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Discover the Power of Design Thinking

college of design

A student covers her mouth and smiles widely as she walks into commencement wearing her cap and gown.

May 5, 2026

Our 2026 Graduates’ Stories

NC State alumni do amazing things. They expand access to education. They discover new pterosaurs. They travel around the moon. (If you’re new here, this is a Christina Koch fan site.) On Saturday, May 9, more than 7,400 graduates will become Wolfpack alumni. Many of them have already done amazing things during their time as students… 
A student stitches a garment with portions of the garment pinned onto a dressmaker's dummy beside her.

Apr 15, 2026

A Guide to NC State Fashion Week

For the first time, we’re bringing together all of our signature fashion-centered events for one can’t-miss Fashion Week. Check out the lineup and find out how you can shape your future in fashion at NC State. 
NC State student Lia Han poses in front of Leazar Hall on NC State's East Campus.

Mar 17, 2026

Discover Our Majors: Design Studies

Meet design studies student Lia Han, and learn how her interdisciplinary design major is preparing her to pursue a career in social media marketing. 
A stock photograph of a person at a desk sketching a vase on white paper, surrounded by other product design sketches. A laptop sits nearby.

Jan 28, 2026

Design Authorship in the AI Age

Byungsoo Kim, an assistant professor in NC State University's College of Design, is conducting a study exploring students’ perceived sense of authorship — the comfort level in claiming designs as their own — when they incorporate AI tools into their creative process. 
The woven bronze wolf statues on Wolf Plaza on a sunny fall afternoon

Nov 6, 2025

Weaving Art Into NC State’s Identity

The installation of bronze wolf statues, geometric glass sculptures and other public art is part of a long-term, strategic effort to beautify NC State's campus. 
NC State's Global Courtyard near the College of Humanities and Social Sciences

Sep 25, 2025

Global Courtyard Earns Sir Walter Raleigh Award

For years, NC State alumnus Heath Satow’s large-scale Dream of Flight sculpture was one of the first things travelers saw when they ventured through the general aviation terminal at the Raleigh-Durham International Airport. Now the work of art is the centerpiece of NC State’s Global Courtyard, serving as a symbol of the university’s international community and partnerships… 
Justin Johnson takes notes as students present their work in a design class

Apr 30, 2025

From Pixels to Pedagogy: A Design Professor’s Path

When NC State’s College of Design graduates are called to the stage this weekend to receive their diplomas, one recipient might get a bit of extra applause from the students he has taught over the last several years. Justin Johnson, an assistant professor in the Media Arts, Design and Technology (MADTech) department at the College of… 
Emi Boldor, a spring 2025 NC State graduate, poses in cap and gown in the leadup to commencement.

Apr 28, 2025

Sending Off Our 2025 Graduates

Meet five graduates from NC State's class of 2025 and learn about the journeys they took to get here. 
Artistic rendering of a student's project

Sep 18, 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. 
An artistic rendering of what one of the Paper Streets in Durham could look like

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. 
NC Historic Resilience Primer. Photo courtesy of Coastal Dynamics Design Lab.

Jun 19, 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. 
A closeup of the Reds and Whites art installation at the Susan Woodson Plaza on Centennial Campus.

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. 
Aurora Henderson's collection, Psilocybin, brings human anatomy to life in oversized forms.

May 1, 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. 
Brandon Johnson standing on the green of Arnold Palmer's Bay Hill Golf Course.

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 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.