Forbes Next Leaders and IED join forces

The partnership dedicated to Next Leaders’ cover designs continues, with the aim of promoting the creativity of the next generation

An editorial project between education and professional practice

IED and Forbes Next Leaders have launched an editorial partnership that involves IED students and alumni in the design and production of the monthly covers of Next Leaders, a publication dedicated to entrepreneurship, innovation and future leadership, published by BFC Media.

The project was conceived with the aim of enhancing emerging talent and supporting the transition from education to professional practice, by offering a concrete experience within a real, structured and highly competitive editorial context. Each month, selected students and alumni are required to engage with professional briefs inspired by the theme of the issue, working in close alignment with the processes and timelines that characterise contemporary publishing.

The value of the project for students and alumni

The collaboration with Forbes Next Leaders represents a virtuous model of work-oriented education. Students are not confronted with simulated exercises, but with real demands, defined deadlines and a clear editorial vision. The project enables them to:

  • work on professional briefs developed in relation to the magazine’s content and its partners;
  • engage with concrete editorial processes, from the concept phase to final selection;
  • gain visibility through a national and international publication;
  • develop design, critical and visual synthesis skills that are applicable within the labour market.

A space for continuous experimentation

IED strengthens its role as a bridge between education and professional practice, creating opportunities in which creativity, culture and industry engage in direct and ongoing dialogue.

The project is conceived as an evolving pathway that, month after month, involves new students and alumni; an experience that goes beyond the academic exercise to become a tangible opportunity for professional engagement, visibility and the affirmation of the creative talent of new generations.

The selected projects

February: “Il potere dell’ascolto"

The first cover for the project was created by Asia Cipolloni, alumna Bachelor of Arts in Illustration and Animation, IED Milano.

Her artwork was selected for its ability to convey the theme in a contemporary visual form that is consistent with the magazine’s identity.

March: “Dalla laurea al lavoro”

The second cover selected was designed by Noemi Giulianini, a third-year student on Bachelor of Arts in Illustration and Animation, IED Milano.

The theme is addressed through a reassuring and considered visual language, portraying the future as a space of possibility, growth and the construction of one’s professional identity.

April: “Le nuove strade verso il lavoro”

The third cover designed for April is by Giada Boselli, a first-year student on the Bachelor of Arts in Illustration and Animation at IED Milano.

The cover conceived by Giada Boselli addresses the theme of contemporary work from the perspective of those who are about to enter it. Rather than portraying work as an abstract or distant system, it is presented as a destination viewed “from below”, rich in complexity, opportunity and challenge.

The first covers