NICHE GRAPHIC DESIGN CLASSES TO SET YOURSELF APART FROM ALL THE OTHER CREATIVES IN THE SEA

Graphic designers help companies with everything from designing websites to creating a style guide to creating social media ads. Without a graphic designer, businesses have to figure out how to make designs on their own, which can be difficult. Not to mention, it doesn’t look as professional.

All graphic designers learn the same foundational skills when they get trained. They are fluent in the Adobe Creative suite, color psychology, layout design, logo design, typography, photo editing, and graphic design history and theory. Those skills are incredibly valuable for companies. But like all fields, graphic design evolves over time. New software is created, certain practices become popular, and design trends go in and out of fashion. Because of that, it is imperative that graphic designers continue to develop their skills throughout their career to reflect the shifting technology and what’s in vogue at the time.

The Importance of Continuing Education

In any industry, continuing education is important. Training doesn’t stop after graduating from college or receiving formal training. In order to stay relevant in the graphic design field, learning new skills is vital. The basics might remain the same, but change is always occurring in the design field.

There are a number of reasons why continuing education is important. First, it sets you up for a more successful career. When you build your graphic design skill set, you’re more likely to get a promotion. You can use your new skills to take on additional projects or pitch ideas to your employer. Continuing education shows your employer that you’re dedicated to improving your skills, which will benefit the company.

Improving your graphic design skills also means that you’re more likely to get a salary raise. By learning more than just design fundamentals, you’re making yourself more valuable to your company. Instead of hiring a more experienced designer, you can take on higher-level work and get a paycheck that matches your experience. If you’re interested in expanding your graphic design skills, your company might even help you pay for training.

The other big reason why continuing education is key is that it sets you apart from other designers. Being different is a good thing. You can add skills to your resume that other people don’t have. When a company is looking for someone with your unique skill set, you will stand out as an expert in that area. Ultimately, your skills determine how marketable you are. The more skills you have, the more in-demand you will be.

5 Graphic Design Classes You Should Take

One of the best ways to hone specific skills is to take a graphic design course. There are dozens of courses available online, and many of them are free. Courses are a great option because you can go at your own pace, and make your own schedule. They’re often taught by established graphic design professionals who are experts in the practices you’re learning. Here are some graphic design courses I recommend:

1. Sketch from A to Z (2019): Become an app designer (Udemy)

This course is a great option for any designer who is interested in designing apps and UX design. The instructors start by walking you through the basics of using Sketch, which is a digital design toolkit for UX/UX and wireframing. The course focuses on app UI/UX best practices and techniques. You’ll learn how to design for different devices, how to improve UX, how to use shared styles and symbols, and more. This course includes 3.5 hours of on-demand video content, which you can consume at your own pace.

Price: $18.99

2. From Doodle to Logo (Udemy)

If you want to learn how to take your drawings and convert them into a digital file, this course is perfect for you. Specifically, the Doodle to Logo course will teach you how to take a hand-drawn logo and turn it into a digital replica. The course focuses on image trace, layers, and working with characters in Adobe Illustrator. Although it’s designed to teach you about logos, you can use these processes to transform any hand-drawn image into a digital design. Before enrolling, you should be familiar with Adobe Illustrator, however, this course is great for intermediate designers or anyone who needs a refresher. This course is great for streamlining the designer’s process of taking their logo sketches and creating digital comps.

Price: Free

3. Move from Graphic Designer to UX Designer (Skillshare)

Graphic designers have many of the skills needed to become a UX designer for websites and apps. This course will help you learn fundamental UX design skills to supplement your graphic design know-how. In this course, you’ll learn the relevant tools for UX design, how to run user testing sessions, how to build user profiles, how to create wireframes, how to conduct A/B tests, and more. There are 25 video lessons that you can watch at your own pace and in less than 2.5 hours, you’ll learn the basics of UX design.

Price: Free

4. Creating Trendy Abstract Patterns in Illustrator (Skillshare)

Patterns are emerging as a big trend in the design world. This course from Skillshare will teach you how to create unique and interesting patterns using Adobe Illustrator. The instructor will explain the approach to designing abstract patterns, the tools you need, how to arrange elements, and how to establish the color palette. You will also learn how to use your patterns on wrapping paper, wallpaper, photo backdrops, and website backgrounds. This course is pretty short, with just 16 lessons, so it’s a great one to do on your lunch break.

Price: Free

5. Creative Coding (EdX)

Coding is an in-demand skill, especially when it is combined with web and app design skills. Typically developers and designers work together, however, when a designer has both skill sets and can cut out the need for the developer, they are instantly more valuable to the company they are employed by or applying to work for. This course will teach you the basic concepts of object-oriented programming, 2D graphics, animation, and image and video processing. It is taught by an NYU professor, so you know you’re getting high-quality instruction. The course is a blend of computer programming and graphic design skills, but you don’t need prior coding experience in order to enroll. It’s a 14-week program with 8-10 hours of work every week.

Price: Free

There is an immense opportunity for graphic designers today. The field is evolving, and to stay current, you need to make continuing your education a priority. The good news is, you don’t have to pay for the cost of a secondary education in order to improve your skills and take your career to the next level. Take advantage of online courses that interest you and carve out a few hours each week to learn something new.

‍