Master of Arts in  Visual Communication - IED Roma

Language

English

Start date

October 2026

Frequency

Full time

Fruition

On campus

Duration

2 Years

Credits

120 CFA / ECTS

Course Coordination

Matteo Modena, Francesco Lapo Ceccherelli

How does visual communication help interpret information and understand the increasingly complex world in which we live?

We live in an age of extraordinary transformations, marked by an overabundance of information, rapid changes, and urgent global challenges associated with environmental and social sustainability. As a result, visual communication becomes an essential tool for decoding and making accessible the complexity of the present by providing new and necessary keys to be able to interpret it.

Master of Arts in Visual Communication. Data Ecologies for Decoding Complexity positions itself in this scenario by training conscious designers capable of using visual design as a tool to interpret reality and translate it into stories that facilitate a collective understanding of the world. This is in line with DesignXCommons vision, i.e., design applied to the integration of common resources and planetary regeneration. 

Through the acquisition of analytical skills, design competencies, and mastery of digital tools, students will learn to develop visual communication projects and apply them to complex fields. They will be able to translate data and information into engaging and accessible narratives.

The curriculum includes theoretical explorations regarding the dynamics of visual perception, the evolution of media and languages, and communication ethics. All these are essential for fostering a critical perspective and awareness of how design decisions impact the understanding of reality.

These competencies are integrated into a design approach that combines design thinking, digital tools, and emerging technologies (Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, Generative AI and Machine Learning). All this is applied to increasingly relevant fields such as data visualisation and information design through collaborations with prominent institutions and cultural organisations in Rome.

Upon completion of the course in Visual Communication graduates will have the ability to build projects of digital communication, brand design, data visualisation, sustainability communication, visual journalism and storytelling. They will also be able to explore new languages and use visual design as a tool to understand and narrate the changing world.

They may pursue careers as independent professionals or within design teams across diverse sectors: communication agencies, design studios, innovative startups, corporations, traditional and digital newsrooms, publishing houses, non-profit organisations, and cultural institutions. They will also be eligible to continue their studies in doctoral programs at both Italian and international universities.

 

Faculty

Course Coordinator

Matteo Modena

Graphic Designer and Art Director

Course Coordinator

Francesco Lapo Ceccherelli

Chief Creative Officer

Lorenzo Terragna

Founder and Creative Director of The Teachers    

Patrizia Boglione

Brand Strategist, Creative Director

Francesco Mancuso

Marketing Manager

Jacopo Benci

Artist and Researcher

Maria Alicata

Art Historian and Curator    

Daria Scolamacchia

Photo Editor and Curator

Serafino Murri

Media Critic

Anastasia Martino

Anthropologist, Independent Researcher

Tommaso D'Angelosante

Motion Graphic Designer

Leo Colalillo

Graphic and Type Designer

Melissa Blasi

Copywriter, Digital Strategist, and Screenwriter

Simona Ghizzoni

Photographer and Visual Activist

Federico Clavarino

Visual Artist, Researcher

Francesco Maria Falcone

Andrea Dell'Anna

Graphic Designer

Davide Luccini

Graphic Designer

What people say

IED Students' POV

“It takes a second to express a concept through images, while, explaining it through words, a text, takes much longer. Visual identity is one of the World's most powerful things.”

Visual Communication IED Students

News

06 October 2026

Public Program IED.60, October 2026

This month, IED’s Public Program continues to take design beyond the classroom, creating opportunities for dialogue with audiences, cultural institutions, businesses and professional communities.

05 October 2026

IED Kunsthal Bilbao opens the 2026/27 Master and Postgraduate academic year with Toni Segarra

The day combined an institutional welcome for new students with an open, intergenerational conversation on creativity, talent, teamwork and the transformation of the profession.

02 October 2026

AQU Catalunya grants favourable accreditation to IED Barcelona’s Bachelor of Arts in Design

Once again, IED Barcelona has received a favourable report from the Catalan University Quality Assurance Agency (AQU Catalunya), certifying the quality of the Bachelor of Arts in Design (Título de Grado en Enseñanzas Artísticas Superiores de Diseño) delivered by the centre.

Two girls holding a paper program in front of a design festival poster

02 October 2026

Brut! 2026 brings two new creative voices from IED Barcelona to the stage

Visual Arts graduates Irina Kavtaradze and Kyla Henry took part in the event where leading design schools showcase their outstanding final degree projects, held on 1 and 2 October at Disseny Hub Barcelona.

Runners starting a mountain race

01 October 2026

A graphic design by IED Barcelona features on the 2026 Travessa Matagalls-Montserrat T-shirt

The design by Visual Arts student Hannah Bokelman was chosen for the T-shirt worn by the 3,000 participants in the event, a non-competitive endurance walk held on 19 and 20 September.

29 September 2026

Six emerging IED designers reach the final stage of the Arts Thread Global Creative Graduate Showcase 2026

Alumni Mariona Panés, Sara Vainer, Miranda Sanz, Malak Yahia and Victoria Escobar (IED Barcelona), together with Zuriñe Berrueta (IED Kunsthal Bilbao), are finalists in the competition, which last year attracted more than 5,000 creatives from 117 countries. Discover their projects and vote!

18 September 2026

Inclusion, equity and diversity: the journey continues

One year after achieving the UNI/PdR 125:2022 certification, we reaffirm our commitment to fostering an increasingly inclusive, equitable workplace culture that values diversity.

Crowded stalls of an auditorium

15 September 2026

More than 200 students from 52 nationalities open the 2026-2027 academic year of the IED Barcelona

On 14 September, the Welcome Event welcomed a new generation of creatives and designers joining the undergraduate programmes.

14 September 2026

IED Brazil Coordinator Joins CDSA International Jury and Represents the Institution at Event in China

Eliane Weizmann took part in the official program of City Digital Skin Art (CDSA) 2026, a global initiative that connects art, technology, and urban space, bringing together experts from different countries.

Don't miss it

Exhibitions and Festival

10 October 2026 - 11 October 2026

Mexico City

Edicola IED Travels to Mexico Design Week

Notes on Plural Intelligences will be showcased at Latin America's leading design event as part of Diseño Contenido on 10 and 11 October.

Workshop

15 October 2026 - 15 October 2026

Multiple

IED Creative Workshop

Come and discover IED’s Creative Workshops — a unique experience that will let you immerse yourself in the world of design in a fun and creative way!

Illustration of a person holding various drawing tools, set against a yellow background.
Exhibitions and Festival

17 October 2026 - 17 October 2026

Barcelona

Barcelona Dibuixa 2026: “The Power of Hand Drawing”

IED Barcelona is offering this workshop, where participants will discover, guided by architect and lecturer Gianfranco La Cognata – Laco 2, how design takes shape through illustration.

Exhibitions and Festival

23 October 2026 - 25 October 2026

Madrid

IED Madrid in the 7th Edition of Recreo Book Art Fair

The school is developing GRADA, a collaborative project with Recreo that transforms the fair’s auditorium into a space for meeting, play and participation

Exhibitions and Festival

06 November 2026 - 07 November 2026

Barcelona

Mira Digital Arts Festival 2026

IED Barcelona returns as an artistic partner and will take part in the digital arts and contemporary music festival with “Ananke: A Liturgy”, an interactive installation by Motion Graphics and Video alumna Malak Yahia.