Graphic Designer Certifications

An additional consideration for prospective Graphic Designers is the question of whether or not they should become certified in graphic design skills. There are several ways to become certified, which can be useful for students who are looking to become certified but aren’t sure of the best way to achieve this goal. While both are methods of becoming certified, students should be aware that certificates and certifications are not the same things, since they have different methods of demonstrating a student's proficiency in graphic design.

What is a Graphic Designer?

A Graphic Designer is a creative professional who combines text and visually appealing imagery to share a message with an audience. This could be through advertising, social media, or product packaging, to name a few. They are well-versed in design principles like color and typography and are committed to staying up-to-date on the latest trends. Whether they work for an agency or freelancer, they collaborate with clients and other team members to create high-quality designs that appeal to new and existing customers. 

In addition to proficiency in professional design programs like Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator, a successful Graphic Designer must also work well with others. Graphic Designers rarely work alone, and since their job is to create a product that matches a client's vision, they must be willing to accept feedback and suggestions from others. Time management skills are also crucial for a Graphic Designer; since most of them work freelance, they often work on multiple projects for many clients simultaneously. 

Read more about what a Graphic Designer does. 

Do I Need a Degree to Become a Graphic Designer?

Whether Graphic Designers need a degree is a surprisingly divisive topic amongst professionals; some will say that a degree isn’t nearly as valuable as a portfolio, while others point out that self-teaching requires a great deal of time and discipline. There are plenty of Graphic Designers who hold a bachelor’s degree in art, design, or a related field. Some companies require a degree, but it’s becoming increasingly common for creative professionals to gain experience through freelancing and completing personal passion projects. 

The short (and overly simplified) answer is: A degree is not a requirement, but it helps. If you’d like to pursue a degree to help you stand out in a competitive market, you might consider minoring in public relations, marketing, or advertising. Since Graphic Designers are commonly employed to help sell a good or service, knowing some marketing principles could help you understand the ins and outs of a solid campaign. These added skills will make you more marketable and help you land a lucrative career outside of graphic design if you need more time to build your portfolio.

Read more about if you need a degree to become a Graphic Designer.

Do Certifications Matter for Graphic Designers?

For the most part, graphic design careers won’t require a student to become certified in any given graphic design tool. While becoming graphic design certified can certainly help strengthen an application, it won’t be as important as demonstrating graphic design skills with a strong portfolio. However, it can help prospective employees demonstrate to hiring managers that they are ready to start working on practical projects from the moment they are hired. Being graphic design certified also tells hiring managers what different skills you have experience working with, which can help them decide if you are fit for more advanced or significant job responsibilities.

Certifications vs. Certificates: What’s the Difference?

Novice Graphic Designers may be interested to learn that there are actually a few different methods of being certified in the field. Certifications and certificates demonstrate proficiency in different ways, allowing aspiring designers a few different routes for demonstrating their skills.

Certification is awarded to students who pass proctored skills exams offered by first-party service providers, such as Adobe. These exams test a student’s knowledge of individual programs and test them in practical, hands-on exercises demonstrating that they can use those programs on real-world projects. These exams tend only to last about an hour or two, and they are very rarely paired with formal training support, though many do offer free or paid review materials. Many of these certifications will expire after a fixed period of time, requiring students to retake the exam to keep their certification up-to-date.

Certificates are more akin to diplomas and are awarded to students who complete industry-recognized training programs. These certificates indicate to employers that students have received hands-on expert instruction in important elements of graphic design. However, the real selling point to these certificates lies in the training associated with them since these programs are ideal places for students without college degrees to demonstrate that they have an equivalent level of practical skills training and experience. These certificates do not expire, so students won’t have to worry about keeping these credentials up-to-date.

How to Get Certified as a Graphic Designer

As a general rule, the best method of becoming certified in graphic design will depend on whether or not a student has significant experience working with the programs they are looking to become certified in. Students who have hands-on experience in the field of design or students who have a four-year degree in a graphic design field will want to sit down for a proctored exam to become certified.

Students who don’t have significant experience or who need additional training will want to enroll in a certificate-granting program. These courses are a good alternative space for prospective designers to pick up the training and experience needed to position themselves as competitive Graphic Designers. These will be far more time-consuming and expensive than a certification exam but they provide students with different advantages that make them ideal for anyone needing significant training and time to build a portfolio.

Top Certifications & Certificates for Graphic Designer

Students looking to pass a certification exam will need to consider the tools in which they would like to become certified. Formal training programs don’t really offer certification exams in the broad field of graphic design. Instead, companies like Adobe offer individual certification exams in the major programs utilized by Graphic Designers, such as Illustrator, InDesign, or Photoshop. Adobe offers the chance to take part in the Adobe Certified Expert program. These tests cover all of the major Adobe Creative Cloud programs so prospective designers can decide which programs they want to become certified in.

Certificates tend to be more varied in the skills they teach, since they tend to be career-focused training programs. For example, Noble’s Graphic Design Certificate program is a course built for students looking to master all aspects of conventional graphic design in anticipation of starting a new career. Not only will students learn Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign, but they will receive training in the principles and theories of design, which are important practical skills for aspiring designers.

Students looking for certificate training in specific graphic design skills may also wish to consider enrolling in a skills-focused bootcamp, such as Noble’s Adobe Illustrator Bootcamp. In these classes, students will receive focused training in a specific graphic design program. Upon completion of the course, they will be awarded a certificate demonstrating their successful completion of the course. These classes won’t be enough to start a career on their own, but they are an excellent way to build a new, valuable career skill all while becoming certified in the program. Noble also offers non-certificate graining accelerated classes, such as Illustrator in a Day. These classes are perfect for students looking to brush up on their skills in preparation for a certification exam.

Key Takeaways

• While it is unlikely that any job will demand prospective Graphic Designers to be certified, becoming certified in a collection of graphic design skills is a great way to set yourself apart from the competition.
• There are two ways to become certified in graphic design. Students can complete industry-recognized certificate-granting training programs or they can pass a proctored certification exam.
• Certificate-granting programs are ideal fits for students who need additional skills training or who want to replace a four-year degree program. Certification exams are ideal fits for students who have significant hands-on or on-the-job graphic design experience.
• Students looking to enroll in a certificate-granting training program or looking to enroll in an in-person or live online graphic design course offered through Noble Desktop.