江南大学设计学院原为无锡轻工大学设计学院。1960年轻工业部在无锡轻工业学院（1995年更名为无锡轻工大学）创建中国第一个工业设计类专业“轻工日用品造型美术设计专业”，1983年扩建为工业设计系，1995年更名为设计学院。

自1960年创建“轻工日用品造型美术设计专业”以后的6年中，共招收本科和专科学生106名。1966年，“文革”开始，随着学校全面停课，该专业曾一度停止招生。1972年开始招收工、农、兵学员，扩建为“造型美术系”，确定了以玻、陶、搪、塑四种材料的轻工产品的造型、装饰和包装为主的专业方向。1977年恢复高考，造型美术系招收“文革”后第一批造型设计专业本科生，并开始在专业方向上进行新的探索。1981年，学校派出二名教师赴日本研修工业设计，学习发达国家工业设计的新观念、新理论、新课程、新的教学内容和教学方法。1983年，在全国率先开设了《工业设计史》、《设计概论》、《人体工学》、《三大构成》等新课程，并设置了“包装设计专业”。1985年，在“造型设计专业”和“包装设计专业”的基础上，又创建了“室内设计专业”和“服装设计专业”（“服装设计专业”于1996年因归口管理缘故，划转纺织工程系即现纺织服装学院）。与此同时，造型美术系更名为工业设计系，成为当时国内创建最早、专业设置较全和招生人数最多的工业设计学科。1986年工业设计系首次招收“理工类”生源学生，从而结束了我国 “艺术类”学科单一招收文科类学生的历史，并在全国率先形成“艺工结合”的教学体系。1993年《开创工业设计教学新体系》教改研究获江苏省教学成果一等奖，同年获国家教委教学成果二等奖。“工业设计”经国家教委批准成为全国首批硕士研究生培养点之一。1995年工业设计系扩建为设计学院。1996年原无锡轻工大学进入国家“211工程”重点建设院校行列，作为学校二级学院的设计学院，“设计艺术学”学科被列为国家“211工程”重点建设学科。1998年，设计艺术学科成为江苏省重点学科。1999年，学院由惠河路无锡轻工大学本部（青山湾校区）迁入钱荣路西山校区（现为梅园校区）现址。2000年，经教育部批准，原无锡轻工大学、江南学院、无锡教育学院三校合并组建新江南大学，设计学院成为江南大学的二级学院。2001年，学院的“211工程”一期重点建设子项目“设计艺术学学科”通过国家教育部专家组的验收。2002年，“工业设计创新系统”学科群被列入国家“211工程”二期重点建设的子项目。设计艺术学科获正教授评审权。经国务院学位委员会批准，设置“产品系统设计与理论”二级学科博士生培养点。

The Design School of Southern Yangtze University is the former School of Design of Wuxi Light Industry College (It was promoted to an university in 1995). In 1960 the Ministry of Light Industry established the first Industrial Design Specialty named "ommodity Modelling Art" in Wuxi Light Industry University. In 1983, it enlarged into the Department of Industrial Design and the School of Design In 1995.

In the following six years after the foundation, the Design School enrolled 106 4-year and 3-year students. In 1966, the Cultural Revolution began, and the university suspended the normal teaching and learning condition, so the design school halted its enrollment until 1972, when it began to recruit workers, peasants, and soldiers as trainees. Then there were glass, ceramics, porcelain enamel, and modelling at the School of Design. In 1977, the entrance examination of higher education institutions was resumed. So the school admitted the first 4-year students after the Cultural Revolution, and began to study the ways of developing the specialties. In 1981, the school sent two teachers to Japan to study Industrial Design. They brought back new concepts, new theories, new courses, and new teaching methods. With this vital information, such specialties were set up as Industrial Design History, Design General, Ergonomics, the three construcitons, Pachaging Design, etc., In 1983, based on the Industrial Design and Packaging Design Specialties, two new specialties were established: Interior Design and Fashion Design (the later was transferred to the Textile and Fashion School in 1996). Now the Industrial Design specialty was the earliest, the most mature among its counterparts in China, and having the largest number of students. In 1986, the Industrial Design Department commenced to recuit students who majored in Science and engineering at their high schools. Thus formed the educational system that combined Science and Art, putting to and end the old practice of giving admission only to the students of arts. In 1993, the project "To Initiate the New System of Educational Reform" won the first prize of the Jiangsu Educational Achiement and the second prize of National Education Committee`s Teaching Achiement Award. Its Industrial Design was among the earliest specialties in China to be authorized by the National Education Committee to award the Master`s Degree. In 1996, the former Light Industry University entered the "211 Project"-the 211 prior universities nationwide. Then the Design & Art subject was admitted into the national key subjects of the "211 Project". In 1998, the subject was admitted as one of the Jiangsu Province Key Subjects. In 1999, the School of Design was moved from the old campus to the West Hill Campus by Qianrong Road. In 2000, by approval of the National Education Committee, the former Light Industry University, the Jiangnan College, and the Wuxi Normal College were incorporated into the present Southern Yangtze University. In 2001, the Design & Art subject passed the examination of the first session of the "211 Project" by the experts of the National Education Committee. In 2002, the subject group of "Innovative System of Industrial Design" was arranged into the second session of the "211 Project". Approved by the National Education Committee, the second-degree subject "Practice & Theory of Systematic Product Design " instituted the Ph.D station.