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\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\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\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\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\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\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\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\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\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\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\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\n The job title I might have one day \u2014 maybe it doesn’t even exist today.<\/p><\/div><\/blockquote>\n\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\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\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\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\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\n I know that I want to design historical learning spaces that are accessible to everyone.<\/p><\/div><\/blockquote>\n\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\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\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\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\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\nFind Your Focus in Design<\/h2>\n\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\n
<\/a><\/a>