Rate My Professor Donald Corey

Donald Corey is Professor of Industrial Design and Director of the Industrial Design program in the Department of Applied Design at Appalachian State University, a position he has held since advancing through the faculty ranks after joining in 2006. He earned a Bachelor of Industrial Design from Auburn University and a Master of Industrial Design from North Carolina State University. Corey's research specializations encompass licensing and commercialization of products, as well as intellectual property protection. These interests inform his teaching in industrial design studios, design drawing, and program oversight, where he emphasizes creative problem-solving, contextual research, and professional practice.

A member of the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA), Corey has served as South District Education Representative and on the planning committee for the IDSA South District Design Conference 2018. He holds multiple US utility patents and trademarks, with his award-winning designs exhibited in galleries, exhibitions, and retail venues across the United States and Australia. Key works include the Segment Lamp for DesignNest at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in 2020, US Design Patent D871,253 for the Solar Gnome issued in 2019, and the Press Bowl at the Workshopped exhibition in Sydney, Australia, in 2018. Corey chairs the Intellectual Property Council at Appalachian State University (2021 to Summer II 2024) and leads initiatives such as student competitions in the Kikkerland Design Challenge and International Woodworking Fair, as well as international collaborations with institutions like the Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Bratislava. He is also president of The Other Edge, Inc., a design studio in Raleigh, North Carolina.