College of Design. Below, hear from them in their own words.