IED – Istituto Europeo di Design Florence
Design - Made in Italy Summer Course
Florence, Italy
Summer Course
DURATION
3 weeks
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
EARLIEST START DATE
30 Jun 2026
TUITION FEES
EUR 2,600 *
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* total fee UE and extra UE | enrolment fee: €600 | fee and extra UE: €2000
Key Summary
This course is held in English language
Design Made in Italy Summer course focuses on the basic skills and methodologies employed in product design, understanding the quality of Made in Italy products, especially in craftsmanship-based Italian SMEs.
During the course you will have the chance to explore and learn more about Florence as a historical city of design and fashion that has reinvented itself over the centuries and that in an age of globalization has a relevant role in the world of design, merging high-end craftsmanship and innovation processes.
You will comprehend industrial and manufacturing design processes, you will learn how to merge cultural and historical factors with product and brand communication elements in order to develop - innovation-based - design projects.
Schedule
From Monday to Thursday on a full-time basis (morning and afternoon), the course has a duration of 75 hours spread over 3 weeks.
Methodology and structure
The course allows you to discover the authenticity and the history of Italian craftsmanship, and learn that the success of the ‘Italian design system’ is based on the dialogue between handicraft and new technology. You will acquire basic design knowledge and understand the supply chain that determines the quality of a finished product.
The theoretical notions acquired during the course are applied in modeling and design workshops.
During the Final Project presentation together with your fellow, you will show the results of the work carried out through the course.
The summer course includes a strategic combination of theoretical lessons, held by designers and professionals of the field, cultural field trips, workshops, and visits to handicraft stores.
Site visits are an integral part of the program’s learning experience and are designed to complement what is acquired in the classroom as well as serve as an ongoing orientation to the field.
This course is intended for people who are interested in the world of design and have no prior knowledge or experience in the discipline and want to learn and take on challenges. Skills such as drawing or sketching can be useful even if not mandatory. Applicants need to show strong motivation and the ability to work in groups.
Study Plan
History of Italian Design
The program focus on the historical development of Italian design. In particular, it offers you a general overview of the historical periods and main movements that influenced and inspired major designers, as well as provides you with an outline of the main icons of Italian design.
Communication Strategies
Technological demands have forced designers to become multifaceted. In the current environment, besides being talented at design aesthetics, you are expected to have a good working knowledge of digital strategy and communication. Through this program, you acquire good communication skills that can be applied in the design and fashion fields.
Italian Design: Contemporary Trends
The objective of the course is to provide you with the tools for identifying, reading, and analyzing the main European trends in product, furniture, interior, fashion design, colors, materials, and finishing. The course highlight the material and immaterial values of the ‘Made in Italy’ production through a sociological and cultural perspective.
Introduction to Colours, Materials, Forms, and Texture
Basic design methodology with hands-on experience to better comprehend designers’ choices of production possibilities and material and shape manipulations.
Modeling and Design Experience Workshop
This workshop allows you to understand the role of the innovation process and advanced technologies in the Italian handicraft, in particular, it shows how technology becomes a tool through which the elements of tradition are updated, so as to make them suitable for the needs of markets and consumers.
Branding
You will learn the brand’s value as a point of contact between businesses and consumers. You will acquire the skills in order to build plans that provide structure and guidance for how to deploy a brand and connect it with the customers successfully.