WEB AND DIGITAL DESIGNUniversity master’s course

The aim of the Master’s course is the creation of different professional profiles capable of planning, producing and sharing through the online communities a new generation of content and services. The program offers an experimental pathway at the forefront of design, marketing and technology. It blends the design competence with a strategic vision and sound project management skills needed at the different stages of the process. As the user experience is increasingly developing through social media, this scenario is deeply investigated with specific regard to the navigation flow among websites, search engines and social platforms. The course develops in the interplay between theoretical teaching and practical tasks. In particular, project-based activities are central to the learning experience and leverage abilities and information acquired in the technical and in the theoretical courses. The workflow starts with the definition of the digital strategy, comprises the design of the interface and the definition of the look and feel, and culminates with the creation of a prototype using front and back-end programming tools. The overall didactic experience provides the students with the professional abilities that allow them to engage in dialogue with the different figures involved in digital media projects.

METHODOLOGYAt SPD every student is followed individually by a faculty formed by designers, professionals from various fields and visiting professors. Teaching is arranged into intensive workshops,

studio classes, lectures, seminars and visits. Research work carried out in collaboration with leading companies such as Luxottica, Eataly, Beiersdorf, La Triennale di Milano, Miroglio, the Municipality of Milan, Samsung, Zegna, is a crucial experience at SPD. These projects are developed according to a comprehensive approach which is a testing ground for the student’s skills, from the concept idea to its execution.

RECOGNITION AND QUALIFICATIONThe Master’s course in Web and Digital Design is organized in collaboration with the Milan based IULM University and award academic degree certificates and credits under the ECTS system. After successful completion of the Master programmes, qualifiable students that have matriculated at SPD and IULM, will be awarded with the first level University Master Diploma recognised by the Italian Ministry of Education, University and Research and corresponding to 60 ECTS credits.

ADMISSIONUpon selection, the Master admits graduates in Media Studies, Communication and Graphics, IT Sciences, Design or Architecture and their equivalents or candidates who have gained significant professional experience in the field. The program has a limited number of places available. Applicants will be admitted upon selection based on the student’s CV, motivation letter, portfolio and on a Skype interview.

DURATIONThe Master lasts 15 months (from October to December of the following

year, with a summer break in August). Attendance is full time. The total workload of the course corresponds to 1500 hours/student encompassing lessons, class exercises, internship and individual study.

ACCOMMODATIONSPD supports all students looking for accommodation in Milan.

INTERNSHIPAt the end of lessons, students start a three-month internship at companies or professional firms in the field.

LANGUAGEThe Master’s course is held in English.

SPDCreativity is a daily task at SPD. Since its foundation in 1954 the school has welcomed an extraordinary community of students from various countries and backgrounds. Everyone has an unequalled opportunity: they work side by side with excellent professionals, engage in dialogue with a number of academic partners and swap experiences with young talents from all over the world. All of this takes place in Milan, a city with an incredibly close-to-hand and accessible heritage made up of architecture and design, production and business, communication and art.

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LEARNING AREAS

Design laboratories Project-based courses are intended to enable the students to develop and implement projects in a digital environment. Challenging themes, in connection to the different dimensions of the design practice, offer the possibility to combine the brand and the user experience, to create an effective digital strategy and translate ideas into real projects. Students are provided with the basic knowledge of user interface design techniques and familiarise with the most important analysis tools: interviews, observation, expert evaluation, web analytics. Design follows analysis: applications, websites and mobile interfaces are envisioned. Students learn how to test their prototypes with users so that their designs can finally prove engaging, usable and accessible on multiple devices. Participants also learn how to leverage the Internet’s potential as a marketplace and develop specific skills to plan the design life cycle of an effective e-commerce that yields successful online sales and return on investments. A particular attention is devoted to the industries of lifestyle, fashion, design and food that play a crucial role for the exports of countries like Italy. Participants are asked to study the digital communication strategies of brands representative of luxury and design excellences in order to identifying primary drivers, and then to propose strategies and communication artifacts to support the digital evolution of these brands.

Computer design This area aims at exposing the students to a wide range of tools, information and techniques to consolidate their design skills. The teaching methodology combines technical training with graphic-oriented exercises in digital

typography or publishing, using the commonest publishing applications. Software for specific usage in a web environment is also introduced, choosing the right tool for a specific task: for example, Sketch for the design of a responsive web layout, After Effects for the animation of an UI prototype or Pixate for the creation of a iOS app prototype.

Web marketing and project managementThe goal of this course is to equip the students with the principles of marketing and the project management concepts that can be used on the web. The program is articulated into a first theoretical part that supplies fundamental information, best practices and methodologies to turn a creative vision into a marketing strategy and find the technology to support it using the Internet.. The toolkit thus provided is translated in a practical assignement and helps the students to derive creative insights that improve the customer’s experience. An intensive seminar is focused on search engine positioning and its optimization techniques.

Coding and programming for designersThe program is designed to equip students with an effective command of HTML language and of its most popular editors. In particular, the course introduces the programming fundamentals using Hypertext Markup Language, Cascading Style Sheets and JavaScript. Students are enabled to create a functioning website or a web application thanks to a hands-on teaching approach. The course explores the advantages of using various instruments like preprocessors, plugins, libraries or version control systems; methods to test and validate code are also shown. During the second semester, a specific support for the development of the students’ personal promotion tools is given.

StorytellingDigital storytelling has established itself as an extension of the traditional storytelling techniques, with the added value of new story forms allowed by the digital technologies, such as non-linear narratives and interactive stories. Also companies create content for the web as a compelling and cost-effective way to reach people all over the world, spread the brand promise around and boost their reputation. With the internet everywhere and the increasing diffusion of mobile devices, digital stories can present new and engaging transmedia formats as a different medium can be used for each part of a story. The course caters for the complexity of this scenario and presents the main techniques to tell stories that contain good flow, entertainment or emotional content, and plentiful associative material that can allow them to be powerful and memorable.

Art direction and integrated communicationIntegrated communication is the application of analysis, ideation and communication techniques to create wider, multi-faceted ecosystems that encompass different touchpoints and generate media-neutral ideas. The teaching approach employed on this area aims at encouraging strategic thinking and enhancing the quality of the creative insight. In accordance with the guidelines provided by the brief, students develop and present their projects in order to identify new territories and new ways to engage individuals and be relevant in the real life.

Professional empowermentA specific field of learning is focused on the development of the skills that allow the students to build and communicate their professional identity, including a digital portfolio and other tools of personal branding.

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01Project in collaboration with SAMSUNG DESIGN BY DIEGO ALEJANDRO BERNAL HERRERA (COLOMBIA), ROMY EL ABIAD (LEBANON), ANASTASIA MELNICHENKO (RUSSIA), PAOLA PANZERA (ITALY)

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02Project in collaboration with MIROGLIO GROUP DESIGN BY DANIELLE ALVA (USA), MARWA BOUKARIM (CANADA), SHARON IRISH (AUSTRALIA)

03Project in collaboration with SAMSUNGDESIGN BY GIANMARCO FUSARO (ITALY), ROBERTA GARDIMAN (ITALY), FRANCESCA RONCARI (ITALY), JENNIFER TUMALA (USA)

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04 Self-commissioned project RAY-BANDESIGN BY MARWA BOUKARIM (CANADA), MARTA BOTTER (ITALY), NICOLA ELISABETH MUELLER (GERMANY), ANDREA TRABUCCO CAMPOS (COLOMBIA/ITALY)

05Self-commissioned project DESIGN BY GINTARE BUIKAUSKAITE (LITHUANIA)

06Project in collaboration with EATALY DESIGN BY MARWA BOUKARIM (CANADA), AHMED FAHAD (INDIA), SHEAIB AHMAD (LEBANON)

07Self-commissioned project DESIGN BY ADRIANA BARRIOBERO (ITALY/VENEZUELA),RUBEN ALBERTO CHAVEZ ROCCA (ITALY/MEXICO)

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TACT

Scuola Politecnica di Design SPD20143 Milano, Italyvia Carlo Bo, 7(underground 2, Romolo)t +39 02 21597590f +39 02 21597613skype: scuolapolitecnicainfo@scuoladesign.com