Graphic Design Degrees

With a bachelor of arts in graphic design, you’ll learn how to transform vague concepts into graphics, images, logos, and packaging to form brands, stand out, and make an impression.

You’ll do this by learning how to use a variety of digital programs and traditional techniques—from photography to Photoshop—and will be able to use your skills after graduation to work for an agency or yourself.

What is a Degree in Graphic Design?

Graphic designers are talented digital artists who use their talents to form the visual components of a brand. From designing brand color palettes to creating images that create the perfect impression, graphic designers are involved in every part of the brand design process. They create logos, design product packaging, and assist with website layouts, designs, and imagery.

Iconic logos like the Nike swoosh, McDonald’s arches, and Macintosh apple likely all began with a graphic designer’s idea for a simple image to build brand recognition.

In a bachelor of arts in graphic design program, you’ll learn how to use both traditional and digital art tools to develop eye-catching and memorable graphics and designs.

You’ll study drawing, learn how to use Adobe Creative Suite programs, study photography best practices, grow your understanding of visual marketing, and—in some courses—even study coding and web development. With these skills, you’ll be prepared to work as a freelance graphic designer, for a design agency, or for a major corporation.

What Courses Would I Take For a Major in Graphic Design?

What Jobs Can You Get with a Degree in Graphic Design?

Images lay the groundwork for modern websites, and since websites are no longer a nice-to-have for modern businesses, all businesses with a digital presence depend on talented graphic designers.

In the same way that demand for individuals in technology jobs is skyrocketing, demand for talented graphic designers is greater than ever. Graduates should find ample opportunities after graduation, working for marketing, advertising, or design agencies, or running their own freelance graphic design business.

How Long does it take?

A bachelors in Graphic Design will have a typical length of 4 years in a full time schedule. That said, there are many ways to speed up the timeframe by either taking more units via online coursework, community college, or taking free classes at OnlineDegree.com that could transfer to universities in the US.

Online Graphic Design Degree

Graphic design is commonly available as a major within Bachelor of Arts and sometimes Bachelor of Computer Science programs. It is however offered as an independent degree by some universities.

Students are required to complete around 120 – 180 credit hours in addition to a capstone project to earn the bachelor’s degree. Some programs allow choosing a specialization such as product packaging, entrepreneurship, mobile technology or interface design.

What Can You Do With a Graphic Design Degree?

Graphic design is an art that is important in many fields including animations, movies, advertisements and video games. The demand for graphic designers has been growing in recent years and this is expected to continue in the future.

Graphic design can be divided into several types with the use of tools such as typography, photography, iconography and illustration. Graphic designers are needed for making logos, brands, editing magazines, newspapers and books, advertising, web design, packaging and signage.

What does a graphic design student learn?

Graphic design is currently a discipline that integrates art with the use of advanced computer technology.

The following courses are commonly offered in graphic design degree programs:

1. History of art and design: this is usually among the first courses to be studied in a graphic design program. Learning the history of art helps in establishing the foundations for the current trends and making artistic work that can relate strongly to culture and history.
2. Color and form: the course is focused on the principles of choosing the right color or combination of colors for a specific purpose. It also introduces the effect of colors on the audience’s psychology.
3. Presentation techniques: this course introduces visual presentation techniques and how to use them in the most effective way. A successful designer can combine images, symbols and words in a way that attracts and maintains the attention of the audience and delivers a clear message.
4. Technical drawing: this is a specialized form of graphic design that is focused on making drawings for machines, buildings or maps that are used mainly for engineering purposes. Technical drawing requires much attention to the accuracy and clarity of the details.
5. Other courses: graphic design students may also have to learn some courses that help them make designs that are more related to their audience including sociology and science applied to design.

Now I have a graphic design degree…where can I work after graduating?

Graphic designers are needed by almost all companies and organizations to deliver their message and/or promote products or services. The following career options are available for graphic designers:

1. Art director: the role of this position is to supervise the artistic aspect of work whether it is a film, video game, publication, music or other media.
2. Creative director: he/she is responsible for leading the production team regarding the generation of new ideas and concepts. The creative director may also be called an art director, copywriter, or lead designer.
3. Drafter: the role of the drafter is to make technical drawings or plans for machines, equipment, infrastructure, buildings or cities. Drafters are usually specialized in one type of work as aeronautical, architectural, civil, electrical or mechanical drafters.
4. Film and video editor: the role of editing is to convert the video footage into the final product that will be broadcast to the audience. They must have professional experience with editing programs such as Avid Media Composer, Final Cut Pro, Adobe After Effects, and Adobe Premiere Pro.
5. Marketing manager: graphic designers is among the main players in marketing and some graphic designers may specialize in this field
6. Web designer: building a website requires careful attention to details regarding the design including the colors, images and structure of the website.

Should I choose a graphic design degree?

Graphic design is an art that requires innovation and creativity. Successful graphic designers must have a passion for this art and be comfortable working with computer programs that are commonly used in this field. If you will work as a designer then you should consider having the following skills:

1. Creativity and innovation
2. Computer and technical skills
3. Accuracy and attention to detail: little details as the colors or arrangement of the objects can make your design a success or a failure.
4. Time and organization skills: similar to other jobs graphic designers are sometimes subject to much stress to deliver a product within a tight deadline, complete a challenging task or satisfy an annoying client.
5. Following the updates regarding the recent trends: the world of design changes regularly and what is appealing at one day might be completely unacceptable at a later day. Additionally, the designer should follow the cultural events that can affect the design trends.

Best Jobs for Graphic Design Degrees

Graphic design graduates work as traditional and digital artists in a variety of roles. Some take on graphic designer, brand manager, or web designer roles with advertising and design agencies, while others offer their services to clients as independent contractors.

Additionally, major brands in nearly every industry depend on graphic designers to help their brands stand out and create the right impression.

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  Graphic Designer

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  Logo Designer

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  Package Designer

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  Animator

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  Brand Manager

How to save time and money

Our mission is to help you to avoid paying full price for college. We want your Graphic Design degree to be affordable and accessible. Here’s how you could save:

Create Your Free SmartPlan

There are many ways to make college affordable and accessible.

That’s why we created a helpful tool called SmartPlan.

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Get a Certificate in Graphic Design First

Certificate programs are generally less than one year in length and provide an overview of major graphic design tools and concepts. By earning a certificate in graphic design before enrolling in a bachelor’s degree program, you may be able to find work in the field as a freelance or part-time graphic designer.

This will help you earn income and experience sooner, which could help you while pursuing a bachelor’s degree. Best of all, your credits may transfer to reduce the number of credits required for a bachelor’s degree.

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