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Illustration and Animation
Milan
ITA
|
ENG
First Level Academic Diploma in Illustration
Language
Italian, English
Start date
October 2026
Frequency
Full time
Fruition
On campus
Duration
3 Years
Credits
180 CFA / ECTS
Course Coordination
Daniela Brambilla
The Bachelor of Arts in Illustration and Animation at IED Milano integrates static and moving images, enabling the development and expansion of personal visual languages through traditional techniques and cutting-edge technologies. The programme allows students to explore various fields: from publishing to animation, through to new media and forms of digital and social communication. In the third year, students may choose a specialisation in animation to deepen the skills required for roles such as animator, generalist artist, editor and storyboard artist. The course concludes with an animated short film as a thesis project, covering all stages of production, from concept to post-production. Students following the Illustration path may create a diploma thesis that could consist of, among other options, a picture book, an illustrated book for adults or children, a comic or graphic novel, or an art book linked to animation or game projects.
Course structure and contents:
The IED programme spans three years, during which design is integrated with cultural knowledge, dialogue with professionals, technical skills and innovative tools.
First Year: Dedicated to exploring drawing as a visual language. Students learn to observe, interpret and communicate through line and its features: gesture, colour, space and movement. Anatomy is studied in relation to expressive body language and spatial representation. Traditional and digital techniques are explored (using software such as Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign), alongside the basics of illustration and animation, supported by a solid theoretical foundation in contemporary art history, the history of illustration and animated cinema, and art semiotics.
Second Year: Focuses on technical and design skills applied to editorial illustration for magazines and children’s books, comics, storyboards and animation. Students experiment with different genres and techniques: printmaking (etching, relief and cyanotype), traditional and digital painting (advanced Illustrator, After Effects, InDesign and Toon Boom).
Third Year: Offers the possibility to specialise in Illustration or Animation. In the first case, students work on picture books, web comics, graphic novels, conceptual illustration, and illustrated books for children and young adults. In the second, they develop animated shorts, managing every stage from directing to post-production, also using software for interactive projects. In both specialisations, the thesis project represents the transition to the professional world: whether authorial or commissioned, individual or interdisciplinary, it may also be carried out in collaboration with organisations or companies.
Faculty
Course Coordinator
Daniela Brambilla
Illustrator
Barnaba Canali
Freelance Artist
Annalaura Cantone
Artist, children's illustrator
Riccardo Galimberti
CEO, Executive creative director and Co-owner of Racoon Studio
Giorgio Ghisolfi
Director and lecturer
Ferruccio Giromini
Journalist, image critic and historian, lecturer, writer
Francesco Santosuosso
Architect, painter, illustrator
Mauro Paffi
Motion Graphics Artist, Editor & Dop
Giacomo Silva
Graphic designer
Rebecca Pedrazzi
Art historian and critic specialized in AI Art, curator, and journalist
Sergio Messina
Musician, Radio Author, Teacher, Researcher
Beatrice Sacchi
Illustrator & Comic book artist | Teacher at IED Milano | Art therapist in training
Roberta Sironi
Designer of Visual Communication and Design
Arianna Vairo
Illustrator and Engraver
Lorenzo Lodovichi
Visualizer, Illustrator and Director
Antonella Giardina
Philosopher and Designer
Riccardo Colombo
Art Director
Tiziana Gemin
A Lecturer in Phenomenology and Curator of Media Art
Ambra Garlaschelli
Illustrator, Graphic Designer
Stefano Goitre
Creative and Executive Producer
Alessandra Scandella
Illustrator
Sebastiano Paccini
Founder of the project Libri Finti Clandestini
Balthazar Pagani
Publisher
Marta Sofia Marzullo
Freelance Animator and Illustrator
Massimo Giacon
Illustrator and Designer
Francesco Poroli
Illustrator, Art Director
Laura Fiori
Art Director
Dario Albini
Founder & Creative Director of Atabaliba Studio
Andrea Pagliardi
Head of Communication Cartoon Italia
Mattia Distaso
lllustrator
Paolo Rui
Artist, illustrator
Alberto Ponticelli
Cartoonist
Patrizia Russo
Freelance animation & illustration artist, graphic designer
Debbie Bibo
Literary agent, founder of Debbie Bibo Agency
Fabio Buonocore
Illustrator, Graphic Designer
Antonio Dall'Osso
Scenographer
Ilaria Faccioli
Illustrator
Samuele Gaudio
Illustrator
Marco Ventura
Freelance Illustrator
Chiara Molinari
Storyboard, lay-out and character Designer
Inside the labs
ENGRAVING AND PRINTING TECHNIQUES LAB
DRAWING LABS
+4
SCANNER LASER 3D - G-SCAN
Projects
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