IED – Istituto Europeo di Design
1966 was the beginning of the story for IED, a school that chose to call itself the European Institute of Design, when the word European was not yet on the horizon. Francesco Morelli was then 24 years old and had a vision: to create a new type of school for the creative professions in design, fashion, visual arts and communication. After over 50 years, the IED is the largest Higher Education Network in the creative field to have maintained a global outlook and a profoundly Italian cultural outlook. It is now an international group with 12 offices in 3 countries: Italy, Spain and Brazil. Its training experience has changed over time but it continues to be based on a simple yet effective model: combining theory with practice and knowledge brought to the classroom by professionals from the world of work. It teaches its students to be a step ahead, in the present. It is an inclusive and transdisciplinary school that uses design as a universal language for change.
Added to this is a bold ingredient: the commitment of the people who move the IED machine with the aim of training contemporary designers, making them ready to change the world in which they live through design, beauty, intelligence and emotion. It is an extensive community made up of teachers, staff, alumni, professionals, companies and, of course, students. The IED has always placed young people at the centre of its world and continues to do so because their education is an investment in the future: helping to design a more humane society, based on the ethical principles of environmental, social and economic sustainability.
The present and future of the Istituto Europeo di Design
The IED recently presented an expansion plan for the next three years. The goal is to maintain the qualitative leadership of its educational offering and increase its appeal, in the face of an evident demand for education from millions of international students. These are the reasons behind the direct and indirect investment plan of over 100 million euros, which is to be allocated mainly to opening future IED Campuses and expanding those already present in key territories, in addition to the digital transformation processes and innovation of the offering.
In Milan, the IED participated in the Reinventing Cities international tender which was announced by the Municipality of Milan for the redevelopment of the former slaughterhouse area. In line with the development in Italy, the expansion plan for Spain is expected – already activated in Barcelona with the doubling of the offices – with the new campus in Madrid in the former Matadero area and the expansion of the Papelera building in Bilbao, in addition to the interest in other markets where IED is not yet present, such as Portugal.
