The Student Publication was founded as and remains a publication organized by students. The students on our team are looking to start a conversation on the role of designers in shaping, framing and reflecting because of the place we are in our personal stories to become designers.
Anna Bailer
Junior – Art + Design (Fibers and Surface Design)
Before coming to the College of Design, I really had no concept of the design field nor what it meant to be a designer. Now, I am most passionate about the value of a designer, how powerful we can be when it comes to shaping the world. Serving as Co-Editor of Volume 36 of The Student Publication is exciting but also full of challenges. I am looking forward to exploring the concept of the reality as well as the ethical standpoints. It will be an extremely interesting dialogue.
Melany Bates
Senior – Design Studies
Growing up in a small town, there were not grand opportunities to capture the art of life surrounding me. However, I made the most of my opportunities and excitedly acquired as much knowledge as possible. Coming to NC State and being a part of the TSP bridges the gap of theory and application to gain a great deal of experience. As an advocate of education, as well as an individual with questions of my own, being on the publication’s team enriches my understanding of the design all around the world, not just on campus. A feeling of empowerment has established shelter in the process of our publication, and my excitement keeps me on my toes looking for more answers to common design speculation and thought.
Jennifer Peeler
2nd Year – Masters of Architecture
I am a designer. I am a masters of architecture student. I am a civil engineering intern. I strive to live a life worth living. Architecture school for me is a way of finding a role that includes all these identities. I firmly believe that people will always need place; that the built environment provides us with our purpose and direction. Thus, as a designer I have the privilege to inform people’s lives in the most powerful and subtle way possible. My work can open and close views, separate and integrate uses, confuse and clarify directions. The theme that we have chosen focuses on the designers role, my role, in creating the reality that myself and others live and find purpose in. I look forward to collecting the opinions of prominent contemporary designers on how they create the world in which we all live.
Grace Pledger
Senior- Graphic Design
From my childhood I have always had a great love for books, and when I came to the NC State College of Design that naturally flowed into an interest in publication design. A publication allows for a marriage between form and thought that can be widely disseminated. I am excited to be part of this publication because it lets me take part in a discussion about the reality of design and how designers shape reality. It is a great opportunity to deeply examine the vocation of design and the designer’s place in the world.
Michael Southard
2nd Year – Masters of Architecture
His areas of interest lie in spatial theory, urban design, and architecture represented in film. Past academic study includes a BA from Appalachian State University in Interdisciplinary Studies with a focus on social upheaval and sustainable development. Additional work include Post-Bac study at University North Carolina Charlotte in Community planning and Globalization Studies at Linnaeus University, Sweden. Professionally, Michael has worked as a co-director of art galleries in Charlotte, NC
and New York, NYC, written for academic multiple journals and commercial periodicals, and acted as an organizer, board member, and director of public and private community-centric organizations.
