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Communication and Graphic Design
Undergraduate
Graphic Design
and Art Direction
  • Bachelor of Arts in

    Graphic Design
    and Art Direction

The Programme: overview

This BA guides students into the varied world of communication, a dynamic and ever-expanding sector, as are its possible professional applications. With its three main specialisations - Brand Design, Creative Direction and Visual Design – the BA offers an interdisciplinary programme tackling several fields, from graphic design, advertising, publishing, motion graphic and 3D modelling, web design and UX/UI, to generative applications of artificial intelligence. The students also participate in real briefs’ design in collaboration with both national and international partners, through the experimental activity of the creative workshop.

Over the BA, students will have the opportunity to:

  • Explore multidisciplinary approaches
  • Conduct research, define strategies and innovate
  • Experiment on real brief with leading international partners
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STUDY PLAN
<p>The programme enables students to acquire basic knowledge and skills in the field and to undertake a specialising path in the subject of interest through a project-based and experiential didactic approach.</p> <p>After the first year, students choose their specialisation, with specific and elective courses during the second and the third year and a last specialised semester.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>FIRST YEAR</strong></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Introduces students to the basic tools to approach the elements of communication design in the fields of graphic, advertising and visual design.</p> <p>Students learn the necessary skills for graphic design, for the development of creative thinking applied to advertising, for applied arts design projects, and acquire an understanding of professional digital technologies used in creative design and communication, through theoretical, project-based and lab teachings of project methodology, project culture, history of art, graphic design, art direction, computer graphic.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>SECOND YEAR</strong></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Guides students towards further improvement in the design of complete communication projects aimed at specific applications by choosing one of the programme specialisations (Brand Design, Creative Direction, Visual Design) and through specialising studies in editorial design, audiovisual languages and techniques, digital technologies, theory and methodology of mass media, multimedia design, art direction, communication methodology and techniques, art editorial, multimedia languages, illustration.</p> <p>Led by teachers through practical experiences, students learn how to design integrated and intramedia campaigns, in different professional fields with regard to brand communication, creative direction in advertising, visual design to explore expressive techniques for visual communication.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>THIRD YEAR</strong></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Deepens students knowledge and skills and trains them to independently and professionally manage the complete creative process with regard to the main issues of branding, the development of an original thinking and of experimental applications and to the production techniques that embody creativity.</p> <p>By the end of the programme, students develop a personal method and language through specialising teachings of visual communication, multimedia design, sociology of culture, introduction to cultural marketing, multimedia languages, phenomenology of image, aesthetics<br /> of new media, history of cinema and video, and didactic activities related to the thesis project, in its theoretical and project-based components.</p>

Department: Design and Applied Arts

Area: Communication and Graphic Design Area

Title Awarded: First Level Academic Degree

Credits: 180 CFA

Starting: October 2025 - February 2026

Duration: 3 years

Languages: Italian and English

Campus: Milan and Rome

Specialisations: your academic career

Specialisation: Brand Design

Deals with brand communication, widening the expertise in design and innovation of the visual and strategic brand image, in its whole digital development, focusing also on packaging, retail design and customer experience.

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Bachelor of Arts in BA in Graphic Design and Art Direction
Specialisation: Brand Design
<p>The <strong>Brand Design</strong> course deepens the brand communication and extends the students' expertise in design and innovation of strategic and <strong>visual brand image</strong>, in its whole digital development, focusing also on <strong>packaging</strong>, <strong>retail design</strong> and <strong>consumer experience</strong>.</p> <p>The transversal skills related to the communication field are increasingly developed with a particular interest for the brand devices. Starting with the <strong>visual identity</strong> <strong>design </strong>of a brand and through its valorisation and promotion, the specialisation provides a strategic integrated approach that takes into consideration the corporate values, mission and tone of voice as well as the background culture and languages.</p>
Specialisation: Creative Direction

It deepens the visual and strategic image of brands in its whole extent on web, social media and experimentation with multimedia platforms through the writing in the audiovisual world, including its viral extension (from website to mobile apps).

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Bachelor of Arts in Graphic Design and Art Direction
Specialisation: Creative Direction
<p>The <strong>Creative Direction course</strong> deals with a complete communication campaign (both online and offline) looking after its design and application aspects, and integrating expressive languages and potentials by employing techniques and media consistent with the target and engagement objectives.</p> <p>The path aims to prepare students for the <strong>creative direction </strong>profession in the advertising field as well as in the multimedia and social environments, while honing organizational skills for the creative process and the confrontation with the different professionals involved in the audiovisual production.</p> <p>Students have the opportunity to gain and develop analysis and design expertise for innovative formats, with a strong conceptual and visual impact.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p>
Specialisation: Visual Design

It explores the graphic design of dynamics and multimedia devices, through the technical expressive expertise that belongs to the area of experimental visuality, transversal to languages and devices.

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Bachelor of Arts in BA in Graphic Design and Art Direction
Specialisation: Visual Design
<p>The technical expressive expertise related to the area of graphic and <strong>experimental visualisation</strong> are developed through the design and production of immersive projects with a strong visual impact and high levels of engagement.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p>Exploring the contemporary expressive scenario students of the <strong>Visual Design course</strong> will define their approach to research and elaborate original contents and aesthetics, using various languages and techniques (<strong>illustration</strong>, <strong>digital animation</strong>,<strong> photography</strong>) to identify a personal stylistic signature applicable to authorial projects and significant communication projects for the contemporary cultural contexts.</p>

Our faculty

Luca Poncellini
Design and Applied Arts Department Head
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Design and Applied Arts Department Head
Luca Poncellini
<p><strong>Design and Applied Arts Department Head</strong></p> <p>Luca Poncellini is an architect and a designer with a PhD in the History of Architecture and City Planning. As a partner in the architecture office Cliostraat until 2009, he has curated projects and has lectured in Italy and in several countries throughout the world. His works have been exhibited at the Venice Biennale, at the Van Alen Institute in New York, at ETH in Z&uuml;rich, at MAGA in Gallarate and at Triennale Milano. In 2008 he co-curated the retrospective exhibition Laszlo Hudec, in collaboration with the Hungarian Consulate in Shanghai. Since 2013 he has been the Course Leader of the MA in Interior Design. Between 2015 and 2019 directed the research lab and the project C-Park. Since 2019 he has been Design and Applied Arts Department Head.</p>
Patrizia Moschella
Communication and Graphic Design Area Leader
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Communication and Graphic Design Area Leader
Patrizia Moschella
<p>Sociologist of Cultural Processes, she graduated at Universit&agrave; Statale di Milano and has a PhD in Philosophy of Knowledge from the Planetary Collegium, Plymouth University (UK). She has collaborated with international research institutes (Universit&agrave; Statale di Milano, Eurisko, Doxa, RQ Qualitative Research, Synergia) and she participate in several interdisciplinary and interuniversity platforms for socio-cultural communication projects in collaboration with associations and institutions (Libera, Assessorato alle politiche sociali di Milano). Among her most recent publications: &ldquo;Genealogia e Universit&agrave;. Profezia, Scenario, Utopia&rdquo;, in A. Bianchi, G. Leghissa (edited by), <em>Mondi altri </em>(Mimesis, 2016). She has collaborated since 2004 with NABA, where she directs the Communication and Graphic Design Area and the BA in Graphic Design and Art, and she teaches Methodology of Research, Sociology of Cultural Processes and Future Scenarios (Brand Design specialisation).</p>
Samuel Mathias Zitelli
Bachelor of Arts in Graphic Design and Art Direction Course Leader - Milan
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Bachelor of Arts in Graphic Design and Art Direction Course Leader - Milan
Samuel Mathias Zitelli
<p>Graphic designer and art director, after completing his studies in Milan, he begins to collaborate with various communication agencies, developing a passion for the world of brand and corporate image that becomes his specialisation. This passion led him to his professional experiences in and for communication and marketing departments of big national and multinational companies such as GLS, Salmoiraghi &amp; Vigan&ograve;, Marcegaglia. He has been working in NABA since 2021 as Course Leader of the BA in Graphic Design and Art Direction and as lecturer of the Computer graphic course.</p>
Dionigi Mattia Gagliardi
BA in Graphic Design and Art Direction Course Leader - Rome
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BA in Graphic Design and Art Direction Course Leader - Rome
Dionigi Mattia Gagliardi
<p>Artist and researcher. In 2011 he founded Numero Cromatico, an art collective, research center and publishing house. He is also Editor-in-Chief of Nodes Journal (ISSN 2281-1168), an international research and experimentation magazine on the relationship between art and neuroscience. For years he has been promoting a scientific approach to art and design, carrying out research in the field of experimental aesthetics and neuroaesthetics. His collaborations with international research centers are numerous and he has published many articles and paper internationally. He is also a member of the International Association of Empirical Aesthetics and the scientific committee of Rivista di Psicologia dell'Arte (ISSN 0393-9898). Since 2016 he has been teaching in academies and he is currently lecturer at NABA, Nuova Accademia di Belle Arti and Accademia di Belle Arti di Roma.</p>
Angelo Colella
NABA Communication and Graphic Design Advisor
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NABA Communication and Graphic Design Advisor
Angelo Colella
<p>Graphic and Type Designer, he worked on art and design exhibitions with Gianni Colombo, Emilio Isgr&ograve;, Lucio Del Pezzo, Gabriele Basilico, Marcello Morandini, and Christoph Broadbent. He designed and coordinated brand identity for many companies as Fiam Italia, Gualtiero Marchesi, Soci&eacute;t&eacute; Gen&eacute;ral&eacute;, PPG Univer, Archema, Poliform, he also was the responsible of the Prague International Marathon image and Czech Federation Basketball image. He worked as Creative Design Director for important international companies as Publicis, Republic Lab, Ebs Design, Arnold World Wide (Havas Group), Milano AD (Carpe Diem Group). He is associated with ADI PDA and Type Director Club of New York. He collaborated with NABA since the Academy foundation, at first as lecturer of Graphic Design, then as Director of Communication and Graphic Design Department.</p>

Study and career opportunities

Study abroad programmes

NABA provides students with the opportunity to study abroad as part of their academic experience.
NABA Academic Coordination Office, in charge for the management of the exchange programmes, supports students in taking advantage of the international study opportunities through exchange programmes and promoting educational experiences thanks to a network including numerous prestigious international partner universities.

NABA counts more than 70 cooperation agreements with academies and universities through the Erasmus+ Programme in Europe and others international cooperation agreements with several universities outside Europe.

Companies and institutions placement

NABA has developed strong relationships with leading companies that provide internships for NABA students, including: Young & Rubican, Ogilvy & Mather, Havas Worldwide, Leagas Delaney, Edizioni Condè Nast, Independent Ideas,  Milano Venture Company, Provincia di Milano, Armando Testa, Carmi e Ubertis, Publicis, Upim, Arnoldo Mondadori Editore, Editrice Abitare Segesta, Lowe Pirella, McCann Erikson Corporation, Saatchi & Saatchi, Velvet, Gruppo Editoriale L'Espresso, Il Sole 24 Ore, Lumen, Monster Italia, Publikompass, Comune di Milano, Harrods LTD, Jannuzzi Smith, Emergency, Berlucchi Service, Leo Burnett, Giangiacomo Feltrinelli Editore, TBWA Italia, JWT, Hearst Megazine.

COMPANIES

The BA in Graphic Design & Art Direction cooperates or has cooperated with: 55DSL - Diesel, Absolut Vodka, Auditorium di Milano Giuseppe Verdi, L'Oreal Paris, Lipton, Praga International Marathon, Rolling Stone, Val Verde, San Benedetto, Bear, CDI, Croce Rossa Italiana, Libera, Silvian Heach, UNIMI – Facoltà di Medicina e Facoltà di Scienze Politiche, Comune di Milano - Assessorato Politiche Sociali, Glion.

After the Bachelor of Arts

Continue your academic career:

  • Master of Arts in Communication Design
  • Academic Master in Creative Advertising

Kick-off your career. Among the career opportunities:

Collaborations