Best Thesis 2021: Creativity as a force for change

Date

25 June 2021

The theses of these students from the Fashion, Management & Design Strategies, Design and Visual Communication Schools have addressed the development of solutions across a range of diverse fields: aesthetics as an expression of a deep personal universe, the use of ASMR as a marketing strategy, the tourism of the future, and the redefinition of visual communication in urban spaces. 

All these proposals share the stamp of IED Barcelona: innovation through design thinking. With this in mind, the projects chosen are the result of a creative process developed in different stages: from research, through ideation and prototyping, to the final proposal. These are the results: 

 

Collection: Pop Porn

Student: Giacomo di Paolo

Bachelor of Arts in Fashion Design

Pop Porn is inspired by pop culture from an intimate and activist approach that draws on a journey of discovery about the queer world and the theories of sexuality and gender. Folklore, TV celebrities and the Spanish flag are some of the elements present in the prints of the garments, along with a colour palette that combines cold and warm tones, with yellow, red, navy blue, “Civil Guard green”, black and brown playing leading roles.

Using a varied range of fabrics, from natural to synthetic, tailored to technical, the looks, with their eclectic silhouettes and styles, offer a fresh, fun and sensual vision of men’s fashion. From leather corsets and leggings, to jeans, jackets and deconstructed polo shirts, the collection is full of artistic and cultural references that feed the student’s creative universe. 

--

Project: The Role of ASMR in Future Advertising

Student: Andrea Rovira

BA (Hons) Fashion Marketing & Communication

This project explores the use of autonomous sensory meridian responses (ASMR) in brand communication with the aim of creating deeper connections with audiences. 

ASMR is a sensory phenomenon, popularised in recent years in video format and through social media platforms in particular, which provokes a pleasurable sensation of tingling and relaxation in the viewer. In the current context, in which we are experiencing an oversaturation of information and advertising, this proposal addresses the possibilities of ASMR in developing a type of advertising that is immersive and sensory.

-- 

Project: Starbound

Student: Hadi Hissi 

Bachelor of Arts in Product Design  

Starbound is a pressurised, balloon-powered capsule that enables travel from Barcelona’s coast into the stratosphere. Through this innovative approach, the project explores the possibilities of space tourism towards the future redefinition of the industry in the City of Counts. 

Conceived to carry four passengers, the vessel’s design features large windows for a panoramic view of the earth and space. Its interior, with reclining and adjustable seats as well as smart ceiling lighting that appears to merge with the exterior environment, leads to the creation of a pleasant and safe atmosphere throughout the journey. 

--

Project: Creixem [Let’s Grow]

Students: Gaia Pantalone and Eleanor Berney

Bachelor of Arts in Motion Graphics and Video and Bachelor of Arts in Graphic Design 

Light is the main source of inspiration for this project, which aims to improve the city of Barcelona’s graphic system, as well as the interaction between the city and its inhabitants. 

Creixem focuses on the new green hubs of the city’s Eixample district, developing a proposal that fuses urban planning, visual communication and mobility. Part of the project involves the creation of new signage and information campaigns that seek to simplify existing visual communication in a bid to make it more inclusive and intuitive. The proposed new signage includes a gender-neutral approach, as well as a map of mobility services in the area and information signs about the green hubs.

You may be interested in:

Collage with three vertical photos of three models walking the catwalk at 080 Barcelona Fashion

27 October 2026

Collections from the IED creative community bring creativity and talent to 080 Barcelona Fashion

Acceptance Letter, Compte Spain and L’Amar took to the runway at the international fashion event’s most diverse and original edition yet, presenting three collections that celebrated humour, experimented with exaggerated volumes and paid tribute to resistance.

Art and design exhibition featuring two central rocks sewn with printed fabrics

23 October 2026

“Valor Ancestral: Latam Creative Talent 2026” makes a stop at IED Barcelona

Following its presentation at IED Madrid and ahead of its move to IED Kunsthal Bilbao, the latest edition of the international exhibition, an initiative promoted by IED since 2022, was on display to coincide with the Barcelona campus’s activities as part of Barcelona Design Week.

Carousel of models on the catwalk of a fashion show

23 October 2026

Acceptance Letter, the label founded by IED Barcelona lecturer Jeakyong Sim, wins the 080 Barcelona Fashion / Rec.0 competition

The label has been recognised as the best emerging local fashion proposal in the 15th edition of the initiative, which has previously awarded IED alumni such as Guillermo Justicia and Elna Solans.

Female model posing on a rock wearing a white wool wide-sleeved sweater

22 October 2026

IED Barcelona Alumni Andrea Trescolí showcases two looks that put circularity into practice in fashion at Rec.0

From 4 to 7 November, she will showcase her creations entered in a competition for emerging designers who use materials and processes aimed at reducing waste, as part of the festival’s Fashion Design Schools Exhibition at the Igualada Leather Museum (Barcelona).

Young woman showing off her award at the event's photocall

20 October 2026

Pentawards 2026 recognises IED Barcelona’s packaging design with Gold and Silver awards

“SOLMOD”, by Sofía Millán, and “Drop”, by Livia Ylldiz Struga, both second-year Product Design students, competed in the category for student concepts that have not yet been brought to market.

16 October 2026

The Word for Border is Water

IED participates for the third time at the Class of 26 exhibition during Dutch Design Week

06 October 2026

150 students begin the 2026–2027 Academic Year on IED Barcelona’s Master’s, Postgraduate and Foundation Courses

The Welcome Event for Master’s and Postgraduate students took place on 1 and 2 October, featuring a new edition of the “Designing for the Many” workshop and the opening lecture. Foundation students received their welcome on 5 October.

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.