Graphic designing is the most universal art which has been around us since centuries in one or another form. We see millions of designs in streets, roads, magazines, advertisements, packets, labels, banners, clothing, medical pills and even on our body in form of tattoos. The main function of graphic designing is to give visual identity to entities and make them distinguishable. For example, flag designs help recognizing particular countries. Similarly, logo designs mark the unique identity of different companies.
Imagine without graphic design, world will lose it’s colors and turn into gray.
Pictures are more memorable than spoken words and written text. Due to this fact, visualization has become the best way of effective communication today. Graphic designer is a professional who turns messages into impressive visual elements. It is an interdisciplinary profession that requires both artistic mind and advanced technology. In early days, folk used to be in this profession to make livings with few artistic skills. But, with increasing population in designing field, competition has also increased. Everyone wants to be at world’s top in graphic art.
Becoming a graphic designer is not difficult with the help of many tools available on the Internet. Some of these tools are paid and some are available free of cost. Just install in on PC and use your artistic mind to generate beautiful visual elements. With all these, you are now ready to work as freelancer or in-house. But what about professional learning? Can these open source help to give you professional assistance to learn graphic art? Undoubtedly, they save your bucks, but the time spent on learning with these tools may not worth anyhow.
For a complete learning, the best option is to join graphic design courses online. During busier day to day life, people do not get enough time to go out for learning. Online learning is absolutely the only alternative in these circumstances. With online courses, any learner can start as a beginner or revamp their existing skills. You should enroll yourself with a well-known online school with a reputed history and experience. To choose an online graphic design course, consider important point like cost of course, syllabus to be covered, class size, medium of net meeting, qualification and experience of tutor, duration of learning, career opportunity, certification and other facilities. Probably, you may not find all these qualities in one school. But choose a school possessing most of the points according to your needs and affordability.
Throughout my design career I have came across many job adverts for a graphic designer ‘with a degree’. It always made me feel a little frustrated – “If I don’t have a degree do you automatically assume I won’t be good enough to join your company?”. Surely a designer’s portfolio and/or experience should say more than a piece of paper with a qualification on it.
I studied for a higher national diploma in graphic design at college and when the course finished I had the chance of pursuing a degree in graphic design or go for an advanced diploma in art and design. One of my lecturers told me that the degree contained more theory work whereas the advanced diploma was more practical. I opted for the practical work… after all that’s what graphic design is.
The advanced diploma was only a year of study but most of the work was project based even if the deadlines were a bit too generous at times. However, since leaving college (armed with my qualifications) I admit that I learnt more during my first design role and by teaching myself. That kind of education never stops with the design world and technology continually changing.
This led me to question the importance of a degree as a designer and I know that I’m not the only one to ask this. In my honest opinion a degree doesn’t automatically make someone more creative and successful than a designer who is self taught or who has learnt on the job. Their portfolio should be the strongest reflection of their skills and abilities especially when it comes to finding employment. Do companies advertising for a designer ‘with a degree’ honestly think that they are going to employ a better designer or is it a status thing? Also check: google full form
Now I know that things have changed since I was at college so I thought I’d have a look at what degree courses my local college offers and found that they offer a BA in Art and Design. Here are the modules:
Year 1: Visual arts; applied crafts; digital arts; site specific design; graphic design; performance related design; web design; animation; self-employment; video production; community art; textile design; teacher or lecturer.
Year 2: Creative skills and concepts; integrated project; visual literacy; digital applications; specialist options: skills development; contextual studies; personal development planning.
Year 3: Creative practice; contextual practice; specialist options: skills application practice; research skills; critical and contextual studies; pathways and contexts; professional and studio practice; professional and contextual studies; creative futures.
I didn’t study most of this stuff and I’ve spent 9 years in design studios working on a wide variety of projects of all sizes and with good feedback. I’m now working full-time as a freelancer trying to grow my own business. I like to think that I turned out okay without a degree. Also check about: groovy bot
