Communication Design
The best training programme for your future career in communications at an international level. Build your skills so you can work in communications across international settings
Milan
On campus
ENG
First Level Academic Diploma in Communication Design
Language
English
Start date
October 2025
Frequency
Full time
Fruition
On campus
Duration
3 Years
Credits
180
Course Coordination
Teresa Martini
Seizing change and shaping the present with new visions for the future: this is what the Communication Design degree programme at IED Milano is all about
Along the three-year course delivered in English, you will approach a variety of communication tools and learn about how they work. Communication Design is the three-year programme at IED Milano where you can learn about effective communication techniques. You will be shaping your ideas through high-impact projects to influence user behaviour all along the buying process, while also engaging in social and relational dynamics.
On your first year, you will be studying a variety of subjects to provide you with multidisciplinary insights into the world of communication. The second year of your Communication Design degree programme at IED Milano will see you choose from among two specialisation tracks. On the Strategy track, you will learn how to uncover new consumer trends and work on brand communication in terms of identity, positioning, media and target markets, while also developing skills for successful event and public relations work. On the other hand, the Creative track will focus on skills for designing and producing content to meet current market needs and trends, covering everything from writing and creative thinking to digital innovation and art direction.
IED is the most awarded school at the ADCI awards: students from the Three-year BA in Communication Design won gold, silver and bronze at the 38th edition of the ADCI Awards at Intersections 2024
Issued Degree:
Diploma Accademico di Primo Livello (DAPL), corresponding to a Bachelor of Arts Degree (BA) – EQF6 Level (European Qualification Framework).
Credits:
The course awards 180 CFA (Academic Formative Credits), corresponding to 180 ECTS (European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System).
Information to decide
If you feel like a citizen of the world and want to work in the communication industry as part of an international team, the Communication Design degree programme will open up doors to your professional future abroad.
The Communication Design degree programme at IED Milano takes a teaching methodology based on a steady balance between creativity and strategic thinking, proficiency in the use of technological tools and awareness of the roles involved.
On this programme indeed, the theory base of subjects focusing on socio-cultural context, semiotics and history of art, is well mixed with more technical subjects requiring computer use, multimedia design and marketing skills.
The Communication Design programme at IED Milano provides basic knowledge and methods for you to become a Communication professional.
As the programme is delivered in English, students are provided with enhanced knowledge of intercultural communication, greater sensitivity and fluency in the use of a foreign language to design and convey effective messages within an international context.
After a joint first year, you will be able to choose from either of the two tracks on your second year: the Strategy track and the Creative track, where you will have the opportunity to develop in-depth project design skills specific to each area of expertise.
Over the last two years of your Communication Design degree programme, you will be working on a variety of interdisciplinary projects. The most important of these will be your dissertation project, where you will learn how to move flexibly between research, information collection and design work, with an approach inspired by real work processes and activities.
If communication is your passion, if you like dealing with cultures and worlds different from your own and if you are a creative thinker, the three-year programme in Communication Design at IED Milano is the best option to help you develop your potential and prepare for a professional career at an international level.
Along your training, you will learn how to communicate a message through different tools. You will do this with videos, illustrations, photographs, concept and multimedia content, events and public relations, and more in general as you work on communication campaigns involving the media at all levels.
Over the three years, you will contribute personally to the projects submitted to IED by partner companies.
By choosing the Communication Design programme, you will have the opportunity to work on marketing campaigns for such brands as Flying Tiger Copenhagen, Ceres, Burger King, Netflix, Samsung, Instax, Deliveroo and other multinationals from different industries.
The course in Communication Design in Milan is built to provide you with language skills and technical knowledge training. This, along with supervised use of tools, is the key background for those who want to approach the world of communication at an international level.
You will learn the methods needed to develop effective communication projects targeting both Italian and international users.
The lecturers who will take you along the way are all chosen from communication professionals in Italy and abroad as they bring all of their experience and knowledge to IED. All this takes place in a place like Milan, where opportunities, ideas and inspirations can find the perfect place for expression in agencies, start-ups, platforms, media companies and major corporations.
The Communication Design programme at IED Milano will provide you with an in-depth understanding of communication subjects. You will be able to work in international companies, in-house agencies, consultancy in the role of Art-Director, Creative specialist, Event Coordinator, Account, Project Coordinator, Marketing & Communication Assistant, Creative Copywriter, Content Specialist, Games writer.
The main software you will need during your course is provided by IED!
On this page you will find all the features you need for your computer.
Syllabus
first year
On your first year, which is the same for all specialisation tracks, you will study subjects providing a multidisciplinary overview of the world of communication. This knowledge will contribute to shaping your cultural and technical background to build on in the following years.
second year
The second year is when you are required to select your specialisation track. You will approach a variety of subjects and tools that will prove useful in helping you move into your future career. You will have the opportunity to practice your know-how, working on hands-on projects with external partners and under the supervision of your lecturers, who will be there to support you at any time across every step of the process.
Strategy track:
This track will allow you to create and manage communication projects aimed at understanding new consumer needs and translating them into strategic and cross media communication plans. Your focus will always be on developing brand identity and promoting corporate values across all communication levers.
Creative track:
The focus of this track will be on developing and enhancing creative thinking as a way to design typical communication content. Knowing how to write messages with the appropriate style of language or being able to create images that fit the chosen target are the cornerstones of any successful communication project.
On your third year, you will continue to engage with advanced project design tasks, as you work on real projects developed with our partner companies. Over this year, as you gradually approach your final dissertation work, you will be able to assess your achievements and test the specific skills acquired from your selected track of specialisation.
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