BAU, Centro Universitario de Artes y Diseño de Barcelona

Postgraduate in Digital Illustration and New Media

Barcelona, Spain

DURATION

1 Years

LANGUAGES

Spanish

PACE

Full time

APPLICATION DEADLINE

Request application deadline

EARLIEST START DATE

Oct 2025

TUITION FEES

EUR 4,900

STUDY FORMAT

On-Campus

Introduction

The evolution and constant changes in information and communication technologies give rise to new behavioural habits, consumption habits and interaction with products. In this context, illustration is positioned as an important strategic element in the structure of dissemination and promotion of projects.

The postgraduate program deals with illustration created and applied in a contemporary and technological environment, and trains professionals with strategic skills to establish dynamic visual communication processes.

The curriculum is geared toward the needs of entrepreneurial professionals in digital illustration projects, addressing planning, development, technique and resource methodologies. The program is divided into eight modules that include digital tools, creativity and practical applications, concluding with a final project that is presented to a jury.

The projects carried out throughout the postgraduate course follow digital production methods and media, in which styles and trends are defined that respond to the needs of this exponential market.

Admissions

Curriculum

Module 1 - Graphic editing

Starting with the design and development of an online editorial cover, technical content will be introduced around the main editing programs. The objective is to acquire the necessary bases in planning and management for the correct use of tools and relationship of formats: vector graphics, tracing and layout.

The module provides practical foundations for the correct development of the exercises proposed by the postgraduate course, as well as the application of the main graphic editing programs (Illustrator, Photoshop and InDesign).

Creation and modification from an analogue original.
Color application tools.
Layout, typographic design and animation.
Adaptation of interactive design to tablets and smartphones.
Adaptation of the image to packaging ( Mockup).

Module 2 - Fundamentals and Applications

The contents of this module cover the media and platforms for the application of illustration and graphic production. Knowledge of these media is an important starting point for future promotional planning and project design about individual objectives. Media analysis will also serve as an introduction to the study of multimedia elements, in which techniques related to interaction, animation and other resources will be presented.

Adaptation of manual illustration to digital illustration.
Creating animated sketches.
Design of interactive products, interfaces and usability.
Sprites, Texture Atlas, Frame by Frame and other formats for the development of digital applications.
Interaction and animation tools for video games and apps.

Module 3 - Conceptualization

Through a series of exercises and presentations of content, visual communication strategies and resources will be developed. The main objective is to acquire skills in the processes of creativity and message transmission.

The module is presented in the form of a workshop aimed at conceptual development in which individual, cultural and social experiences are involved. The practices and theoretical content applied during the postgraduate course provide an important basis for the execution and development of future proposals and help the student to become familiar with common processes of artistic and advertising language.

Image theory.
Visual resources and modes of representation.
Plastic significance.
Iconic creation.
Conceptualization and perception.
Formal and conceptual synthesis.

Module 4 - Illustration in eBooks

The image as a visual representation of a text or concept is present in almost all projects in which illustration is involved. Through the creation of illustrations, the methodological processes for the transmission of messages and their adaptation to languages according to different audiences will be studied. At the same time, and after a detailed study of the formats, the technical procedures for adapting animated illustrations to electronic devices will be worked on.

Methodologies in planning graphic production processes.
Image application formats and supports.
Proposal for suitable illustrations for eBooks.
Analysis of styles, genres and dissemination channels.
Development and creation of elements and characters.
Adaptation of the illustration to digital formats.
File formats and application.

Module 5 - Artificial Intelligence, Extended Realities and Web3

Through content and exercises, this module deals with the study and application of new technologies that provide differential value and competitive advantages to our illustration projects. Extended technologies (virtual reality, augmented reality and mixed realities), Web3 and Artificial Intelligence.

Extended Realities as new platforms for content creation and visualization
Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR) and Mixed Reality (MR)
Exploring the creation of specific content for Extended Realities
Web3 and Blockchain: Their present and future uses in the world of illustration
Artificial Intelligence (AI): Definition, origin, evolution and uses
Application of Artificial Intelligence in illustration projects

Module 6 - Transmedia Communication

From the proposal of a promotional campaign, some of the trends and tools applied in digital marketing will be analyzed, as well as the importance of content and the interaction of the potential user, which are usually decisive components for proper dissemination. Transmedia storytelling is one of the most used strategies in advertising applied to new media. During the module, practical work will be carried out in multiple formats to develop a project that studies planning processes and technical applications.

Transmedia narratives.
Planning and feasibility of graphic campaigns.
Strategies and resources for the development of promotional campaigns.
Narrative developments in promotional campaigns.
Multiplatform and crossmedia.
Transmedia creativity and media planning.
Analysis and use of interaction resources.
Application of multimedia elements.

Module 7 - Illustration applied to the product

Image is a key component in branding, and plays a role in attracting a specific audience while defining aspects of perception and interaction with the product. For its application, aspects related to functionality, identity, media, innovation and differentiation will be studied. Based on specific and individual objectives, the module analyses the adaptability and integration of digital illustration applied to the product.

Proposal for illustrations applied to the product.
Creating a capsule collection.
Application to industrial design.
Study and adaptation of the image to the product.
Resources and production techniques.

Module 8 - Project methodology, TFP development

This module deals with professional promotion and guidance, taking into account the planning processes of methodologies and strategies. The main objective is to design a self-promotion proposal, taking into account the various sections that provide methodological support to the project by formulating general and specific objectives, from the research and analysis process to its application and presentation. The contents of this module are applied to the development of the Final Postgraduate Project.

Project planning and management.
Promotion strategies.
Obtaining resources.
Selection of contents.
Construction, planning, description and exposition.
Analysis of dissemination and promotion channels.