Product Design
Developing ideas to empower people and protect the environment in our contemporary world
Rome
On campus
ITA
First Level Academic Diploma in Design - Specialization in Product Design
Language
Italian
Start date
October 2025
Frequency
Full time
Fruition
On campus
Duration
3 Years
Credits
180
Course Coordination
Marika Aakesson
If you want to translate contemporary history into projects focused on design thinking and sustainability, you will find all this in the Product Design Undergraduate Programme at IED Roma
Let yourself feel inspired by art, science and technology: the Product Design degree programme at IED Roma will provide an insight into shaping your vision of the world with products that combine aesthetics, comfort, new materials and production technology.
Over the three years our projects will be focusing on design thinking skills as a way to develop sustainable products and services. These will need to respect the planet and have people as their main focus. The Product Design degree programme will prepare you to design products, services and integrated systems that support people in their everyday needs and challenges
Using a lab-based approach you will explore different areas of technology application, learning how to make full use of craft and digital tools throughout the process. You will connect with the latest innovation in Industry 4.0, smart technology start-ups, but also with more traditional market areas, such as home, personal, workplace and food design.
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
Learn how to develop products and services using your knowledge of technology and craftsmanship skills.
The Product Design programme at IED Roma will introduce you to a training approach where classroom learning is made more effective through a variety of practical workshops that will enhance your skills and ability to work independently.
You will be further developing your strategic thinking and practical skills with design-thinking methods that you will be applying to your own projects. You will be experiencing a human-centred approach to design that will help you engage with projects and challenges in a variety of areas: home design, crafts design, product and service design for sustainable development, robotics, wearable technology, interaction design and health technology.
You will be involved in workshops, seminars, projects and contests where you can share ideas and brainstorm with other students, lecturers and businesses. This interaction will be the key to developing critical thinking and increasing your awareness of what you can do.
The Product Design programme at IED Roma aims to build your knowledge of tools and methods to work as a product designer. Your aim will be to interpret and stay ahead of market trends, trying to understand what the industry requirements are, and translating ideas into practical projects.
The Product Design programme at IED Roma is just your best option if you have a creative approach to the world around you and a passion for designing objects that can contribute to improving people's lives. This programme is for students with a visionary and realistic mind, who want to learn about technology and also like to work with their hands.
Curiosity is undoubtedly a prerequisite for taking this programme, but you won't need a specific background education. You don’t have to be able to draw as across the whole programme you will be learning how to design using a pencil and eventually experimenting with projects based on the latest digital representation technologies.
You will understand how your skills can have an impact on production, distribution and consumption patterns. That’s the reason why the Product Design degree programme at IED Roma is the ideal opportunity for strong-willed students who want to challenge the future with motivation and commitment to get involved.
The Product Design degree programme at IED Roma is based on a user-centred project design methodology with a special focus on projects involving environmental protection and sustainable development, social responsibility and design thinking as the main areas of interest. With this in mind, the programme has developed a partnership with Legambiente, a leading environmental association based in Italy. The idea is to encourage young generations of designers to develop inclusive and sustainable projects that will contribute to ecological transition.
Using a lab-based approach, theory subjects are offered in combination with the opportunity to practise your skills while working on a variety of projects. You will have the opportunity to create a product from scratch using state-of-the-art equipment such as 3D scanners, 3D printers and laser cutting machines.
As a result of close contact with the professional network available in the Italian Capital, the Product Design programme at IED Roma will allow you to work on projects for customers operating in the areas of culture, community services, social innovation and the food industry.
This programme pays close attention to market demands and developments as it prepares you to either freelance as a product designer, or being employed to work for small and medium sized companies, as well as for public or private institutions. Specifically, you will be working as Product Designer, Light Designer, Food Designer, Social Impact Designer, Service Designer, Experience Designer, Strategic Designer, Interaction Designer.
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 you will approach basic technical and cultural tools, along with general methods and concepts of project design. All of this will prove essential to your future career as a product designer. You will develop a strong aesthetic sensibility and learn how to best use creative skills in your project work.
HISTORY OF CONTEMPORARY ART
HISTORY OF APPLIED ARTS
THEORY OF PERCEPTION AND PSYCHOLOGY OF FORM
MATERIALS TYPOLOGY 1
TECHNICAL AND PROJECT DESIGN
MODELLING 1
GRAPHIC DESIGN
PHOTOGRAPHY
PROJECT DESIGN METHODOLOGY
PRODUCT DESIGN 1
second year
On year two, you will take additional theory coursework and learn how to use technology and digital tools for effective product design and prototyping. As you work on your projects, you will also enhance your natural abilities and strengthen soft skills in the areas of team-building, creative thinking and critical thinking.
DESIGN HISTORY 2
HISTORY OF APPLIED ARTS
DESIGN MANAGEMENT
SOCIOLOGY OF CULTURAL PROCESSES
DIGITAL MODELLING TECHNIQUES WITH 3D SOFTWARE
MATERIALS TYPOLOGY 2
DESIGN TECHNIQUES AND TECHNOLOGIES
MODELLING 2
PRODUCT DESIGN 2
DESIGN 1
third year
The third year will focus on consolidating methods and experimenting with different tools. More specifically, your dissertation project will be the occasion for you to test your creativeness and ability to work independently on your own projects. You will also feel more confident and better aware of your future career potential.
PHENOMENOLOGY OF CONTEMPORARY ARTS
CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY
3D RENDERING
LAYOUT AND GRAPHIC RENDERING TECHNIQUES
PRODUCT DESIGN 3
PRODUCT DESIGN 4
Faculty
Marika Aakesson
Industrial Designer
Course Coordinator
Niccolò Adolini
Product Designer
Francesco Subioli
Matteo Carbonoli
Industrial Designer
Mario Alessiani
Product Designer
Barbara Brocchi
Art Director, Illustrator
Roberto Frusteri
Valentina Moccia
Mauro Del Santo
Product Designer
Giulio Gualtieri
Alessio Tommasetti
Architect
Chen Zhao
Domitilla Dardi
Art Historian, Curator of design
Patrizia Di Costanzo
Architect
Paolo Casicci
Journalist and Content Curator
Gaia Zangrilli
Jacopo Benci
Artist and researcher
Manuela Pacella
Anna Maria Cestelli Guidi
Art historian
Claudio Esposito
Gabriele Lungarella
Piero Cutilli
Ergonomist
Valentina Vinotti
Alessandro Spalletta
Interior Designer
Giulio Patrizi
Designer &Art Director
Inside the labs
+9
FAB LAB
+2
PAINTING AREA
+4
SCANNER LASER 3D - G-SCAN
+5
RENDER FARM LAB
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