Industrial Design

The Industrial Design Program at Appalachian State University is comprised of 200 majors and 7 full time faculty. Students can choose from two areas of concentration; Product Design or Furniture Design. Both concentrations focus on design inquiry, creative problem-solving, user research, social and environmental concerns, and manufacturing requirements. Through industry collaborations and studio projects, students are challenged to develop a comprehensive knowledge base allowing them to compete professionally. Student work has been recognized and shown at; Greener Gadgets finalists, Dwell® on Design, Designboom® Mart participants in Copenhagen, High Point Furniture Market, ICFF and won the national Creative Juice Completion sponsored by Google®.

Facilities

The program is housed in a 12,000 square foot facility within the Department of Applied Design and is part of the College of Fine and Applied Arts. The program facilities are comprised of dedicated studio space, computer labs and material exploration facilities supporting a woodworking lab, metal fabrication lab, plastic working area, ceramics lab, welding facility, spray booth, CNC lab and rapid prototyping equipment. The LIDA (Lab for Innovative Design at Appalachian) facility which was supported by external donors Lay-Z- Boy Furniture and the Broyhill Family Foundation was completed in 2020. LIDA features six 3D printers by Formlabs, Ultimaker, and Creality, two Laser Cutters by Epilog, and a Vinyl Cutter by Roland. These facilities are utilized by all of the Industrial Design students during their studies. Many of the classes have integrated assignments to use the lab and ensure the students understand the capabilities and limitations of the technology.