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Graphic Design Degree—You don't have to be “born” an
artist
Today's Technology + Your Creativity = an Exciting
Career
Few careers have realized the impact of technology more than that of Graphic
Design. The artist is no longer sitting in a back room, laboring over
a drafting table with large sheets of paper and bottles of paints and
ink. Whether your field is advertising, web site creation, photography
retouching, presentation development, computer or video animation, package
development or a host of other possibilities, the range of unbelievable
effects and the opportunity to learn how to use them is available from
the comfort of your own home.
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| Online
schools for becoming a Graphic Designer: |
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| The
Art Institute Online offers an Associate's
and a Bachelor of Science in Graphic Design. Coursework includes
electronic imaging, computer graphics, color composition, design,
typography, and computer-based hardware and software. Students gain
the skills they need to begin an exciting career in the design field.
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| Westwood
College Online offers an Associate
degree program in both Graphic Design and Multimedia. The program
focuses on the fundamentals of graphic design and helps to prepare
students for entry-level positions in the field of graphic design
and multimedia. Additionally, the college offers a Bachelor's in Animation
degree program and a Bachelor's in Web Design and Multimedia degree
program. |
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| Baker
College Online offers both a certificate
program and an Associate's
program in Web Design. Coursework includes HTML programming, graphic
design, marketing, and computer information systems. Students learn
about various computer operating systems, including Linux and Unix
and the skills needed to create and maintain web pages. |
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Prestigious computer design
schools with online programs are waiting for you to sign up and begin
learning the 21st century eye-popping techniques that will make you an
asset to any business.
To understand how drastically technology has changed
graphic design, you hardly need to look any further than your favorite
video cartoon. Before the computer age, artists would spend hours creating
just one cartoon figure, and then redrawing the same figure hundreds of
times just to make the figure “walk” across the screen. Today, that same
effect can be created with computer software—in just minutes, making it
possible for the designer to dream up more episodes and situations than
could ever have been done 50 years ago.
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Not into cartoons? Take a glance around your home.
Every single object you purchase comes in some sort of attractive package—from
cereal boxes to the multi-color design on the box of that new set of speakers
you just purchased. Visual appeal sells products—from toilet tissue to
food, and everything between. Companies know this and quite happily pay
for a designer who can create packages that catch the eye of the hurried
shopper. As a matter of fact, the package, which is considered “advertising,”
is often actually more costly than the material inside, at least from
the company perspective. Of course, the cost is spread out over thousands
of duplicates of the same package, but nevertheless, advertising is one
of the primary expenses of any major company.
Are you hoping to build your own business, set your
own prices and your own hours? Due to the high cost of fringe benefits,
more companies every year are outsourcing as many processes as possible,
including their graphic design needs. You could work for a studio for
a while to build a name and reputation for yourself and then freelance
in a profitable career that you could take with you even on vacation—if
you wish. Also, since graphic design does not actually require a finished
degree, you can using the skills you acquire in an online school to begin
building your portfolio and your business.
The Compensation You Can
Expect
It’s difficult to predict what kind of salary you would have as a graphic
designer. That's because things like the specific job, geographic area,
education and experience, and the size of the company all contribute to
your salary. However, the American Institute of Graphic Arts reports the
following job titles with associated average salaries:
- Art Director: $60.000
- Creative Director: $76,000
- Designer: $39.000
- Entry level designer: $33,000
- Print Production Artist: $40,000
- Senior Designer: $52,000
- Web Designer: $48,000
A formal degree is not required for a graphic designer.
However, the field is highly competitive, and many entry level positions
do require at least a bachelor’s degree. If you want to attract the attention
of one of the higher paying companies, your chances will be much better
with a focused degree and an accompanying portfolio.
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A
directory of education related websites:
*NOTE: These sites have been listed because of their relevance
to the field of education and for their relative ease of navigation.
adultlearn.com is not affiliated with any of these sites,
and does not endorse or guarantee their accuracy. |
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