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    

Maria Alicata

Art Historian and Curator    

Francesco Mancuso

Marketing Manager

Jacopo Benci

Artist and Researcher

Serafino Murri

Media Critic

Daria Scolamacchia

Photo Editor and Curator

Tommaso D'Angelosante

Motion Graphic Designer

Leo Colalillo

Graphic and Type Designer

Melissa Blasi

Copywriter, Digital Strategist, and Screenwriter

Anastasia Martino

Anthropologist, Independent Researcher

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

14 November 2025

From all over the world to Turin: IED welcomes its new international students

Two days between campus spaces and the city center, where new international students, guided by a treasure hunt, started to find their way, meet each other, and grow as a group

14 November 2025

This was IED MUSES Talks: Quayola

In the first episode of the second season of the inspirational talk series by IED, the renowned multimedia artist revealed the key elements of his work at the intersection of art, design, and technology.

06 November 2025

Casa IED opens in New York: a new space for design culture and creative exchange

In Williamsburg, the creative heart of New York, Casa IED has opened as the first of the spaces that IED will dedicate to cultural exchange and collaborative design.

29 October 2025

Inclusive graphic design to transform society

For the third consecutive year, IED Barcelona has collaborated with Fundació Setba within the framework of the “Magistrals/Premi Setba” program.

28 October 2025

Rural Futures at Class of 25 @ DDW

A selection of projects from various IED campuses was showcased at the latest edition of Dutch Design Week under the title “Rural Futures.”

27 October 2025

IED joins the Chile Diseño 2025 Awards as an institutional partner

Mery Glez, Director of Visual Arts at IED Barcelona, joins the panel of international experts to share insights on the future of visual design and creativity.

23 October 2025

IED MUSES Talks launches its second season nationwide

The series of inspirational talks promoted by Istituto Europeo di Design features five new creatives who will reveal the stories behind their careers and creative processes, with sessions at the IED Barcelona, IED Madrid, and IED Kunsthal Bilbao campuses. 

16 October 2025

7 IED nominations at the ADCE Student Awards 2025

2 works by alumni from IED Barcelona, 3 from IED Milano, and 2 from IED Roma are competing for the Youngstar Award. The winner will be revealed on 19 November at the ADCE Student Awards Gala, which will open the ADCE Creative Week in Barcelona.

16 October 2025

The Visual Arts of IED, finalists at the Arts Thread Awards

Two projects by Graphic Design alumni are competing in the 6th Global Creative Graduate Showcase, this year in collaboration with Monaco Foundry and Google Arts & Culture, and still open for public voting