Course General Description

The rapid development of the media (internet and digital communication systems), the increase in the services governing their production/management, and the devices and occasions for communicating and interacting - all of this is making communication an increasingly large and complex sector. The communication and information sectors are characterised by a generalised presence, an in depth dissemination, and a strong and powerful framework. The communication and information industry is one of the driving forces in modern society. The artefacts and systems designed by communication designers maintain a constant and cross disciplinary presence. Communication design uses publishing to help spread cultural awareness. It is where media is computerised, and where new methods of the production and dissemination of information takes place. Communication design works with the interfaces that are connected to products and services, which create a relationship with the user. It can also work with various people and their environment to promote conscious access and use. Some examples of this could be in a large scale distribution plant where consumers come in contact with goods, in the entertainment industry, in sports, in planning of the identity and the dynamics of events, and their dissemination on the various media. Communication designers are cultural operators who contribute to building relations between subjects in society. These relations are always strictly connected to the contents being conveyed, which contains either persuasive or prescriptive type. Communication designers must take into account the idea of visual contamination, communication saturation and the information overload phenomena, symptoms of a system (where technologies require an overview and direction), conscious choices, and planned trajectories. Communication designers should be at ease with all aspects of a communication project. These aspects include, but are not limited to: publishing graphics, TV, audio-visual and multimedia publishing, coordinated corporate image and brand identity, product packaging and communication, script character design, web design, data and information visualization, interactive communication artifacts, and service/complex communication design (social networks and joint platforms). All of this takes place with a vision which sets communication as the fundamental strategic linchpin in contemporary society. This design requires specific tools and methods, and an ability to work with the most modern visualization and communication technologies. In particular the specific skills of communication designers relate to several subjects such as integrated two dimensional and three dimensional communication systems (static and dynamic), lettering, visual perception and variables. Their skills can also include designing sign information, static and dynamic representation techniques (photography, motion graphics, movie design), designing analogue communication products and digital devices, and off-line and on-line platforms (the web and other internet platforms including mobile platforms). The course catalogue encompasses a Laurea (equivalent to Bachelor of Science) course and a Laurea Magistrale (equivalent to Master of Science) course in Communication Design. The Laurea courses are designed for students with a solid cultural background, a great deal of interest in the subject of design culture (generally and specifically in all aspects of communication), and an openness to learning techniques, methods and languages in their most innovative forms.

School General Description

Politecnico Milano is a scientific-technological university which trains engineers, architects and industrial designers. The University has always focused on the quality and innovation of its teaching and research, developing a fruitful relationship with business and productive world by means of experimental research and technological transfer. Research has always been linked to didactics and it is a priority commitment which has allowed Politecnico Milano to achieve high quality results at an international level as to join the university to the business world. Research constitutes a parallel path to that formed by cooperation and alliances with the industrial system. Knowing the world in which you are going to work is a vital requirement for training students. By referring back to the needs of the industrial world and public administration, research is facilitated in following new paths and dealing with the need for constant and rapid innovation. The alliance with the industrial world, in many cases favored by Fondazione Politecnico and by consortiums to which Politecnico belong, allows the university to follow the vocation of the territories in which it operates and to be a stimulus for their development.