Bachelor’s Programme in Graphic Design

BA in Graphic Design

The Official Undergraduate Degree in Graphic Design is comparable to a university Bachelor’s degree (240 ECTS) which qualifies students to become designers who are able to achieve effective visual communication and stir up a reaction in their target audience.

This course is held in English language.

Graphic designers work with text (typography), colour and images (photography and video), symbols (logos, images and pictographs) and illustration. Their task is to develop concepts and ideas that can be rendered on paper or other materials, in digital format, online or through audio visual means.

At IED Barcelona, students learn to build on their skills using the project methodology, which means learning by doing. They are given real projects in every subject, including composition, colour, typography, corporate identity, art direction, publishing design, photography, video, packaging, digital design for websites or apps, signage, animation and virtual reality. The course follows a very customised learning approach, with no more than 20 students per class and the most cutting‑edge technology.

Description

The Undergraduate Degree in Graphic Design offers an education on the creative processes of investigation, interpreting, conception and production with the objective of communicating, embellishing and finding innovative solutions for a product, a brand or a space. The project culture is the driving force of didactics, based on experimental learning through assignments from real companies.

The first year of this degree is focused on acquiring basic concepts of design, culture and project methods. Students learn to dare to create and communicate.

As from the second year, the necessary technological and project managing tools are explored, to communicate simple and effective visual messages through the development of the own creativity and interdisciplinary methodological processes. Students concentrate on acquiring knowledge on Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe After Effect, Apple Final Cut, etc. Also, some elements are emphasised, such as typography in an editorial context, narrative language in audiovisual pieces and motion graphics.

In the third year students begin to contact with companies and also to develop more technical and complex projects, with prototypes and real costs implied, in addition to designs for corporate identity, packaging, signage, posters, etc.

During the fourth year students take a compulsory internship in a company and each one chooses a professional profile. Creative management acquires a great relevance through project management and the capacity of implementing the knowledge acquired in the previous years. In the end, the degree final project is developed in collaboration with real companies, where prototypes are produced. In successful cases, those prototypes will evolve and be manufactured to launch them into the market.

Career opportunities

The Undergraduate Degree in Graphic Design was created to produce graphic designers who make a difference, break the mould and instil social values that promote responsible consumption, sustainability and kindness. The aim is to shape enterprising future professionals who work either as freelancers or as an organisation’s art director, creative director or strategic director.

Are you interested in Bachelor's Programme in Graphic Design?

You can ask more about the BA programme by filling in theinformation request form (in English).