Graphic Design and Visual Communication

The image constitutes simultaneously experience, relationship and narrative. The area promotes a design culture oriented towards developing critical perspectives and authorial visions, capable of interpreting reality and transforming it into meaningful visual content.

Visual design at IED is founded on contaminations, dialogues and visions that cross disciplinary boundaries.
In this context, Design Culture, Responsibility and Transdisciplinarity represent daily practices that guide research, nurture dialogue and open new expressive possibilities.

In the contemporary context, where the image is no longer configured exclusively as representation but as experience, interaction and story, the Photography and Visual Narratives area trains visual designers capable of translating complex ideas into effective and memorable visual languages.
The objective is to develop a design culture that integrates creativity, technique and critical thinking, generating impact in publishing, communication, digital and art fields.

The area's identity develops through an interdisciplinary approach, in which graphics, illustration, photography and web design converge to build visual narratives aimed at contemporary audiences.
Visual content assumes a strategic function in constructing identity, communicating values and designing experiences.

IED offers a learning environment that stimulates experimentation, promotes conscious use of digital technologies and integrates sustainability as a design principle.
In this context, interest in the visual arts translates into concrete competencies, capable of engaging with the creative industry and responding to emerging challenges.

Photography

Photography is understood as a design language that integrates technique, visual culture and personal research. Practice develops between analogue and digital methodologies, exploring different genres such as reportage, fashion, art and documentation. The authorial approach constitutes the core of the learning path, supported by professional laboratories, advanced software and interdisciplinary collaborations. Critical reflection on the image interweaves with experimentation, opening perspectives towards contemporary and future scenarios of visual communication.

Visual Communication

The area focuses on building visual narratives capable of connecting content, identity and audience. Work develops around integrated communication systems, where visual coherence and strategic thinking intersect with graphic design, publishing and branding. The approach is multidisciplinary and oriented towards experimentation, with particular attention to contemporary visual culture.

Graphic Design

Graphic design is conceived as a cultural and communicative practice. Visual languages applied to publishing, typography, packaging and digital communication are explored, with particular attention to building layouts and coherent visual systems. The pathway values formal and conceptual research, integrating professional tools and design vision.

Illustration

Illustration represents an expressive space dedicated to developing visual languages for telling ideas, emotions and concepts. Practice develops between traditional and digital media, exploring storytelling, conceptual communication and data visualisation. The approach is authorial and experimental, with particular attention to narrative and the construction of visual identities.

Digital Graphics & Software

A technical-creative field dedicated to digital tools for visual design. Professional software such as Adobe Suite, 3D tools and motion graphics are explored in depth, integrating operational competencies with conscious design vision. The objective is to translate complex ideas into effective visual content adaptable to different application contexts.

Web Design

Web design is understood as the construction of digital experiences. Work focuses on interfaces, layouts and content oriented towards usability and visual narrative, with particular attention to user experience principles and responsive design. The approach is multidisciplinary and integrates graphics, interaction and digital storytelling.

IED Offering in Photography and Visual Narratives

Competencies and Professional Prospects

The learning path enables development of competencies that respond to the needs of the creative industry and contemporary visual communication. During studies, students build solid technical and cultural preparation, refine sensitivity towards visual language and develop a portfolio that reflects a personal and coherent design vision.

IED Students Currently Work As: 

Graphic Designer, Designer and Art Director, Web Designer, Motion Graphics Designer, Data Visualiser, Editorial Designer, Illustrator, Digital Creative, Interactive Art Director, Packaging Designer, Typographer, Photographer, Visual Designer. 

Projects

Visual and Interactive Arts

Rome

Didactic projects
River

Visual and Interactive Arts

Turin

Didactic projects
00

Visual and Interactive Arts

Turin

Didactic projects
The ice archive

Visual and Interactive Arts

Milan

Didactic projects
Hunting archive

Visual and Interactive Arts

Rome

Didactic projects
Latent autobiography

Visual and Interactive Arts

Turin

Didactic projects
Arvigo, Scale 1:1

Visual and Interactive Arts

Rome

Didactic projects
Consumerism ratio

Visual and Interactive Arts

Turin

Didactic projects
As they are

Visual and Interactive Arts

Milan

Didactic projects
Āmēn

News

11 May 2026

Design tells its story at the Turin International Book Fair with EDICOLA IED

From 14 to 18 May, a newsstand of creativity presents the first two issues of Notes on Plural Intelligences alongside a selection of the best Italian and international magazines, accompanied by a programme of talks and workshops exploring themes of design, publishing and contemporary communication

11 May 2026

The creative talent of IED Barcelona takes the stage at ADC*E High Potentials 2026

Irina Kavtaradze, a fourth-year Advertising student, was one of the 30 new talents selected from 170 international applications to present her portfolio on the DHub stage before leading European agencies and studios.

06 May 2026

The gaudeamusPROJECTA Awards recognise IED Barcelona Visual Arts

“Sutura”, by IED Barcelona Graphic Design alumnus Carmina Goran, is one of the 24 projects selected in the 9th edition of the awards celebrating emerging talent in graphic design and excellence in education.

28 April 2026

IED Milano partner in the international Blended Intensive Programme

The programme has been coordinated by ENSAV La Cambre, Brussels.

22 April 2026

IED Madrid plays a leading role at Brut! Madrid with nominations for “ABONO 03: Hogar” and “TypoLAB”

Brut! Madrid is bringing together design students and professionals at La Nave on Friday 8 May for an event dedicated to emerging talent

20 April 2026

IED Barcelona, finalist in the HUMANSDID - Movistar Pantallas para la Reflexión competition

Three projects by Visual Arts students, selected among design, communication and creativity schools from across Spain, will be screened on outdoor advertising displays and in Movistar stores for one week from World Creativity and Innovation Day (21 April).

15 April 2026

More than 9,800 students took part in the AQU Catalunya and Catalan universities' mass survey on recent graduate satisfaction

Responses will be used to identify areas for improvement in the higher education studies currently offered in the Catalan university system and in higher artistic education centres.

14 April 2026

Albert Folch leads a new session of IED MUSES Talks at Bilbao

A new session of IED MUSES Talks brings together Albert Folch and Isabel Fernández to explore design from an expanded perspective.

13 April 2026

IED presents The Searchlights: the urgencies of our time through the photographs of people in their twenties

As part of EXPOSED Torino Photo Festival, IED presents the second chapter of the three-year project Ti vorrei dire, developed in collaboration with Gallerie d'Italia - Torino, a part of Intesa Sanpaolo