Istituto Europeo di Design

Istituto Europeo di Design (IED) is a private higher education academy network founded in Milan in 1966 by Francesco Morelli. Operating across eleven primary campuses in Italy, Spain, and Brazil, the institution structures its creative programs around a studio-modeled methodology called "Project Culture." In digital production, visual effects, and animation, instruction emphasizes practical, laboratory-driven workflows over theoretical study.

Undergraduate Animation and Game Studies

IED's core undergraduate offering in digital media is the three-year Bachelor of Arts in CG Animation and Game Design, delivered primarily at the Milan and Rome campuses. The curriculum is structured to guide students from foundational 2D/3D principles into advanced production specializations:

• First Year: Covers design fundamentals, visual semiotics, pre-production, storyboarding, character design, and foundational 3D graphics using Autodesk Maya, 3ds Max, Photoshop, Substance 3D Painter, Arnold, and Nuke.
• Second Year: Advances to complex organic character animation, virtual reality game prototyping, and hyper-realistic visual effects compositing using ZBrush, Houdini, Unreal Engine, and VRay.
• Third Year: Operates as a professional simulation focused on technical rigging, pipeline management, and student portfolio optimization, culminating in an individual or team dissertation project such as a short film, playable video game, or interactive installation.

Alongside the 3D track, IED offers a Bachelor of Arts in Illustration and Animation in Rome and Milan, where students explore 2D digital illustration, visual narrative, stop motion, and background design.

Postgraduate Programs

At the graduate level, the Milan campus hosts an intensive one-year Master in Animation Design. Designed for graduates and emerging industry professionals, the program focuses on 2D animation, stop motion, and 3D character animation for games. Coursework utilizes production-standard tools including Toon Boom Harmony, Storyboard Pro, and Blender, requiring each candidate to complete an animated series pitch dossier and a targeted professional reel.

In Spain, IED Madrid extends digital media training through the Masters in Digital Arts and Creative Technologies, focusing on extended reality (XR), interactive installations, artificial intelligence, and real-time generative systems.

Production Facilities and Industry Ties

Campuses delivering digital media programs provide access to Cintiq-equipped computer suites, sound design labs, dedicated stop-motion workshops, and G-SCAN 3D laser scanning equipment. Collaborative interdisciplinary projects link CG animation cohorts with sound design and media design students to produce finished audiovisual work.

IED Rome directly engages with the regional film and animation industry through institutional ties with studios like Graphilm and partnerships with industry events such as Romics, Cartoons on the Bay, the VIEW Conference, and the Giffoni Film Festival. Students also present interactive digital installations at public exhibitions like Rome's Videocittà and showcase their showreels directly to industry leads during annual Portfolio Night events.