IED Istituto Europeo di Design: campuses and courses in Italy
IED, founded in Turin in 1966, is the largest international network of higher education in the creative field with an Italian cultural matrix. Over 10,000 students a year, 90,000+ trained in 40+ years, with alumni including Maria Grazia Chiuri.
About IED
IED, Istituto Europeo di Design, is the largest international network of higher education in the creative field with an Italian cultural matrix, founded in Turin in 1966. In Italy IED is present with campuses in Milan, home to its flagship campus led by Alberico Guerzoni, as well as Turin, Rome, Florence, Venice, Cagliari and Como, the latter through the Accademia di Belle Arti Aldo Galli.
The institute is organized around four main disciplines: Design, Fashion, Visual Communication and Management, offered through more than 29 bachelor's-level courses and over 150 Master's and postgraduate programs. IED welcomes over 10,000 students a year across its global network, which also includes campuses in Spain and Brazil, with about 70% international students across its campuses. Over more than 40 years of history, the institute has trained more than 90,000 students overall, establishing itself as a global reference point for design education.
Main academic areas
Bachelor's, Master's and postgraduate courses in Design, Fashion, Visual Communication and Management
IED statistics and indicators
Employability: aggregate figure not published centrally. Main courses delivered in English and Italian depending on the campus.
IED's history
Istituto Europeo di Design was founded in Turin in 1966 by Francesco Morelli, with the goal of offering professionalizing education in design, then rapidly establishing itself as an autonomous discipline in Italy. The Communication and Graphic Design department opened in Turin in 1978, progressively expanding its expertise toward the web and new media. During the 1970s and 1980s the institute expanded rapidly across various Italian cities, opening campuses in Rome in 1973, Cagliari in 1984, and consolidating its presence in Turin in 1989.
International development began in the 1990s, with the opening of the Madrid campus in 1994 and Barcelona in 2002, followed by the first campus in Brazil, in São Paulo, in 2005. In 2007 the Venice and Florence campuses were opened, the same year in which the Accademia di Belle Arti Aldo Galli in Como was acquired. In 2014 the presence in Brazil was strengthened with the opening of the Rio de Janeiro campus. Today IED is present in eleven cities across two continents, maintaining a strong Italian cultural matrix while having become one of the most widespread creative educational networks internationally.
What people say online about IED
Available information, mainly through portals like Leverage Edu, highlights a historic and trustworthy institution with strong alumni prestige.
Highlights an institution with a long history (since 1966) and a vast alumni network including internationally prominent names such as designer Maria Grazia Chiuri, former creative director of major fashion houses.
The volume of detailed independent reviews (compared to Istituto Marangoni, for example) appears relatively more limited, with a less transparent communication profile on employability data compared to other direct competitors.
- Long history (since 1966) and vast alumni network with internationally prominent names
- Large share of international students (over 30%), evidence of global appeal
- Positioning in the QS World University Rankings by Subject Art & Design (78th globally)
- Extensive international relations network with study-abroad experiences via internships and exchanges in Italy, Spain and Brazil
- Four integrated creative disciplines (Design, Fashion, Communication, Management) in a single network
- Volume of detailed independent reviews relatively more limited compared to direct competitors
- Less transparent communication profile on employability data compared to similar institutes
- No serious, widespread systematic criticism in the public sources reviewed
FAQ — IED Istituto Europeo di Design
IED represents the most widespread international creative education network model with an Italian matrix: four integrated disciplines, seven campuses in Italy and a projection across two continents make it a reference point for anyone seeking a multidisciplinary education in design, fashion and visual communication.
