Study visual communication in Milan through English-taught, three-year undergraduate options in Visual and Graphic Design or Communication Design and Management within the Raffles Milano Visual Design Degree.
Visual communication is part of Milan’s everyday language. It appears in fashion campaigns, design studios, cultural events, publishing, retail spaces, digital media, exhibitions, packaging, advertising, and the visual identity of the city itself. For a young creative, Milan is not only a study destination. It becomes a place to observe, question, create, and understand how visual ideas move through culture and business.
At Raffles Milano, this field is taught through practical project work, direct contact with professional methods, and an interdisciplinary approach. Students learn by developing concepts, responding to creative briefs, testing visual solutions, presenting their work, and building a portfolio step by step. The school’s faculty includes active professionals, so the learning experience stays close to the real creative industries.
We have prepared this presentation for applicants and families who want to understand the two undergraduate options within the broader Visual Design area: Visual and Graphic Design and Communication Design and Management. The student chooses one path, not both.
Visual and Graphic Design is usually the better fit for applicants who want to create visual identities, layouts, images, typography, editorial projects, digital visuals, packaging, motion pieces, and communication materials.
Communication Design and Management is usually the better fit for applicants who are more interested in brands, audiences, campaigns, media, content, communication strategy, creative coordination, and the way visual work reaches the public.
Both paths belong to the same broader world of visual communication. The difference is in the emphasis: one path develops a stronger visual creation profile, while the other develops a stronger communication and strategy profile.
For the wider school presentation, including campus details, undergraduate study areas, summer academic options, scholarships, Career Service, Portfolio Night, and the full application process, please refer to the main PRODIREKT Raffles Milano page.
Key Facts
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| School | Raffles Milano International Design Institute |
| Location | Milan, Italy |
| Study format | Onsite, Raffles Milano campus |
| Duration | 3 years |
| Credits | 180 credits |
| Start date | November |
| Language of instruction for international students | English |
| Additional language availability | Some programs may also be available in Italian |
| Study options | Visual and Graphic Design or Communication Design and Management |
| Public-facing degree description | Bachelor-equivalent Visual Design Degree |
| Official academic award | First-Level Academic Diploma in Visual Design |
| Additional path recognition | Raffles certificate/diploma connected to the selected path, where applicable |
| Application route | Through PRODIREKT / Verbalists Education & Language Network |
What Degree Do Students Earn?
The official academic award for these undergraduate options is a First-Level Academic Diploma in Visual Design. This is a bachelor-equivalent qualification within the Italian higher education structure for art, design, music, dance, and other creative disciplines.
This system is known as AFAM, which stands for Alta Formazione Artistica, Musicale e Coreutica. In plain English, AFAM is Italy’s higher education system for creative and artistic fields, including design.
The Visual Design qualification is also recognized within the European framework through the European Accreditation Board of Higher Education Schools, or EABHES.
For Visual and Graphic Design, the student follows the core visual design path, with a focus on graphic design, typography, visual systems, digital tools, image-making, layout, branding, motion, interaction, and portfolio development.
For Communication Design and Management, the student follows the Visual Design academic framework with a specialization focused on communication strategy, branding, management, marketing, content, campaigns, and the planning of creative projects.
The important point is simple: this is not one combined double program. The applicant chooses the visual creation path or the communication and management-oriented path.
Program Overview
Both options are three-year undergraduate programs for candidates who have completed high school and want a practical creative education in Milan.
The shared foundation is visual communication. This means learning how images, typography, layout, color, form, media, design culture, storytelling, and strategy work together. The student gradually moves from basic visual thinking to more advanced project work, portfolio development, and a final thesis project.
The experience is not limited to software or isolated design exercises. Young creatives learn how to observe, research, build visual concepts, test ideas, make decisions, and present work in a professional way. They also begin to understand how a visual message changes depending on the audience, medium, brand, purpose, and cultural context.
The two paths share this foundation, but they develop different strengths. Visual and Graphic Design is more focused on the creation of visual language and communication pieces. Communication Design and Management is more focused on the strategy, message, planning, and management behind creative communication.
Visual and Graphic Design
The Visual and Graphic Design path is for applicants who are drawn to visual language itself. It suits those who enjoy composition, typography, editorial design, identity systems, illustration, image-making, photography, digital visuals, layout, and communication through form, color, rhythm, and structure.
A project may begin with a concept, a message, a cultural reference, or a problem to solve. From there, the student learns how to shape it into a visual identity, poster, publication, packaging concept, digital interface, motion piece, or another communication format.
The goal is not simply to make something attractive. A strong visual designer has to ask deeper questions: does the design communicate clearly? Does it guide the viewer? Does it support the message? Can it work across different media? Does it have a recognizable visual character?
Through this path, students build the technical, cultural, and conceptual tools needed for graphic design, branding, editorial design, digital design, packaging, motion graphics, cultural communication, design studios, agencies, creative departments, or independent practice.
Communication Design and Management
Communication Design and Management is for applicants who want to understand how communication works around brands, audiences, campaigns, media, content, and creative strategy.
This path still belongs to visual design, but its center of gravity is different. It is not only about producing visuals. It is about understanding what a brand wants to say, who it wants to reach, which message will be convincing, and how creative work is planned, presented, coordinated, and managed.
The program connects design with communication, marketing, public relations, media, events, content, and brand strategy. This can be especially useful for candidates who enjoy creative work but also want to understand the strategic and business side of the field.
A Communication Design and Management student may work on a brand concept, campaign idea, content strategy, event communication plan, media project, or visual communication system that supports a wider business goal. The path can lead toward creative agencies, brand teams, communication departments, digital content environments, event-related projects, or creative business roles.
Natuzzi for a New Generation
During Raffles Milano’s 72 Hour Challenge, students worked with Natuzzi to explore how an iconic design brand can speak to a younger audience without losing its soul.
Their task was not simply to “modernize” the brand. It was to understand what makes Natuzzi recognizable — its heritage, craftsmanship, Italian design culture, and emotional connection to home — and translate that story into a language Gen Z would actually notice and relate to.
Through digital storytelling, immersive campaign ideas, and fresh communication concepts, the students looked at how a historic brand can stay relevant in a fast-changing world. The result was a series of bold, thoughtful proposals that connected timeless design with contemporary culture.
For Raffles Milano students, this is the value of the 72 Hour Challenge: they do not work on abstract classroom exercises, but on real creative questions for real brands. And in this case, they showed how a new generation of designers and communicators can bring a fresh perspective to one of Italy’s most recognizable names in design.
What Students Study Each Year
The three-year structure helps young creatives grow in stages. The first year builds foundations. The second year connects those foundations to more specific visual and communication challenges. The third year becomes more personal, professional, and portfolio-oriented.
First Year: Building the Visual Foundation
The first year introduces the language of design and communication. Students begin with design methodology, drawing or visual thinking, basic graphic design, computer graphics, illustration, photography, visual communication methods, visual culture, and the way people perceive images and forms.
For Visual and Graphic Design, this stage helps the student understand how typography, layout, printing techniques, image-making, basic design, and digital tools work together.
For Communication Design and Management, the first year also introduces communication basics, public relations, business logic, retail communication, photography, and visual communication methodology. This gives the student an early understanding of communication as both a creative and strategic activity.
The first year is important because many young creatives arrive with instinct and taste, but not yet with a clear method. The foundation year helps them move from personal preference to informed creative decisions.
Second Year: From Foundation to Communication Systems
The second year becomes more focused. Project work moves closer to real communication contexts, where a visual idea has to serve a purpose, speak to an audience, and work across different media.
For Visual and Graphic Design, the work expands into areas such as brand identity, digital design, typography, infographics, motion, digital animation, video, mass media, and contemporary visual culture. The student starts to understand how a message changes when it appears in print, on screen, in motion, or as part of a wider identity system.
For Communication Design and Management, the second year gives more attention to public relations, corporate communication, event management, media planning, marketing, photography, multimedia content, and strategic communication. The work becomes more connected to campaigns, audiences, brands, and communication goals.
The practical value of this stage is that students begin to see design as a system of choices. A project is not only a beautiful image or a clever idea. It has to function in context.
Third Year: Portfolio, Thesis, and Professional Direction
The third year is where the student’s work becomes more personal and more professional. The focus moves toward thesis work, final projects, portfolio development, advanced visual or communication design, professional development, and presentation.
For Visual and Graphic Design, this stage may include advanced brand design, interaction design, digital animation, video, cinematography or 3D tools, semiotics, publishing culture, thesis labs, and final portfolio preparation.
For Communication Design and Management, the final year includes communication strategy design, project management for the creative sector, generative AI for creative communication, media and neuromarketing, video production principles, thesis work, and final project development.
By the end of the program, graduates should have a clearer creative direction, a stronger portfolio, and a better ability to explain the thinking behind their work. This matters because creative industries do not look only at finished results. They also want to understand the process, method, and personality behind them.
Learning Through Projects
Visual communication is learned best through practice. At Raffles Milano, students are expected to work with ideas, images, tools, briefs, feedback, deadlines, and presentation moments. This helps them understand how creative decisions are made, adjusted, defended, and improved.
This project-based format is especially relevant in visual communication because the field rarely stands alone. A visual designer may need to understand fashion, photography, interiors, product design, branding, digital content, events, or business strategy. A communication designer may work with art directors, photographers, brand managers, writers, video makers, stylists, editors, and clients.
The value of this kind of learning is that it prepares students for collaboration. They gradually become more comfortable with creative discussion, criticism, revision, and the practical rhythm of professional work.
72 Hours
The 72 Hours format is one of the most distinctive experiences at Raffles Milano. For three consecutive days, the usual academic rhythm changes and students from different programs come together to work on an intensive creative challenge.
For visual communication students, this can be a powerful exercise. They have to read the brief quickly, understand the message, decide what needs to be communicated, and help shape a concept that can be presented clearly. The work is fast, collaborative, and closer to the pressure of real creative environments than to a normal classroom assignment.
The experience also shows why visual communication is connected to so many other fields. A campaign, identity, installation, product story, fashion concept, or brand message may all need visual thinking. Working with peers from different disciplines helps students see where their own skills fit inside a larger creative process.
When Design Moves Through the City
During Raffles Milano’s 72 Hours Project, students had only three days to rethink something people in Milan see every day: Lime bikes and scooters.
In collaboration with Lime, the global shared electric mobility company and official mobility partner of the Porta Venezia Design District during Milan Design Week 2025, Raffles Milano students created a limited-edition collection of around 100 vehicles covered with original artistic designs.
The idea was simple, but powerful: what if sustainable mobility could also become part of the city’s visual culture?
Instead of treating bikes and scooters only as transport, the students looked at them as moving design objects. Their work explored Milan’s rhythm, energy, and creativity, while also asking important questions about urban sustainability, usability, inclusion, and the way design can make city life smarter and more human.
For students in Visual Design and Communication, this is where classroom work starts to feel like the real creative industry. They were not designing for a classroom wall. They were designing for the streets of Milan, for people in motion, and for a city that lives and breathes design.
The result was more than a collection of decorated vehicles. It was a fresh example of how Raffles Milano connects education with industry, giving students the chance to work on real challenges with real brands, and to see how their ideas can become part of the world outside school.
Career Directions
The two paths can lead into different creative environments, although they often overlap in professional life.
Graduates from Visual and Graphic Design may move toward visual identity, graphic design, branding, editorial design, digital design, packaging, cultural communication, motion graphics, user interface design, design studios, agencies, creative departments, or freelance practice. The strongest profiles usually combine visual sensitivity with clear thinking, technical ability, and a coherent portfolio.
Graduates from Communication Design and Management may move toward brand communication, creative strategy, communication management, content and campaign development, advertising, digital communication, project coordination, event communication, or creative business environments. This path can be a good match for students who want to stay close to creativity while also working with messages, audiences, brands, and project organization.
The goal is not to choose a job title too early. The more important question is what kind of creative profile the student wants to build.
Portfolio Night and Career Support
Career preparation at Raffles Milano is connected to portfolio building, personal branding, company contact, internship opportunities, and presentation practice.
Portfolio Night is one of the moments where this becomes visible. Graduating students present their projects to companies and industry professionals, giving them a chance to show not only the final work but also the thinking behind it.
For Visual and Graphic Design and Communication Design and Management students, this matters because communication is part of the profession itself. A strong portfolio is essential, but so is the ability to explain the idea, the process, the choices, and the value of the project.
Tuition
Tuition depends on the applicant category and individual assessment.
For European Union students, annual undergraduate tuition is based on income brackets and may range from €10,000 to €22,000 per year, depending on ISEEU assessment and eligibility.
For non-European Union students, annual undergraduate tuition is generally €22,000 per year.
For bachelor-level programs accredited by the Italian Ministry of University and Research, a regional fee of up to €190 may also apply, where applicable.
The enrollment or administrative fee is the first portion of annual tuition and is paid after admission to secure the place. For European Union applicants, this fee is €2,500. For non-European Union applicants, it is €4,000.
The remaining tuition can usually be paid either in one payment or through a payment plan, depending on the confirmed payment conditions.
For full tuition and scholarship details, applicants should review the Tuition and Scholarships section on the main PRODIREKT Raffles Milano page.
PRODIREKT Advantages and Scholarships
Applicants applying through PRODIREKT and the Verbalists Education & Language Network may have access to special financial advantages arranged through cooperation with Raffles Education and Raffles Milano.
Qualified candidates may receive a €5,000 International Student Aid for the first academic year. Students who first complete a Raffles Milano summer academic course through Verbalists may also receive an additional €2,000 tuition discount when continuing to a full undergraduate program. Together, these benefits may bring the total first-year tuition advantage up to €7,000.
Other scholarships, early-bird incentives, or profile-based opportunities may also be available depending on timing, portfolio quality, applicant profile, and current school campaigns.
Our advisors help families understand which benefits may apply, what documents are required, and how to present the student’s profile clearly and professionally. Full details are available through the main PRODIREKT Raffles Milano presentation.
Application Process
The application process is personal and structured. Raffles Milano wants to understand the applicant’s motivation, academic background, creative interests, English level, and fit for the selected visual communication path.
The first step is to submit the PRODIREKT Application and Terms and Conditions. This allows PRODIREKT academic advisors to review the student’s profile, check availability, and advise on the best next steps.
We assist with document preparation, including the CV, motivation letter, school transcripts, portfolio where available or required, and language certificate where available. Our advisors also help candidates prepare for the online interview with Raffles Milano.
The interview gives the school a chance to understand the applicant as a person, not only as a file. It is also useful for the candidate because it clarifies the program, expectations, motivation, and selected direction.
If accepted, the school provides admission and enrollment documents, payment details, and instructions for confirming the place. Non-European Union applicants also receive guidance on the documentation needed for the visa process after the relevant enrollment steps are completed.
✅ For the full step-by-step explanation, applicants should review the Admission Process section on the main PRODIREKT Raffles Milano page.
A Focused Presentation for Visual Communication Applicants
We prepared this page for applicants who want a clearer view of the Raffles Milano undergraduate options in Visual and Graphic Design and Communication Design and Management.
For the wider school presentation, including campus details, school highlights, undergraduate study areas, summer academic options, Career Service, Portfolio Night, scholarships, and the full application process, continue to the main PRODIREKT Raffles Milano page.
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For guidance on the Visual and Graphic Design or Communication Design and Management path at Raffles Milano, or any other academic path worldwide, send us your inquiry through the form below, or contact us by email or phone. Our academic advisors will help you understand the available options, review your profile, and choose the direction that best matches your creative interests and future plans.
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