IED was established in 1966 to the intuition of its President Francesco Morelli. Through time, it has become a 100% Made in Italy international network of excellence, operating in the fields of training and research, in the disciplines of Design , Fashion , Visual Arts and Communications.

Above all, IED is an evolving educational system with capability and dedication to reinventing itself on a daily basis. Its mission is widespread and clear: to offer young creative's a thorough training - both theoretical and practical – and hand them the 'Design Knowledge and Mindset' that will accompany them throughout their lives.

IED has a staff numbering about 400 people teams with over 1,200 professional practicing lecturers to ensure that IED functions smoothly in all 11 of its campuses in 7 different cities. IED believes in an extensive, dynamic international network in creativity and multicultural awareness as its philosophy.

All IED locations are connected and exchange contents and contributions. Students and lecturers move from one city to another to broaden their world views. The purpose is a strong interaction and cross-fertilization. Picture a dense network of ideas and stimuli travelling between Barcelona and Madrid, bouncing from Milan down to São Paulo, making a quick stop at the Biennale and the Uffizi on the way!

IED display’s their students work in world Famous Milan Fashion Week
IED is the only automotive design school in the world to have a Booth Geneva Motor Show

IED is a powerhouse of ideas that develops creativity through its range of courses:

One-year courses
Theory lessons are accompanied by creative workshops, visits to firms, trade fairs and industrial events and meetings with practising professionals. The result is an effective concentrate of experiences, ideal above all for foreign students who want to invest a limited amount of time in acquiring key skills for building their professional profiles and gaining concrete experience in close contact with the Made in Italy system, without ruling out the possibility of continuing their studies later.

Three-Year Courses
These are post-secondary school courses with obligatory attendance, designed for a limited number of students who want to take their talent and creativity and transform them into a viable profession, as well as wanting to acquire knowledge as a means of constructing the personal, professional and social project for their own lives. 

Master courses
IED Masters are based on two educational patterns: 

• Project-based educational development aimed at generating real design innovation. The main goal of achieving innovative results is pursued through intense research activity. 

• Design-related research. It embraces the academic investigation of design culture as a constantly evolving activity. A true paradigm shift calls for an effort that goes beyond the “classical” idea of innovation. IED believes that the ability to work in heterogeneous teams is the winning approach. 

IED Masters education applies a transverse and interdisciplinary project-based approach. The areas of product design and communication blend together, supported by a substantial scientific component and by the intense work performed in IED workshops. The key goals of the educational model are the attainment of technical skills (cognitive, methodological, technological and linguistic capabilities), holistic skills (the ability to create connections between technical skills and areas of knowledge).