Language

Spanish

Start date

September 2026

Frequency

Full time

Fruition

On campus

Duration

4 Years

Credits

240 ECTS

Course Coordination

Eider Corral

In this program you’ll acquire all the skills you need to analyse, research and create visual narratives using different media, from paper or digital to audiovisual, in a variety of professional fields.

A program in design excellence: the Bachelor of Arts in Design, specialising in Graphic Design is a high-level course, in which you’ll learn to combine strategic vision with a skill set that includes technical problem-solving skills and a healthy dose of self-reflective and critical awareness applied to the field of graphic design.

This degree gives you great flexibility to develop your professional career in a number of different areas of design, and qualifications that open the doors of other related professions.

If you love the challenge of a blank piece of paper; if you enjoy composing and creating plastic images to express messages and concepts; if you want to work in a creative professional environment where you can project visual and chromatic harmony using graphic design, this is the course for you.

The Bachelor of Arts has a total of 240 ECTS credits divided into four academic years. It is valid throughout the European Higher Education Area and, to all intents and purposes, is equivalent to an official university degree, and accredited by the Agency for the Quality of the University System. This program enables access to official master’s degrees. 

Information to decide

A humanistic and cross-disciplinary degree at a unique school. IED Kunsthal Bilbao leads the way in a cultural vanguard of what’s locally known as the "island of knowledge" in a city that’s a prime example of urban, economic and social transformation, one where design has a key role to play.

The program is based on the concepts of learning by doing, learning from real life situations, and from those who know and share their know-how; this makes the school a knowledge-sharing space.

At IED Kunsthal Bilbao you’ll work with projects and acquire both theoretical skills and practical experience as you progress in these, your projects.

The lecturers on this degree are all professionals with extensive hands-on experience in the specialties they teach, eager to pass on their knowledge of the profession, where it is today and where it’s headed in the future.

The syllabus covers all facets of design: from traditional 2D sketching to the latest digital and audiovisual developments.

This program is for those who see the world from a creative perspective; those with a special interest in culture, art and the visual arts in particular, who want to find their way in a professional sector where these same passions represent a distinct advantage.

Students who are comfortable with city life in a urban environment who want to benefit from the context of a cosmopolitan city surrounded by a rich natural environment will find this degree course in Bilbao a unique opportunity to develop their full potential and use it as a springboard for their career.

If you’re constantly seeking stimuli and have what it takes to pick up the gauntlet and face dynamic and constantly evolving challenges, this is the program for you.

You’ll be studying in Bilbao, a city that’s quickly becoming a point of reference in the field of design. What’s more, IED Kunsthal Bilbao is a boutique school, where human relations take centre stage.

The program include hands-on workshops, the ideal place to apply the knowledge acquired, in practice. As you hone your visual narrative skills you’ll be able to apply these tools in any project context, whether it’s to meet the most basic demands or develop highly experimental project proposals.

Syllabus

What will you learn?

In the first introductory year you’ll study the theory and history of design. Artistic drawing, form and volume, science applied to design, are just some of the subjects on the syllabus.



First Semester

Design Fundamentals / Method and process
Science Applied to Design



Second Semester

Communication, methodology, productivity
Design Fundamentals / Graphic Project 0



Annual

Artistic drawing
Representation systems
The basics of colour
Form and volume
The History of Art 1
Aesthetics 1
Digital technology
Creativity
An introduction to typography
Computer Media for Graphic Design

What will you learn?

In the second year of the course you’ll begin developing graphic design projects in a variety of fields, such as editorial design, user experience design and digital environment design. You’ll acquire in-depth knowledge of the tools and techniques you’ll one day use on a daily basis.



First Semester

Projects 1 The digital context
Colour 2
Computer Media for Graphic Design 2
Photography
Photography and audiovisual design
The History of Art 2



Second Semester

Projects 2 Editorial design
Computer Media for Graphic Design 3
Printing Techniques
Aesthetics



Annual

Typography and desktop publishing
The History of Graphic Design
Design management
Design culture

What will you learn?

In the third year, subjects such as Graphic Design Management give you an insight into the marketing mechanisms design studios use to create value. You’ll start to see how your work can be used in hands-on applications.



First Semester

Projects 3 Branding and packaging
Photography
Digital media 4 2D motion graphics
Digital media 6 An introduction to UX



Second Semester

Digital media 5 Motion graphics II 3D
Digital media 7 Video and audiovisual language
Emotional design skills
Projects 4 Narrative environments



Annual

Graphic design management
Contemporary art and design
Advertising and transmedia storytelling
Illustration
Participation in activities

What will you learn?

In the fourth year you’ll develop your Final Project and learn about design applications in new technologies, such as those used to create digital interfaces.



First Semester

Scenic and event design
Typography 3
An introduction to the UI
Cinema and design
Technology and design
Final Project / introduction
Art direction



Elective Courses

Final Project
Work experience
Work experience II

Faculty

Course Coordinator

Eider Corral

Teacher

Allan Daastrup

Teacher

Ángela Alonso

Professional Collaborator

Eduardo Piédrola

Teacher

Fermín Hualde

José MIguel	Vilalta | © IED Kunsthal © Pablo Axpe
Professional Collaborator

José MIguel Vilalta

Professional Collaborator

Pedro Rivero

Maite	Mugerza | © IED Kunsthal © Pablo Axpe
Teacher

Maite Mugerza

Marián	Rubio | © IED Kunsthal © Pablo Axpe
Teacher

Marián Rubio

Naiara	Bordería | © Pablo Axpe
Teacher

Naiara Bordería

Teacher

Borja Legarda

Professional Collaborator

Tomás Carrascal

Teacher

Susana Zaldívar

Teacher

Pablo Salgado

Professional Collaborator

Josema Carrillo

Teacher

Marina Goñi

Teacher

Adele Orcajada

Projects

Graphic Design and Visual Communication

Bilbao

Final projects / thesis projects
Matterness

Graphic Design and Visual Communication

Bilbao

Final projects / thesis projects
El suelo que desaparece bajo nuestros pies

Graphic Design and Visual Communication

Bilbao

Final projects / thesis projects
Sacred Mountain

Graphic Design and Visual Communication

Bilbao

Lo Invisible

Graphic Design and Visual Communication

Bilbao

Final projects / thesis projects
Por la unidad del archivo

Graphic Design and Visual Communication

Bilbao

Final projects / thesis projects
Happy Accidents

Graphic Design and Visual Communication

Bilbao

Final projects / thesis projects
YET

News

Forbes Next Leaders – IED Student designs the February cover of Next Leaders

12 March 2026

Forbes Next Leaders – IED Student designs the February cover of Next Leaders

Forbes Next Leaders and IED come together to promote the creativity of a new generation: the partnership dedicated to the covers of Next Leaders begins.

06 March 2026

IED Madrid’s Workshop Week 2026 explores new creative territories with international guest lecturers thanks to the Erasmus KA131 programme

Guest lecturers Lavinia Rosseti and Filippo Rossi brought new perspectives on materiality and contemporary audiovisual practices within the #TimesNew concept.

03 March 2026

This was IED MUSES Talks: Omar Sosa

The co-founder of ‘Apartamento Magazine’ shared his creative dynamics at the intersection of art, architecture and editorial design in the second episode of the second season of the IED’s inspirational talk series.

IED Expands Its English-Language Offer with New Courses in Design, Fashion and Film

27 February 2026

IED Expands Its English-Language Offer with New Courses in Design, Fashion and Film

IED – Istituto Europeo di Design is broadening its international offer with a new range of English-taught courses. A strategic move that strengthens IED’s position as Europe’s largest design network, opening its doors to students and creative professionals from across the globe.

Display case of a typography exhibition

26 February 2026

TDC 71: The Power of Typography Arrives at IED Barcelona

From 25 February to 25 March, the campus will host, for the second consecutive year, the exhibition of the finest international works awarded by the Type Directors Club (TDC) of New York in 2025.

23 February 2026

IED Kunsthal Bilbao presents “¿Y TÚ? TA ZU? ” in collaboration with the Bilbao Guggenheim Museum and the Mayor of Bilbao.

The graphic intervention emerges from the students’ direct engagement with the exhibition dedicated to Barbara Kruger at the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, inviting the public to reflect on their role within today’s complex reality.

23 February 2026

IED Kunsthal Bilbao launches 4 new postgraduate programs

IED Kunsthal introduces the Postgraduate format and begins a new academic phase focused on specialization.

20 February 2026

VISIONI DAL FUTURO - A century of posters from the Triennale Milano Archives, animated and reinterpreted by young designers

The installation, part of the European project SISS – Sounding Images, Screening Sounds, was presented in the Agora of IED Kunsthal Bilbao with a live performance.

Overhead view of a labyrinth of fabric panels and light

10 February 2026

IED Barcelona bathes Llum BCN 26 in warm light

The lighting design installation “Fabric Maze”, a labyrinth of fabrics, lights and shadows inspired by the textile past of the Poblenou neighbourhood, created warm visual compositions with each visitor’s passage.

Don't miss it

Exhibitions and Festival

17 February 2026 - 23 March 2026

Madrid

Latam Creative Talent: Valor Ancestral

IED Madrid presents Latam Creative Talent: The Shapes of Nature, an exhibition led by Istituto Europeo di Design, highlighting Latin American talent and its contemporary dialogue with nature as part of the Madrid Design Festival.

Exhibitions and Festival

11 March 2026 - 15 March 2026

Madrid

AULA 2026

From 11 to 15 March, come and see us at Stand 10A12 in Hall 12 at IFEMA

Open Day

18 March 2026 - 21 March 2026

Multiple

IED Open Day Italy

A calendar of appointments to discover all IED Italia courses in the areas of Design, Fashion, Visual Arts, Cinema, Communication, Art and Restoration.

Exhibitions and Festival

18 March 2026 - 22 March 2026

Barcelona

Saló de l’Ensenyament 2026

From 18 to 22 March, we look forward to welcoming you at stand D-453 at the Montjuïc venue of Fira de Barcelona, where you will be able to discover our educational offer in Design, Fashion, Visual Arts, Marketing and Communication. Come and visit us!

IN-SONORA 2026
Exhibitions and Festival

19 March 2026 - 21 March 2026

Madrid

IN-SONORA 2026

From 19 to 21 March, IED Madrid Design District will host installations and performances from this international exhibition of sound and interactive art