An Online Graphic Design Degree Can Boost Your Career

Many people want to become graphic designers today due to the vast opportunities in the field. Luckily, there are numerous online graphic design degree programs and software available that are free or paid.

You can use these programs to practice and hone your skills as a new graphic designer. If you have some experience in graphic design, you can use them to create client deliverables. In this post, we define what graphic design is and discuss some of the best online graphic design courses and software to consider taking advantage of.

What is Graphic Design?

Merriam-Webster defines graphic design as “the art or profession of using design elements (such as typography and images) to convey information or create an effect.” The top skills required to do that are:

Typography: You must know how to choose and combine different typefaces, color palettes, and layouts to evoke a positive emotional response.

UX and UI design: Knowing how to create user interfaces that balance functionality and aesthetics is crucial for creating the best user experience on websites and mobile apps.

Branding: Understanding what makes different brands unique is an essential skill that designers use to bring to life a brand through its color, logo, photography, and other elements

Software design skills: You must know how to use the best online design programs and features like Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, and motion graphics.

Coding: Learning the basics of coding, including common programming language, web development process, and web infrastructures is essential for meeting project technical needs today.

Soft skills like communication, problem-solving, and presentation are also essential for becoming a top graphic designer. Understanding how to use basic graphic design elements can also be a plus.

Basics Elements of Graphic Design

To better understand graphic design in its entirety, these are some of the basic elements of the practice of online graphic design you must know:

• Form
• Color
• Line
• Shape
• Space
• Texture
• Size

Once you’ve understood the basic elements of graphic design, you can specialize in the following online graphic design course works: UX/UI design, website design, motion graphics, product design, print design, art director animation design, and more.

Out of these, the most in-demand graphic design services today are product design, UI and UX design, and motion graphics.

Importance of Graphic Design

Graphic design involves helping businesses and individuals design websites, logos, marketing materials, and more. These creations can help them to:

Become an established brand: excellent graphic design elements build a company’s reputation in the market and increase revenue.

Save money: graphic design helps prevent losing customers due to poor graphics and low-quality marketing.

Increase engagements and interactions: great designs evoke emotions that force audiences to engage, interact, or take action.

Attract customers: good website graphic design can attract customers to a website.

Make content more readable: excellent graphic design makes content easier for website owners to present and for audiences to read.

The Best Online Graphic Design Programs

For anyone looking to work in graphic design or develop their own creations, there’s a long list of graphic design programs you can master. We’ve compiled some of the most popular programs for your review:

Adobe Suite: Adobe is one of the premier graphic design and creative suites. Depending on what you’re trying to create, each of its applications is designed to fit a specific purpose as described below:

Illustrator: Illustrator is a program best suited for vector graphics editing. Graphic designers often choose to design logos in Illustrator.

Photoshop: Adobe Photoshop is for image editing.

InDesign: InDesign is typesetting software that can be used to create many different types of works, like flyers, brochures, magazines, newspapers, books, and more.

Inkscape: For a designer looking to utilize free software, Inkscape could be a great option. Beginners and experts alike can use it to create vector drawings. If you know how to use Adobe’s tools, you can easily use Inkscape. It’s most comparable to Adobe Illustrator. Due to the software’s community of developers, new features are added regularly.

CorelDraw Graphics Suite: CorelDraw Graphics Suite is a bundle of applications. Through the online program, users have access to hundreds of high-resolution photographs. Those interested can choose from one of three payment programs to use the software. You also have the option to export files into 48 different file types.

Sketch: Sketch is a cost-effective graphic design tool that is very useful for developing UI/UX prototypes. The software’s functionality makes it easy to create mobile responsive designs with grids. It’s also an excellent tool for collaboration because the files are saved in the cloud and auto-saved. Sketch is only available for Mac users and has a $99 annual subscription cost.

GIMP: GIMP is a photo editing software that is open-source and free of charge. Designers can edit images using layers, just like in Adobe Photoshop. Given the low necessity for computing resources, the performance is speedy and can be an excellent option for beginners in photo editing.

Gravit Designer: Gravit Designer is HTML-based software best suited for product, web design, and graphic design professionals. Through its dashboard, users can switch between tabs and create custom document heights straight from the dashboard. The tool can be used across platforms, including Mac, Linux, Chrome OS, and Windows. There’s a free version of Gravit Designer Pro for $100.

Photoscape: For no charge, graphic designers can leverage Photoscape to edit and manage photos. It boasts robust editing tools, including a batch editor. Users can resize, rename, or convert multiple photos at once with just a single mouse click. It’s also possible to convert RAW photos to JPEGs in no time.

Find the Best Graphic Design Online Program for You

Adobe Suite is among the best online graphic design programs. However, the right program for you might depend on your unique needs and circumstances. Keep the following in mind to choose the best graphic design online program for you:

Skill level: Some online graphic design programs are suitable for more experienced designers than others. Ensure you consider the skill level before choosing one.

Use: Some graphic design software specialize in page layouts, others in presentation or PDF editing. Consider how you plan to use a platform to find the best program for you.

Budget: If you choose a paid online graphic design program, ensure it’s within your budget, as there are many platforms today with contrasting prices.

Technology: Do you plan to design on your computer? Or is it your tablet? Where you intend to do your design will determine the right program for you.

Free: You can also choose a program based on whether it offers a free trial or test drives. This way, you can use the software for a limited time to know if it’s the right one for you, depending capabilities.

Advantages of Design Software

Design software is useful and necessary for anyone in the business. From freelance designers to those working in-house for a brand, graphic design software offers the following benefits:

Branding: Graphic design software is critical in being able to develop branding. From logo design to typography, color palettes, photography style, and more, this software is at the foundation of every brand.

Engagement: Enticing graphics can increase brand engagement and convey messages more clearly.

Collaboration: Most of these tools make it easy to collaborate with teams and share ideas with clients.

Cost efficient: Allows designers to create beautiful visuals at a cost-effective price.

Scalable: With software, files can be exported into several different file types to be used for whatever purpose is needed.

The Best Online Graphic Design Courses to Apply For

One of the significant aspects of a career in graphic design is that you can pursue it through an online graphic design course. Plus, the software and trends are constantly changing, so you’ll always be learning! So whether you have the basics down or are just starting, these are graphic design programs to consider taking at any level of experience.

Coursera: Coursera is an online learning platform that offers courses from various institutions. Users can choose to earn certificates or degrees or sit in on courses to learn whatever subject they want. When it comes to graphic design, Coursera has over 1,000 options to choose from!

Google UX Design: Through Coursera, students can take the Google UX Design course and earn a professional certificate in user experience design. In less than six months, with no degree or previous experience necessary, you’ll be prepared to work in the field.

Udemy: Like Coursera, Udemy is an online platform with courses from various publishers and institutions. There are roughly 173 pages of graphic design and illustration courses to consider on Udemy. Each is priced differently and consists of its own number of total hours. Depending on your level of expertise, you can filter courses based on your current abilities.

Adobe CC Masterclass: Udemy offers an Adobe CC Masterclass that teaches the foundational knowledge for the suite, including Illustrator, XD, Photoshop, and InDesign. For $119.99, this course is designed for beginners who want to become experts in the Adobe suite. You’ll also need a subscription to Adobe’s software to take the course.

Get an Online Graphic Design Degree to Boost Your Career

Graphic design is one of the most in-demand skills today in the creative economy. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, graphic designers earn a median salary of $55,380.

However, based on where you work and your level of experience, salaries vary greatly. Individuals who generally seek a career in graphic design are passionate and creative by nature. Whether you’re breaking into graphic design or further developing your skills, many design programs are available to help you learn and master it.

At University of People, we offer a wide range of online courses that can boost your chances of pursuing an online graphic design degree and becoming an expert in the graphic design field. Our programs are tuition-free programs and highly specialized certificate programs to help kick-start your graphic design career the right way.