Master of Arts in  Visual Communication - IED Roma

Language

English

Start date

October 2026

Frequency

Full time

Fruition

On campus

Duration

2 Years

Credits

120 CFA / ECTS

Course Coordination

Matteo Modena, Francesco Lapo Ceccherelli

How does visual communication help interpret information and understand the increasingly complex world in which we live?

We live in an age of extraordinary transformations, marked by an overabundance of information, rapid changes, and urgent global challenges associated with environmental and social sustainability. As a result, visual communication becomes an essential tool for decoding and making accessible the complexity of the present by providing new and necessary keys to be able to interpret it.

Master of Arts in Visual Communication. Data Ecologies for Decoding Complexity positions itself in this scenario by training conscious designers capable of using visual design as a tool to interpret reality and translate it into stories that facilitate a collective understanding of the world. This is in line with DesignXCommons vision, i.e., design applied to the integration of common resources and planetary regeneration. 

Through the acquisition of analytical skills, design competencies, and mastery of digital tools, students will learn to develop visual communication projects and apply them to complex fields. They will be able to translate data and information into engaging and accessible narratives.

The curriculum includes theoretical explorations regarding the dynamics of visual perception, the evolution of media and languages, and communication ethics. All these are essential for fostering a critical perspective and awareness of how design decisions impact the understanding of reality.

These competencies are integrated into a design approach that combines design thinking, digital tools, and emerging technologies (Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, Generative AI and Machine Learning). All this is applied to increasingly relevant fields such as data visualisation and information design through collaborations with prominent institutions and cultural organisations in Rome.

Upon completion of the course in Visual Communication graduates will have the ability to build projects of digital communication, brand design, data visualisation, sustainability communication, visual journalism and storytelling. They will also be able to explore new languages and use visual design as a tool to understand and narrate the changing world.

They may pursue careers as independent professionals or within design teams across diverse sectors: communication agencies, design studios, innovative startups, corporations, traditional and digital newsrooms, publishing houses, non-profit organisations, and cultural institutions. They will also be eligible to continue their studies in doctoral programs at both Italian and international universities.

 

Faculty

Course Coordinator

Matteo Modena

Graphic Designer and Art Director

Course Coordinator

Francesco Lapo Ceccherelli

Chief Creative Officer

Lorenzo Terragna

Founder and Creative Director of The Teachers    

Maria Alicata

Art Historian and Curator    

Francesco Mancuso

Marketing Manager

Jacopo Benci

Artist and Researcher

Serafino Murri

Media Critic

Daria Scolamacchia

Photo Editor and Curator

Tommaso D'Angelosante

Motion Graphic Designer

Leo Colalillo

Graphic and Type Designer

Melissa Blasi

Copywriter, Digital Strategist, and Screenwriter

Anastasia Martino

Anthropologist, Independent Researcher

What people say

IED Students' POV

“It takes a second to express a concept through images, while, explaining it through words, a text, takes much longer. Visual identity is one of the World's most powerful things.”

Visual Communication IED Students

News

Crowded stalls of an auditorium

15 September 2026

More than 200 students from 52 nationalities open the 2026-2027 academic year of the IED Barcelona

On 14 September, the Welcome Event welcomed a new generation of creatives and designers joining the undergraduate programmes.

11 September 2026

Issue 4: Material World - Plural Intelligences

What happens when we recognize the intelligence of materials and learn to work with it responsibly, collectively, and collaboratively?

11 September 2026

IED Kunsthal Bilbao temporarily transforms Doña Casilda Park with ‘Sareak’

A cross-disciplinary project bringing together nearly 200 members of the community to reflect on contemporary communication through design.

07 September 2026

Fashion show and festival: the IED Public Programme is back

In September, IED's Public Program returns with a calendar of events across its campuses in Italy and Spain, offering opportunities for dialogue, exchange and discovery open to the community and the wider public.

28 August 2026

What does sustainability mean for a design school?

When discussing sustainability, the debate often focuses on environmental impacts and the responsible use of resources. But what does sustainability mean, in practical terms, for a school that educates future designers, creatives and professionals capable of driving change?

31 July 2026

Forbes Next Leaders: Alumna Chiara Robino designs the August cover

The collaboration between IED and Forbes Next Leaders continues: for the August issue, the cover was designed by Chiara Robino, Alumna in Illustration from IED Torino in the 2025/26 academic year.

17 July 2026

Priscilla Fois brings her art to Urban Break Korea

IED Roma alumna Priscilla Fois has been selected to participate in Urban Break Korea, one of the leading international festivals dedicated to urban art.

16 July 2026

This Is What the Future of Visual Arts Looks Like

Recent graduates from the IED Barcelona's Graphic Design, Advertising, and Motion Graphics and Video programmes presented their final projects at Barcelona XR Lab. Data, text, image and sound come together to explore the global order and reframe systems for navigating the world.

10 July 2026

Degree Show 2026 opens IED Kunsthal Bilbao to talent, design and the city

Once again, the Papelera Building opened its doors to the public, showcasing the work developed by students over four years of study and turning the school into a meeting point for design, culture, industry and institutions.

Don't miss it

14 September 2026 - 18 September 2026

Barcelona

IED Barcelona 2026 Undergraduate Welcome Week

The welcome event for undergraduate students, teachers and staff to mark the official opening of the new academic year will take place on Monday 14 September.

Exhibitions and Festival

16 September 2026 - 07 October 2026

Genova

The horizon of desire: stories from Genoa’s Waterfronts.

Six perspectives, a city in transition. IED Turin showcases Genoa’s Porto Antico and the Levante Waterfront in a photography exhibition at Palazzo Ducale

Exhibitions and Festival

01 October 2026 - 01 October 2026

Barcelona

Brut! 2026

Three IED Barcelona alumni will take part in an event bringing together leading design schools to showcase their outstanding final degree projects at Disseny Hub Barcelona.

An open notebook showing two pencil sketches, one of a lamp and the other of designer handbags
Exhibitions and Festival

17 October 2026 - 17 October 2026

Barcelona

Barcelona Dibuixa 2026: “The Power of Hand Drawing”

IED Barcelona is offering this workshop, where participants will discover, guided by architect and lecturer Gianfranco La Cognata – Laco 2, how design takes shape through illustration.