Graphic Design Careers and Programs

Listed below are colleges and universities that offer online degrees, certificates, and diplomas in the major of Graphic Design and Multimedia and a detailed list of the programs offered. Tuition, financial aid, course offerings, online classes, adult education, and distance learning options are available by request.

Graphic Design: Because You Don’t Have to Starve to be an Artist

Everyone’s heard of Warhol, VanGogh, and Picasso. Unfortunately, creating their type of enduring artistic fame is rare and as we learn from their stories...stressful. That's why a lot of job-seekers with a visual eye choose to make a living in graphic design where income and recognition are less unpredictable. VanGogh may have suffered for his brilliance, but you don't have to lose an ear to have a successful yet 'artsy' career.

Graphic Design and Multimedia Career Outlook

Opportunities for people with Graphic Design and Multimedia degrees is excellent, although having an education and experience will make you more competitive in this industry. Graphic designers are expected to have the most job opportunities during the next decade above many other types of designers.

Standing Out as a Designer

The job outlook for a graphic design professional is currently following an average growth trend, hanging steady at about 13% through 2018. Those in the know suggest there’ll be a fair amount of competition. How do you get an edge?

• A great portfolio
• Be wise in the of the ways of web
• Be a tech visual guru

Graphic designers with the right experiences, portfolio and business savvy may find that freelance work suits them best. Earning potential is good, but the work – including finding clients and managing cash-flow – is all you.

Graphic Design and Multimedia Salary Information

Competition for jobs in design can be high. However, you can still make a living in the industry. Median salary for graphic designers in advertising and PR is $43,500 and for professionals who are skilled in the magic graphic interface of online media, the median salary jumps to $47,860. Graphic designers who want to work in newspapers and traditional publishing environments draw an average of $37,000 a year.

Graphic designers work in every area of publishing, which now means online as well as traditional print. Graphic designers with web knowledge have an advantage in competitive markets. Marketing, packaging, business publications, displays – these all have visual elements and businesses who use them all need graphic management. Who might those people be?

• Magazines
• Newspapers
• Online media outlets
• Book publishers
• Ad agencies
• PR firms
• Web design companies
• Retailers
• Corporations with large internal publishing demands
• Web-business

Graphic Design and Multimedia Required Job Skills and Knowledge

How Do You Learn Art?

While no one has figured out how to teach creativity, there are principles of design that can, in fact, be learned. Layout, visual organization, color principle, graphic software, website design – this is concrete information that books and professors can share. How much education do you need?

Your choices include:

Graphic Design Certificates: Core courses designed to teach a few key concepts. You can get a stand alone certificate, but you can also pair it with an…

Associate of Art or Science Degree: A degree to teach you the fundamentals of visual communication, design through technology, the basics of publishing, and principles of conceptual thinking. But if you wanted more, then you could consider a…

Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design: The bachelor’s degree includes advanced techniques in visual rendering, image manipulation technology, principles and theories of communication through art and image as well as introduction to business principles. And if that’s not enough, then there’s the…

Master of Fine Art in Graphic Design: The Big Kahuna of graphic design degrees, you get advanced education in software and production design, learn detailed project management, and complete a master’s thesis where you have to spray-paint a yak. (Ok, we’re totally kidding about the yak.)

How much education do you need?

A bachelor’s degree in graphic design or visual arts is the academic benchmark and most entry-level positions will look for this. But a killer portfolio and experiential training can make an associate’s degree appealing as well.   Learning the most sophisticated graphic design software should be part of your curriculum – between web design and the computerization of the printing industry, fluency in computer graphics is no longer optional.

Online Degree Options

A graphic design institution these days can be brick and mortar, but it doesn’t have to be.  If a program is too far, or life is just too complicated, there are online options for almost every degree in the field. Self-paced and convenient, online education lets you work an education around a life, and then make a life from your education. You can go start-to-finish through an online program, or supplement your training with specialty area certifications (3-D design or e-commerce, for instance).