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Graphic Design Schools and Programs in Madrid, Spain

About Graphic Design Schools and Programs in Madrid, Spain

Graphic design is the design of visual communication: brand identities, editorial layouts, packaging, signage, advertising, and increasingly digital interfaces and motion graphics. Madrid offers the subject as an official four-year degree, as UK-validated bachelor's programmes at private schools, and as vocational training.

How graphic design studies are organised

  • Official degree in design, graphic design specialisation: the Grado en Enseñanzas Artísticas Superiores de Diseño has 240 ECTS credits over four years and is taught at higher design schools.
  • University degree: some universities register their own graphic design degrees in the RUCT; in the Madrid area, the Universidad Europea de Madrid has a Grado en Diseño Gráfico y Multimedia / Bachelor in Graphic Design and Multimedia.
  • Vocational training: the Artes Gráficas family includes higher-level diplomas such as Técnico Superior en Diseño y Edición de Publicaciones Impresas y Multimedia and Técnico Superior en Diseño y Gestión de la Producción Gráfica. Separate higher cycles in art and design (Técnico Superior de Artes Plásticas y Diseño) also exist.
  • Private schools' own programmes: diplomas, portfolio courses and master's programmes that are not official Spanish degrees.

Where to study Graphic Design in Madrid

  • Escuela Superior de Diseño de Madrid (ESD Madrid): a public school (not in our school list) whose official design degree includes a graphic design specialisation: 240 ECTS, four years, taught in person, with 30 places, an April application period and a September start. Fees are public prices adjusted to students' income.
  • IED Madrid, Centro Superior de Diseño: its visual communication, graphic and interactive media area offers the Grado en Enseñanzas Artísticas Superiores de Diseño, higher vocational cycles and its own IED diplomas.
  • Miami Ad School Madrid: a school of advertising and creativity with a three-year BA (Hons) in Graphic Design taught in Madrid and the UK and awarded by a UK university (Solent University or University for the Creative Arts, according to the school), plus one- and two-year portfolio programmes in art direction and copywriting.
  • ESDIP: an art school specialising in animation, illustration, comics, video games and graphic design.

Admission

At ESD Madrid, students enter the design degree either through an entrance test, which requires the Bachillerato or an equivalent qualification, or through direct access with the Técnico Superior de Artes Plásticas y Diseño, for which 15% of new places are reserved. Applicants who studied abroad need a qualification declared equivalent or recognised (homologado). University degrees use the general entrance route (PAU or equivalent).

Careers

ESD Madrid lists the career fields for graphic designers: digital and UX/UI design, interactive experiences (VR/AR), branding and identity, art direction, editorial design, packaging, animation and motion graphics, 3D imaging, signage, marketing and advertising, freelance work, research and teaching.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a public graphic design degree in Madrid?

Yes. The Escuela Superior de Diseño de Madrid teaches the official design degree with a graphic design specialisation, at public prices adjusted to income.

How long does a graphic design degree take?

The official design degree takes four years (240 ECTS credits). The UK-validated bachelor's degrees taught at some private schools in Madrid take three years.

Can I study graphic design in vocational training?

Yes. The Artes Gráficas family includes higher-level diplomas in the design and editing of print and multimedia publications and in the design and management of graphic production.