Designlife Podcast NC State College of Design

In this episode, we're talking about the impacts of studying abroad as a designer.

We’re joined by Kermit Bailey, an Associate Professor of Graphic & Experience Design. Kermit was also one of the founding faculty members of NC State’s interdisciplinary study abroad program in Ghana.

He subsequently used his experiences overseas to support his research on how graphic design can be used as a cultural mediation tool.

Kermit dived into the origins of the program, student and faculty experiences in a new culture, and how study abroad as a concept has evolved since its early days at NC State in the mid-1990s.

Today, we’re getting to the root of design education - how we learn to solve problems, mix functionality with aesthetic, and create original ideas using nothing but the fundamentals.

We’re joined by Jonathan Williams, a DDes Student and educator working in New York. Jonathan is currently researching how something as simple as tying a knot can transform how we approach design from an early age.

Whether you’re creating something as intricate as a Celtic knot, or just tying your shoe laces - Jonathan believes that a single piece of string can a powerful lesson in designing with intention.

We will also be talking about the concept of object-based learning, and the challenges of tactile teaching in a digital space.

Today we are discussing how gaming, especially in a virtual reality setting, can be applied to treating post traumatic stress disorder.


We’re joined by NC State College of Design Assistant Professor and Doctor of Design student practitioner, Justin Johnson.

As a combat veteran and lifelong gamer, Justin has been researching how the natural environment can be transferred to virtual worlds - and how those worlds can become therapeutic spaces.

While natural settings and have been a tool for psychological healing for some time, they are not always accessible to those who may need them.

So what are the qualities that can make a virtual environment a place of healing? and how can we bring those environments closer to home?

These questions, and more, coming up on Designlife.

The Doctor of Design, or DDes, program was established in 2016, making it one of the newest programs the college has to offer.

It is also the only one of its kind in the country that offers a blended online learning model for design research.

The Doctor of Design has garnered attention and enrollment from students across the world, many of whom are already established professionals in a plethora of industries.

Today, we’re talking with the director of the DDes program, Elen Deming. We’ll be talking about why it’s so important to have a research program in design, who the students are that make up the DDes program, and the academic challenges that are being faced in the era of COVID-19.

If you’re spending a lot more time at home and not in the office lately, there’s a chance you have become much more aware of how you value the outdoors.

You might be spending more time on your local greenway, sprucing up the garden in your back yard, or just taking a few minutes away from your home workspace to get some fresh air.

But how do green spaces affect our mental health? What does it mean to have a well designed landscape?

Today we’ll be talking with Anne Spafford. Anne is not only a professor of horticulture, but a student in the Doctor of Design program here at the College of Design.

She’s currently researching how landscapes work in a therapeutic capacity, and how designing green spaces can be used to treat mental health issues such as depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress.