Master in Editorial Design How can designers
navigate between print, digital and content?
Explore the possibilities
of editorial experiences beyond the format

A few years ago,we were told that print is dead and the future is digital. Today, we understood that reality is more complex and vibrant than that. Instead of replacing older formats, new platforms are complementing them, making the user’s experience more dynamic than ever.

This context creates enormous challenges and opportunities for editorial designers.
Our role goes further from the traditional design; we became content strategists, technology savvy and storytellers.
We look for connections between content, context and formats.

During this masters, you'll learn diverse perspectives from international experts in the field of editorial design.
Together, we'll explore this new paradigm through projects, workshops and talks. You will not only discover some answers to today's challenges but will learn how to overcome future ones.

Methodology
The program is designed to go beyond a technical education. Instead, it empowers our students to seek a professional and personal development.

Our industry requires professionals that have a problem-solving mentality, self-built criteria and understand the reality of the contemporary design practice. Our program facilitates this by letting students experiment and learn while working on practical cases, mentored by reputed professionals.

You’ll be working on three main projects from start to end: a book, a magazine and a digital platform. The teachers will guide you through the process, taking your project further. You’ll be encouraged to go into details without losing the broad perspective, delivering a balanced combination of thinking, planning and doing.

Teamwork
Challenges of today require us to work collectively and smarter. We see a change in the way design studios form. To go faster without losing quality, you need to work smarter together. During the masters, you’ll be partnering with other students, learning to make the collaboration meaningful and fruitful.

Learning by doing
It’s not enough with a theoretical layer, today’s designers have to deal with constant practicalities that influence the result of their work. That’s why we consider it crucial to get hands-on and learn directly from experience, not by just theory.

Professional environment

You’ll be part of a group of highly motivated designers that want to take their career to the next level. We consider it crucial to have an environment that pushes you to deliver the best you can. That’s why we’ll treat you like a professional, making a smooth transition to the real world.

Close mentorship
We are proud to have an excellent group of professionals to contribute to the student’s development. Teachers will expect you to come up with your answers. They’ll guide you with their expertise and experience, but at the end of the day, it’s up to you to take the decisions and build your criteria.

Program

The master's degree addresses the practice of editorial design from multiple perspectives through different formats.
We believe and seek the versatility of the editorial designer with the capacity to adapt to a changing industry in which the editorial designer must assume more and more varied roles.

The course is structured around the following projects and class formats:

1
Master projects

In a problem-solving dynamic close to the professional world, the course is structured around 3 Master projects led by top professionals, which will delve extensively in three major areas of editorial design: book, press and digital. Students work with a different partner in each project, reinforcing and emphasizing the importance of teamwork and the complementarity of talents.

— Book design
Editorial design from the content. Learn to conceive and design books exploring all its communicative facets: from editing and art direction (content development) to design itself. Learn to structure and hierarchize content in a logical and clear way for the reader. 
Learn to design editorial objects that make sense in the present context, and that respond to the needs of the brief.

— Design of periodicals
Editorial design from the structure. Understand the process behind the development of a periodical. 
Analyze the steps of the creative process, from the creation of an editorial concept or definition of a product, to the creation and edition of the contents, the art direction, the design process and the importance of the physical object.

— Digital Narratives 
What is an editorial digital project today? The publishing industry has changed drastically, and the figure of the designer has been transformed accordingly.
The designer must control all areas of a project, from concept to form. The idea of an editorial project is much more open now and its potential is wider than ever.

Students will develop an idea as an editor, create or commission content as an art director and give shape as a designer. In addition, to the concept and design, students will produce all the content of the platform: photography, videos, illustrations, texts ...

2
Quarterly projects

Projects and practical exercises that delve into specific areas of editorial design where the student will explore the creative potential of collaboration with professionals who gravitate in the same orbit as the editorial designer: publishers, photographers, illustrators, printers, etc.

— Art direction
Learn to analyze information, merge ideas and concepts to generate images and content. Know the necessary tools to put into practice the art direction of an editorial publication. Ideas. Influences. Learn to direct and guide the team through the information presented to them. Decision making.

— Redesign
In professional life, some projects start from scratch but most of them start from a previous situation. Projects that have a history, a legacy, a past ... How to approach the new stage of a project? What should we maintain and what should we change?
A redesign is not merely formal but also has to do with the appearance, function and / or content.

3
Consultancies

They provide the students with a series of essential knowledge for the editorial designer and, at the same time, allow them to improve their three Master projects from different angles, be it the correct edition of the written content, the definition of a viable object for production, or to pamper the detail of typographical execution.

— Typography
To Look for quality and excellence in the choice and typographical execution of the projects. To develop your own criteria and typographic use, adapted to the conceptual, functional, technical and aesthetic characteristics of the editorial project. Consolidate typographical knowledge. Critical ability to select and apply typography. Tools to be more autonomous.

— Graphic production
Editorial design can not be understood without the graphic production: printing, binding, paper, printing techniques, etc.
A good editorial designer is a connoisseur of the graphic industry and its creative potential in order to develop editorial objects and products that optimize the economic context of each project.

— Editing and ortotypography
Know how an editorial works, the editorial processes before and after the design and the different sustainable business model strategies. Specific sessions on intellectual property and copyright. Also ortotypography, norms and conventions for a correct use of the typographical elements.

4
Workshops
To complement and deepen knowledge in other skills and disciplines of editorial design workshops are held. 
Immersive experiences by the hand of specialists and renowned professionals. 
The workshops, usually, are from Monday to Friday.

Look in Agenda who has visited us recently and who will do it shortly.

— Experience
To share and learn for a week with a guest professor. A renowned figure in the international scene that has developed a distinctive and recognizable visual language. 
The goal is to develop unexpected skills. Research, experimentation, observation and discovery are essential ingredients to nourish talent.

— Content creation
Usually, the editorial designer works with materials (texts, images, etc.) provided by other collaborators or authors… What if for a specific subject, idea or concept the editorial designer becomes a one-man-show? Creating all contents he needs and then, of course, starts designing with them. This is what this workshop is about, explore and discuss the role of the designer as producer or author.

— Artist publications
The objective is to develop a critical spirit and reflect on a publication that is part of the creative and cultural field. What is the relationship established between the graphic designer and the artist, institution or publisher. How content and artistic concepts are transcribed into graphic and printed language.

— Photobook
Introduction in the world of the photobook from its foundations, history and current situation.
Students will acquire knowledge about their conception and work process developing a project with an author. Narrative, rhythm and sequence when the main content is image.

— That's all folks
The last workshop of the year is about making a website that summarizes the experience of the course. Between a portfolio and a personal diary, the student faces a real and complete editorial process; from idea to production. An intense process in a very tight timing that culminates with the Degree Show.

5
Clinics

Compact courses with practical exercises for the proficient editorial designer. From new software to how to face the future of the profession.

— UX-UI
Fundamentals of digital design
— Software
New tools for digital editorial design
— Video
Motion content creation
— Photography
Image and representation of the editorial product
— Interaction
Building bridges between the analog and the digital

6
Capsules

Editorial design is not only about ideas, concepts, shapes, colors and fonts... Editorial design is also about the quality of written texts and the ability to present projects in front of clients.
The capsules are theoretical-practical exercices on colateral subjects, but important, to editorial design.

— Writing
Acquire the necessary knowledge to assess the quality, intention and tone of a text. With the classic journalistic and storytelling tools, we will see the creative potential of the letters and practical examples of designers who have had to deal with unintelligible words and how they have solved it, we will learn the basics of text structures and we will create complete designs where form and content go hand in hand.

— Public Presentation Techniques
Train the student in different technical and content aspects, from how to structure the information using storytelling, how to capture the attention of the listener using pitching techniques, how to go through the different phases of the presentation itself, the body language to use while presenting or the subsequent monitoring of the project and its results.

7
Showcases & Case studies

Regularly, we organize talks with local designers that allow us to observe, through their experiences, current phenomena, obtain new visions, reflections and references that extend our knowledge of the practice of the profession.

Look in Agenda who has visited us recently and who will do it shortly.

8
International Lectures

We invite relevant international designers of renowned prestige and career to lecture and give the students the opportunity to learn first-hand about experiences, projects and case studies in different fields of graphic design.

Look in Agenda who has visited us recently and who will do it shortly.

Wide your vision

We think the Master in Editorial Design should be the start of something new, not the destination. This course will prepare you for finding your path in the industry. We'll encourage you to build your independence and courage to explore the different sides of the editorial design discipline.

Find your potential

You'll learn to make connections between ideas and perspectives, opening possibilities for your future. Whenever you want to work on design, strategy, content, managing or leading the process, you'll receive the right tools and experience.

Build a strong portfolio

During the course, you'll work on projects that will allow you to apply your learnings and build a high-quality portfolio. We consider this crucial to facilitating a better introduction to the real world, as it will open doors for the next step in your career.

Unique experience

The mix of projects, workshops, showcases, case studies and our reputed faculty and visiting professors and lecturers creates a unique environment where you can expand your knowledge and experience.

A city surrounded by design

Barcelona is well-known for its passion for design. It's a city with a broad diversity of nuances in gastronomy, cultures and events, which complements perfectly with the masters. Barcelona will inspire you and make your journey a complete experience.

Multicultural and diverse environment
Our students come from all places around the world, which creates a vibrant atmosphere where cultural and ideas exchange reaches its full potential.

Editions
Two editions of the master's course are held each academic year, one in Spanish and one in English. 

MED, Master in Editorial Design 
is the English edition.

MDE, Master en Diseño Editorial 
is the Spanish edition.

Click here if you are looking for the course information in Spanish.

Number of Students

A maximum of 20 students will be selected in each edition of the program.

Once the registration period is open, the candidate selection process is ongoing as the pre-registrations become effective.

Who can apply

Preferably students with a graduate degree in graphic design and professional practitioners with experience. 
Exceptionally, depending on their portfolio and accomplishments, graduates in fine arts, communication and adverstising will be accepted. 
Applicants must be proactive and autonomous when using design software.

Leading team

Thais Caballero, Coordinator
Albert Folch, Co-director
Marc Panero, Director

Start date 
Month of September 
ETCS credits 
60 
Course length 
400 hours 
Schedule* 
Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. 
From 5pm to 9.15pm.
Workshops from Monday to Friday.

*For academic reasons, exceptionally sessions may be scheduled outside these hours.

Languages

One edition in Spanish (MDE) 
and one edition in English (MED). 

In both editions, most workshops use English as a vehicular language, with support in Spanish if required or necessary. 

Almost all the lectures and some showcases or case studies are done in English.

Price 
Academic Year 2019-2020 
English edition — 11,000 € 
(plus 400 € in concept of registration fee)

Degree

Master’s Degree in Editorial Design, degree awarded by Pompeu Fabra University (UPF) and ELISAVA Barcelona School of Design and Engineering

Due to our interest in the continuous improvement of the program and the professional reality of our teachers, we reserve the right to make changes in the contents and faculty of the Master.