What makes the perfect graphic design course?

Graphic design courses will vary from school to school and will range from catering to offering mere introductions to graphic design to the more advance comprehensive style courses that cover basic foundations to in depth rules, principles, and applications.

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A successful online environment should complement an online graphic design course and utilise a virtual classroom to allow live lectures for tutor and student interaction, and videoconferencing as well as quick turnaround emails.

The course should be structured and have categorical module which focus on a different aspect of the design process, including basic layout, composition and design, typography, and advanced use of colour. By the end of the course, you should have gained a solid understanding of various elements of graphic design and you will be able to produce logos, layouts, and other graphic applications on to a high standard.

We look at what makes the perfect graphic design course and what you need to look out for?

Graphic design course
Graphic design course
Graphic design course
Graphic design course
Graphic design course

There are certain things to look out for in what is generally deemed to be a good graphic design course.  A comprehensive course will typically last between 7 months to 12 months with a thorough syllabus that addresses graphic design processes including theory. This could something like this:

Graphic Design Course (what a good graphic design course might cover)

  • Publicity and Publishing
  • Branding or Branding identity
  • Packaging
  • Typography (used correctly, typography can convey a certain mood or feeling)
  • Computer imaging
  • Illustrations and Image making
  • Visual Communication and theory
  • 3-dimensional and 2-D
  • Communicating words and feelings through connotative images
  • Found objects: creating an overlay
  • Visual hierarchies, integrating each element and the role of white space
  • Pastiche, appropriation and creating visual puns
  • Computer Graphic Applications
  • Web Designs (including UX-UI)
  • Layout designs and vectors
  • Kerning, tracking, and leading
  • Composition
  • Scale, spacing, and placing (exploring spaces between letters, lines, and blocks of text and manipulations to enhance appearance)
  • Using grids to enhance your work
  • Logo design (When you’re starting out as a graphic designer, a common mistake that’s made is focusing too much on perfecting the logo which, does of course, portrays your brand to prospective clients, but what about the typography on your website or profile?
  • Exploring the notion of the ‘graphic idea’
  • Colour theory (each colour has an undertone and meaning to it)
  • Decoding / constituting typefaces and designing typography
  • The visual relationship between words and images
  • Exploring lines of symmetry and consistency

With over 10 years’ experience teaching graphic design the syllabus at Blue Sky Graphics can be found and downloaded at course-syllabus page.

What is graphic design?

Graphic design course
Graphic design is essentially the result of visual concepts to create great communication with an agenda in mind. Graphic designers are essentially storytellers that can take complex data and present it in a pure, digestible way.Graphic design can be used by companies to promote and sell products through advertising, by websites to convey complicated information in a clear way through infographics, or by businesses to develop an identity through branding, among other things. For a more detailed explanation of graphic design have a look at link to What is Graphic Design?

How to become a graphic designer? What are the training options to become a graphic designer? What is the quickest route to become a graphic designer?

Here is how to become a graphic designer. Learn the software. Become passionate for design. Build a portfolio. Start taking gigs and bookings. That was the short summary, but what is the most common way to become a graphic designer?

Pathways to becoming a graphic designer vary from traditional school routes to gaining an internship and training in house. E-learning is an online education system that uses technology to transfer expert skills and knowledge. It is possible to learn graphic design through being self-taught (books, internet resources and crash courses), but you will need lots of discipline. The easier routes and popular ways of becoming a graphic designer is to study graphic design through schools, colleges, online schools, or crash courses (pre-recorded sites like Udemy or Coursera) although the latter may prove more difficult than anticipated.

The courses found on Udemy or Coursera often serve the purpose of providing a useful introduction to graphic design in a non-tailored and generic way solely designed for mass participants. You will need to build strong self-motivation and disciplinary skills due to the lack of face to face or any interaction. Think of watching a movie, but one that teaches you things.

However real-time online modern e-learning schools unlike Udemy have enabled students to study graphic design from the comfort of their own home in a more effective way.  Studying on a one to one basis so that tutors can focus their attention fully on a student and their individual learning is a great way for learners to learn at their own pace. This is a huge advantage compared to normal classes of twenty to thirty students which is hardly surprising as it is particularly effective in improving not only a student’s graphic design level, but also their practical understanding of Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign when creating their commercial portfolio.

With less distractions, the teacher is better able to appreciate and work on a student’s areas of weaknesses, making the whole learning process more effective.  At Blue Sky Graphics students will respond better to a teacher that is suited to them, in terms of both temperament and learning style.

Going beyond the self-taught method since 2005 Blue Sky Graphics have fused traditional schooling with e-learning so that students can study from home in real one-to-one virtual classrooms with real teachers in real time.  When given a choice between studying through pre-recorded videos with non-interactive recordings and then studying with a real teacher explaining principles live and direct the obvious choice becomes preferred.

Another huge positive gained from private tuition is the amount of time a student will receive from a teacher.   As private tuition is usually on a one-to-one basis, teachers can focus their attention fully on a student.  This is obviously a huge advantage compared classes of twenty to thirty pupils where a teacher’s time is divided, and individuals can very easily become lost in the crowd.  With less distractions, the tutor is better able to appreciate and work on a student’s weak points, making the whole learning process more effective.   Students will respond better to a teacher that is suited to them, in terms of both temperament and learning style.

To become a graphic designer, you should do the following 7 things:

1. Understand the core principles of graphic design and then apply these under expert supervision. This is essentially practicing what has been taught to you (preferably through enroling onto a good course).

Graphic design course
2. Familiarise yourself with a brief history of graphic design processes and solving problems creatively while establishing a vocabulary of successful design and to find inspiration for our own projects (an essential skill that prepares you for the real world). 3. Do your homework that teachers set as this will prepare you for advanced learning development by professional graphic designers. 4. Develop your proficiency, instinct, and workflow which will usually comes from constructive teacher feedback on each piece of your work or portfolio. Be fluent in visual design tricks such as contrast, repetition, sublimation, tension.
Graphic design course

5. Put together a commercial portfolio and ensure it has a clear purpose and organised. The portfolio is the most important showcase of your work whether you are a student at Blue Sky Graphics, studying alone, or a freelancer looking out for clients – your graphic design portfolio. Remember that the most important thing to potential next employer or clients is the portfolio where hard truth is that you will be categorically 100% judged. According to Caroline Forsey of Hub Spot Marketing. A graphic design portfolio is typically the only element a client needs to see when choosing a graphic designer — which means a portfolio is vital for proving your skill as a designer.

6. Have an online presence with a website containing your professional portfolio and make at least three freelance profiles. Participate in graphic design communities. Remember to choose the right platform to showcase your work. Lindsay Burke, a HubSpot Product Designer, emphasizes “investing in a quality website with a custom domain URL will pay-off in the long run by demonstrating your professionalism to potential clients. Include ‘Projects’, ‘About Me’, and ‘Contact Me’ sections, so visitors can peruse your content and then contact you without ever leaving the site”.

7. Find work as a freelance graphic designer, marketing role, creative positions or work in-house.

What is the significance of graphic design?

More graphic designers are needed than ever before and including more web designers, more UX-UI designers and naturally more training providers showing the significance of graphic design today. In our visually saturated and increasingly ‘online world’, graphic designers are simply more significant than ever, since they help filter the visual cacophony that consumers are bombarded with every day.

The world as we have known it is changing. The growth of automation and e-commerce internet services has changed the business environment and retail landscapes across the world.  Naturally, this has meant more website, apps and therefore graphic design. Highstreet stores are closing and Jeff Bezos of Amazon remains the richest man in the world after revolutionising e-commerce. This news for many is sad but the reality is that digital is the disrupting factor.

The Corona virus epidemic is an example of when the ‘online world’ stands strong to connect, entertain, sell, teach, and shows that many businesses are prepared to have their staff work from home. This industry involves designing, building, and or implementing software and hardware. History has shown us that during previous recessions, there was already a steady growth in the internet. This boosted computer systems design and services, which had to deal with the rise in demand.

Graphic design and the ‘online world’ have also changed the way people spend their money. Most of the customers are now seeking the products that give them value. Some customers have no idea about technological evolution because they have never lived without it. They only know about smartphones, the internet or Google. Digital is their way of life.

In 2009, there was one of the worst recessions ever. Although many industries were affected, computer design and related services come out unscathed during such periods. The reason being was that demand for automation and the internet over the last decade was high. The industry even managed to have a growth rate of double digits during the recession.

Are there jobs readily available in graphic design?

Graphic design training near me

There is a strong link between start-ups and jobs available in graphic design. Start-ups do very well during a recession as many larger corporate companies are cutting costs (not online though) prices are lower, and start-ups can take advantage of this situation to get a start with bargain prices on the things they need for their business.  Graphic designers, marketeers and web designers have an opportunity helping start-ups flourish. It is the opposite of struggling to raise the money for the sky-high prices that happen during economic booms.

In the wake of a post Covid-19 era, during a recession, people need repair services because they do not usually have the money to buy new things. People will use their existing websites, domains and infrastructure but call to graphic designers to refresh these online services.

It is well known fact that during a recession, unemployment is high, but have you heard of jobless IT professionals or graphic designers?  Many people lose their jobs but these tend to fall outside of UX-UI designers, web designers and graphic design as well as IT professionals.

Read  more information on the future of graphic designers at where the future of work is online. Companies with their workforce at home mean less office rent. A reported 63% of companies have remote positions. This means finding remote graphic design jobs should not be that hard, after all. Remote work can also help thwart the spread of infection, allowing companies to evade lost output while at the same time protecting public health.

Why choose Blue Sky Graphics?

Advantages to studying at Blue Sky Graphics fall into 3 main categories convenience, professionalism, and guidance.

At Blue Sky Graphics we have been teaching graphic design for over 10 years (and counting)

Enrolment for our 0110 Graphic Design Course delivered through live online one-to-one e-learning is available at selected dates through the year subject to availability. This features real time virtual classrooms, live one-to-one classes, art activities, workbooks and live all day tutor support and structured daily learning plans that encourage learners to engage in creative exercise and look after their mental wellbeing through stimulating learning environments.

All our job support teams are accessible by telephone ad our teacher have a dedicated email and phone number to provide lesson notes, homework support and careers advice to learners.

A modern career in graphic design is guaranteed to provide exciting challenges. Technology, of course, is transforming these opportunities but creativity remains at the heart of it all. Explore traditional and digital design in our online classroom, equipped e-Learning one-to-one technology and equipped with the latest Adobe software. As our priority you will be guided by expert supervision and you will produce a sophisticated commercial portfolio of work to prepare a career in graphic design.

Final thoughts of how to become a graphic designer

The world of graphic design is not only ubiquitous and universal through globalisation is becoming a discipline accessible to more and more people with the advent of online schools and e-learning platforms. If you find yourself imagining designs or if you are a creative person producing designs in your spare time on paper or even playing around with Photoshop, Coral or any such similar application, then a career in graphic design may probably well be for you.  The options are simple as you can either train yourself in graphic design or get a formal education like an online school. Studying on a one-to-one course does mean the teacher is able to concentrate their attention fully on you and tailor to you individual learning requirements and learn at your own pace. It is not easy to go down the self-taught route or the D-I-Y route as its sometimes called, but that is not to say it is impossible.
Graphic design course

Take graphic design, photography, painting or art classes at college or an online school. Focusing on classes that centre on computer graphics, web design, and language programming classes are key. These classes will provide you with strong groundwork to begin your career as a successful graphic designer.

Whichever you way you do it be sure to create a portfolio that showcases your best work and it could look something like this.

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