Why You Should Study Design in Madrid

Form follows function in cosmopolitan Madrid — with its serpentine roads, rich history, art, culture, cuisine, music, and science in the center of Europe, few other places can compete with Madrid for studying design. Let’s take a look at four compelling reasons you should study design in Madrid — and one amazing program.

1. Learn Spanish

After English and Chinese, Spanish is the world’s third most commonly spoken language. Not only is Madrid the ideal place to study design—it’s the perfect place to learn Spanish. You’ll have access to the richness of Madrid’s design, fashion, and cultural histories, and you’ll be able to immerse yourself in understanding Spanish. Spain’s capital city, Madrid is the hub of Spanish Parliament, the Madrid Stock Exchange, and the home of Spain’s royal family. Boost your knowledge and global appeal by learning Spanish in the home of Castillian Spanish—arguably the most “correct” and easily understood of Spanish accents. Spend enough time here and you’ll speak Spanish like a natural.

2. Cultural Crossroads

Spain is at the center of a geographical and geopolitical crossroads. At the center of the Iberian Peninsula, Spain has Christian, Jewish, and Muslim influences. You’ll see, hear, feel, and taste these in Madrid—when you experience the architecture, people-watch in the streets, listen to the vibrant accents, go to concerts, enjoy the temperate weather, and sample Madrid’s cuisine. Did we mention the churros con chocolate or oreja de la plancha? No trip to Madrid is complete without them.

3. Cultural Life

Get a café con leche, park yourself on a bench, and soak it up. There’s no better way to experience Madrid than by stopping and watching to get a sense of the richness of this city. A combination of modern and historical, Madrid prides itself on its devotion to preserving the old and embracing the new. As a student of design, you probably don’t need to be reminded to check out the city’s vibrant art scene. Home to “the golden triangle” of the art world, Madrid boasts the Museo Nacional de Arte Reina Sofía, the Museo Nacional del Prado, and the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza. Fill up on Picasso, Goya, and Rembrandt before you shop the permanent bookfair on the Cuesta de Moyano, followed by a trip to Europe’s biggest flea market — The Rastro. With too many options for nightlife to list, your experience of Madrid will serve only to inspire (see #4).

4. Inspiring City

Madrid seduced Hemingway. It captured Picasso. Architects from around the world travel to Madrid to learn and to feel inspired. If Madrid doesn’t inspire you, we’re not sure what will.

Convinced? You should be. And we have just the place for you to get that degree in design.

Istituto Europeo di Design Madrid, or IED Madrid has it all—great facilities, phenomenal approach to design, amazing professional development opportunities—and the opportunity for you to study design in Madrid. Offering programs in visual communication, design, fashion and management, IED Madrid has cutting edge courses and programs that respect Madrid’s past in design, embrace its present—and prepare its graduates for the future of design, not just in Madrid, but in the world.

Don´t know what area of Design you like? Study them all. Among some of its more innovative programs, IED Madrid offers a training program in Total Design , which will examine the four main areas of Fashion, Interior, Product, and Graphic Design. IED Madrid also gives you hands-on opportunities to work with real-world products. Each academic year culminates with a competition project centered around brands like MUJI, HOSS Intropia, Skunkfunk, VANS, Hendricks, Alvarno, Baruc Corazón, and The Art Company. This year’s competition will feature Tetra Pak and Glenfiddich!

Read more about the One Year Course in Total Design.

IED Madrid also offer top masters conceived as research laboratories. Students in the Masters of Design and Innovation work in an environment that promotes divergent thinking and the analysis of current design from a range of different approaches: business strategy, production and communication. The projects completed during each of the masters are also the result of the interaction and collaboration between the students and the Program Leaders, tutors and professionals.

Want to experience a creative summer? Take a look to our Summer School and discover Madrid in a unique summer. And don’t forget IED’s signature event - the Design Fest. The Design Fest combines workshops, concerts, expositions and a lot of creativity. Its focus? Exposing students to all aspects of design in a city full of some of the most vivacious design on the planet. Check out highlights from last year’s Design Fest and don´t miss the III Edition on the 17-20 of May 2017

Study design in Madrid at one of the most innovative, cutting edge design universities in one of Europe’s most enchanting cities — IED Madrid may be the answer you’ve been looking for.

DESIGN FEST II. Festival creativo en el IED Madrid (18-22 de mayo de 2016) from IED Madrid on Vimeo.