If we’ve learned anything from technology, it’s that it never stops developing. In a world constantly connecting in all directions, individuals can find themselves plunged into a sea of new professions and careers. And in the case of graphic design, it can lead to a top paying job if you are willing to put in the work. Visual stimuli is an essential part of the human psyche as sight is probably the most revealing of all senses. Thus, graphic design is now an always present component of different images we see every day. Long gone are the days where graphic design was an obscure alchemistic kind of science available only to a few chosen souls.
There are several great graphic design schools online with great programs you can take on your own time, at your own pace. What they have not only matches the knowledge you would get in a ‘regular’ school but also enhances and perfects your talents.
A general overview will show us a group of core skills and fields of opportunity in which an education from graphic design schools online can be a profitable start for a young, aspiring individual with prices starting as low as $20 to $40 for the pay-per-class courses well into the $20ks if you are to embark on a four-year education journey.
Introduction to Graphic Design
Not sure what you want? Check the web to start. Massive Open Online Courses or MOOC are offered by major graphic design schools online like Coursera and Udacity. Their courses range from History of Graphic Design (Kadenze.com) to Introduction to Image Making by Coursera. From $29 a month, you can subscribe to Digital Tutors’ series of short videos on Graphic Design focused on key elements and skills required for your future career.
Acrobat
Adobe’s brainchild has recently evolved into its XI version. So graphic design schools online like Lynda.com offer courses like Illustrator CS5 One-on-One: Fundamentals for as low as $25/month. Furthermore, creativeLive’s “Illustrator for Beginners” at $99 and Tuts+ with its “30 Days to Learn Illustrator” course at $180/year are also phenomenal options. Train Simple also offers “Illustrator CS6 Fundamentals” for a very affordable $9.99 a month subscription.
Photoshoppers Wanted
As digital marketing evolves into a major visual quasi-science, so does the need for better-looking pictures and more eye-catching images. Treehouse is a graphic design school that offers critically-acclaimed online courses. Some of these courses are Mobile Game Designing, Creating Wireframes and Photoshop, and Foundations of Photoshop ($49 for the Pro membership). All of these courses serve as an entry level gateway into deeper and more complex tasks as a graphic designer. Lynda.com also offers a complete course called “Photoshop CS6 Essential Training” that costs $25 a month, including hundreds of tutorials.
Source: shoedesign.it
HTML and CSS Coding Skills
A lot is hidden behind what viewers receive as the final product of a successful website or digital marketing campaign. Thus, coding skills like CSS and HTML are essential working tools for anyone willing to be versatile in this market. Check out Codecademy’s “HTML and CSS for Beginners” for free, for instance. Through this course, you can create complex pages while delivering powerful and appealing visual features to viewers. You should also take your time to review Shay Howe’s guides to “Learn to Code HTML & CSS.”
Typography
Graphic design has evolved in all aspects, so typography is no exception. Mastering the complex art of blending a written message with a well-designed typography is imperative. Well-designed typography can be the difference between a viewer-friendly website and one that will send viewers running away. So make sure you sign up for “Introduction to Web Typography” by Tuts+. In addition, Lynda.com has “Foundations of Typography: Color, Contrast, and Scale” to further improve your skills in contrasts, balance, and coloring techniques.
Wrap that Graphic Design Career Up
As you can see, there is a realm of opportunities in the Graphic Design world. Remember, you can pick the classes you want or the ones that fit your lifestyle, expectations, and budget. In fact, you can start with pay-per-class courses and then upgrade to pay-per-program programs. After that, short-term classes that range from six months to a year are the next option in terms of time dedicated to your education.
Featured Image Source: pixabay.com
