Overview
This is your opportunity to explore exciting career opportunities, in-demand skills and best practices to succeed in graphic design.
From magazines and billboards to digital media, graphic design is everywhere. Using leading industry software, including Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign, you'll gain the knowledge and skills to design for print and digital media. Learn to create compelling artwork, build a portfolio, and effectively showcase your conceptual, creative and technical talents. Discover techniques and principles in layout and design, graphic manipulation, typography, branding and publishing. You'll receive quality training from experienced instructors who are active in the industry.
Students must take eight courses to complete the program — seven mandatory and one elective.
Learner Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this certificate, you will be able to:
- use colour theory, shape, drawing tools, layers, page design, type setting, compositing and illustration to plan and produce work for print and digital media, from concept to completion
- explain the purpose and benefits of branding and brand image as they apply to the graphic design industry
- use the creative design process to prepare creative briefs and to research, brainstorm, sketch, create, and present to clients
- demonstrate design skills and techniques using industry standard software — Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign, including layout, palette selection, brushes, colour, typography, image correction and manipulation
- design a complex and compelling collection of graphic design work to build a portfolio and showcase your conceptual, creative, and technical skills and communicate your artistic process (brand style guide, logo, brochure, magazine cover and spread, poster, professional resume, digital publication)
- explain the value of using a “Designer’s Toolkit” and demonstrating personal and professional ethics in the graphic design industry.
Funding
This program is eligible for funding through the Canada Alberta Job Grant (CAJG) program.
Career Opportunities
Skills learned in this program can be applied to careers in advertising, marketing, package design, book cover design, UX/UI design, web design, logo design, photo editing, video game design and much more.
Expect to start at the entry level, and as you gain experience and with additional education, your career opportunities will expand. Use the following Job Market Outlook tool as a starting point to explore your career options.