Graphic Design and Visual Communication
Where creativity, strategy and technology converge
Madrid
ESP
Bachelor of Arts
Language
Spanish
Start date
September 2026
Frequency
Full time
Duration
4 Years
Credits
240 ECTS
Turn your creativity into a future-focused professional career by learning to design brands, products and digital experiences with real impact.
In a world where visual communication is essential across every sector — companies, agencies, start-ups, and the cultural and technology industries — graphic designers no longer create isolated pieces. They design brand systems, digital identities, complex visual narratives and hybrid experiences that connect with millions of people.
This degree prepares you to work in professional environments from your first year, combining creativity, strategy and technology — including artificial intelligence — to develop projects with real impact. You will learn all the tools and skills required to conceive, plan and lead complex visual strategies across both digital and physical contexts, from major brands to your own initiatives.
We do not train technicians, but future leaders of the industry. The programme combines cultural and visual foundations with contemporary digital tools, including interactive environments, motion design and the critical use of artificial intelligence as a creative tool. It is not only about designing, but about understanding the cultural, social and technological context in which design operates.
Studying at IED means being trained at an institution dedicated exclusively to design, with more than 60 years of experience, where the entire academic, teaching and professional structure revolves around the creative industries. IED is the largest network of design schools in Europe, with 11 campuses across three countries and an extensive community of students and alumni recognised with national and international awards.
Here you will study in a creative environment equipped with workshops, digital laboratories and specialised spaces designed to foster personal and professional development, located in Madrid’s Design District. Throughout your studies you will visit studios, galleries and agencies, while also gaining access to IED’s extensive cultural programme across its different campuses.
You will also undertake guaranteed curricular placements in leading studios, agencies and companies within the creative and digital sectors. This experience will allow you to apply your knowledge in real contexts, expand your professional network and facilitate your entry into the job market.
Ultimately, you will learn to lead creative processes within multidisciplinary teams and build a competitive portfolio that opens doors to the creative and digital sectors — industries that increasingly demand professionals with a strategic and conscious outlook capable of imagining new possible futures.
This programme is taught at IED Madrid Design District - Carabanchel.
IED Madrid: Private centre authorised to deliver the Official Bachelor’s Degree in Higher Artistic Education in Design • Order 4391/2011 • Graphic Design curriculum authorised by Order 1708/2025 • Centre number 28073045
Institutions that endorse the quality of the programme:
- Members of ADG FAD
- Members of DIMAD
- Official school of MDF
Information to decide
A complete and versatile degree, combining technical knowledge with management skills and soft skills to qualify for a wide variety of roles in the sector.
The Bachelor or Arts in Graphic Design is structured around a project-based, strategic and progressive methodology that combines critical thinking, technical mastery and real professional application.
From the first year you will work on developing comprehensive projects in real professional contexts. Each exercise is not an isolated piece, but part of the creation of coherent visual systems: identities, narratives, platforms and experiences.
You will learn by doing. Much of the learning takes place in specialised workshops and laboratories where you will experiment with tools, materials and contemporary technologies. These spaces function as genuine creative production environments, working in a practical and collaborative way similar to professional studios. The methodology encourages teamwork, public presentation of projects and the structured defence of proposals, preparing you to integrate into real professional dynamics and to lead multidisciplinary teams. The contemporary graphic designer does not work in isolation: they coordinate, articulate and direct complex creative processes.
Each subject contributes to the creation of a strong and strategic portfolio aimed at professional integration. You will learn to conceptualise, produce and communicate your work competitively, developing as a distinctive professional with high value in the market. Through elective subjects — in areas of specialisation such as branding, digital environments, audiovisual creation or research — you will be able to customise your education and develop advanced skills that define your unique professional profile.
For those who want to transform their creativity into a future-oriented profession.
If you are interested in brands, visual communication and digital environments, but do not want to limit yourself to executing design pieces, and instead want to learn how to conceive, structure and lead complex visual projects with impact.
This programme is for students who:
- Want to build a strong and competitive portfolio from the first year.
- Imagine themselves working in multinational companies, agencies, creative studios or start-ups, or developing their own projects.
- Are looking for practical education connected to professional reality.
- Want to master advanced tools and technologies and apply them with strategic judgement in digital design projects.
- Aspire to evolve towards creative direction roles, coordinating multidisciplinary teams where designers, developers, strategists and communication specialists collaborate.
For those seeking practical, industry-connected education and wishing to master advanced digital tools with strategic insight. For those who want not only to design, but also to lead and make creative decisions within multidisciplinary teams.
Because graphic design is today one of the professions with the greatest growth potential in the global economy. According to the latest indicators from the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development), employment in the creative industries is growing faster than the rest of the economy, consolidating its position as a strategic sector for business innovation.
The programme combines creativity, strategy and technology to prepare you for a real and constantly evolving labour market. You will learn to develop real projects from the first year, work in multidisciplinary teams and progress towards roles such as Art Director or Creative Director, building a unique, solid and competitive portfolio.
In addition to academic training, the degree includes guaranteed curricular placements in leading companies within the sector — a fundamental step for gaining professional experience before completing your studies.
Choosing this degree means committing to a specialised school with recognised international experience, a distinctive identity and a clear orientation towards creative leadership and professional development. You will become part of the international network of IED Istituto Europeo di Design, with more than 60 years of experience in training design professionals.
A global community of lecturers, students and alumni that broadens horizons and connects your education with the professional world. An environment where disciplines such as graphic design, fashion, interiors, visual arts and product design coexist and interact.
After completing your studies, you may work in roles such as:
- Brand Designer — Creation and management of visual brand systems.
- Creative Director or Art Director — Leading design processes in agencies and studios.
- Visual Strategist — Defining visual strategies for companies and digital products.
- Digital and Interactive Experience Designer — Web, app and extended reality projects.
- Visual Communication Consultant — Visual solutions for cultural, technological or social organisations.
This degree opens doors to careers in creative agencies, branding studios, digital start-ups, strategic consultancies, media organisations and cultural or technological institutions. It also provides the tools to become a creative entrepreneur and launch your own business or studio.
Syllabus
First semester subjects (30 ECTS)
6 ECTS Fundamentals of design. Analysis
4 ECTS Ecodesign
4 ECTS Drawing. Representation
4 ECTS Representation Systems
4 ECTS Volume
4 ECTS Digital Technology
4 ECTS Art Theory and History
Second semester subjects (30 ECTS)
6 ECTS Fundamentals of design. Ideation
4 ECTS Identity and brand projects
4 ECTS Color
4 ECTS Drawing. Communication
4 ECTS Typography
4 ECTS Advanced digital technology
4 ECTS Scientific Foundations for Design 4 ECTS
ECTS: European Credit Transfer System. System adopted by all universities in the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) to guarantee the homogeneity and quality of the studies they offer.
Third semester subjects (30 ECTS)
6 ECTS Projects. Contemporary publishing and spatial graphics
4 ECTS Expression and Communication Techniques
4 ECTS Photography and audiovisuals
4 ECTS Advanced Typography
4 ECTS Illustration
4 ECTS Production for the Graphic Arts
4 ECTS Theory and history of design 4 ECTS
Fourth semester subjects (30 ECTS)
6 ECTS Projects, Audiovisual Narratives
4 ECTS Art Direction
4 ECTS Writing and Image
4 ECTS Audiovisual Technology
4 ECTS 2D Animation Techniques
4 ECTS Electives
4 ECTS Theory and Culture of Design
ECTS: European Credit Transfer System. System adopted by all universities in the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) to guarantee the homogeneity and quality of the studies they offer.
Fifth semester subjects (30 ECTS)
6 ECTS Projects. Digital Environments
4 ECTS Transmedia Narratives
4 ECTS Visual Programming and Digital Art
4 ECTS Usability and UX- UI design
4 ECTS 3D Animation Techniques
4 ECTS Data analysis and visualization
4 ECTS Aesthetics
Sixth semester subjects (30 ECTS)
6 ECTS Projects. Hybrid environments and extended realities
4 ECTS Projects with companies
4 ECTS Interactive Technologies
4 ECTS Extended Realities
4 ECTS Business Organization
4 ECTS Visual culture: theory and history of image and communication 4 ECTS
4 ECTS Electives
ECTS: European Credit Transfer System. System adopted by all universities in the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) to guarantee the homogeneity and quality of the studies they offer.
Seventh semester courses (30 ECTS)
6 ECTS Projects. Critique, experimentation and research
4 ECTS Design Research Methodologies
12 ECTS Curricular Practices
4 ECTS Entrepreneurship in the Creative Industries
4 ECTS Collective Imaginaries: semiotics and sociology of communication
Eighth semester subjects (28 ECTS)
14 ECTS Final Degree Project
16 ECTS Electives
ECTS: European Credit Transfer System. System adopted by all universities in the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) to guarantee the homogeneity and quality of the studies they offer.
Faculty
Teacher
Aitor Baigorri Ozcoidi
Teacher
Diego Lara
Teacher
Irene Estrella
Teacher
Clara Saña Reñones
Teacher
Oskar Ranz
Visual Artist
Teacher
Ana González de la Peña Albacete
Teacher
Ángel Rodríguez
Graphic designer
Teacher
Javier Escorihuela
Teacher
Álvaro Carroquino
Architect and co-director of Bate.work
Teacher
Enrique González
Doctor of Philosophy
Teacher
Jaime Narváez Rivero
Graphic Designer
Teacher
Andrea López
Teacher
Pablo Aragón
Teacher
Cris Argüelles
Architect, researcher, and educator
Inside the labs
+9
IED Madrid Design District
+5
AVLAB
+3
PrintLAB
+4
MediaLAB
+9
FabLAB
Projects
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