NC State University has been honored with a Best of District 3 Case Award in the Environmental Graphics category for its Fountain Dining Hall mural project. The award recognizes large-format designs that connect people to a physical space and demonstrate excellence in creativity, design and execution.
The Fountain Dining Hall mural was created to refresh the facility and to illustrate NC State Dining’s commitment to sustainability. The two large-scale murals, installed around the dish drop-off stations, depict the life cycle of food served on campus — from local farms to composting facilities — reinforcing the message: “The food you eat becomes soil that is used to grow more food
.” The design’s central visual storyline features an apple, a symbol of education and a nod to NC State’s signature red.
To enhance engagement, the team incorporated acrylic pop-out squares that highlight moments in the sustainability cycle. The murals were designed to provide depth and detail for students seated in the dining hall while offering clear, quick messaging for guests dropping off dishes.
The project also included a retractable vinyl-coated canvas curtain to cover one dish drop window when closed. The curtain displays graphics that complete the mural’s scene and offers a clean, durable solution that replaces an old banner-and-pin system.
This entry stood out to judges due to its visual storytelling, campus-specific “Easter eggs,” bold use of NC State’s extended color palette and thoughtful consideration of user experience. Collaboration with stakeholders across dining operations, compost services and the NC State Agroecology Farm ensured accuracy and made the narrative more personal to the NC State community.
The graphics were extended to an additional mural at Clark Dining Hall as well as napkin dispenser and digital screen graphics.
The project team included NC State UComm (design and project management), NC State Campus Enterprises marketing team (client and project direction) and Point Concepts (installation).
CASE District Awards are programs offered by the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) to recognize and celebrate outstanding individuals and programs within its US and Canadian districts. These awards honor a wide range of achievements in educational advancement, such as distinguished service, innovative programs, and the accomplishments of new professionals, and are determined by each individual district.