Where to Find Design Classes

Whether you’re interested in graphic design, digital design, user experience (UX) design, or motion graphics, finding the right design class is a must for achieving your learning goals. Design is a broad field encompassing a long list of popular specializations, and the immense number of courses on topics available today reflects the vast number of jobs and opportunities for career advancement that exist in the realm. From professional training centers and universities to Udemy and YouTube, design learners have no shortage of schools and platforms to choose from. This article explores the unique advantages and limitations of each design class format to help you discover where to find the ideal design class for you.

Noble Desktop and other professional training centers

Design and coding school Noble Desktop’s Classes Near Me tool offers prospective design students a convenient way to explore various certificate programs, bootcamps, and short courses offered by reputable professional training centers, including themselves. While these courses are not accredited, design and the tech world generally are much more concerned with whether job candidates have the skills rather than whether they have a degree. Professional training centers focus on providing learners with these practical skills while providing them with a strong foundation of theoretical knowledge to give their work shape. However, with their focus on hands-on

Where professional training centers like Noble Desktop excel in ensuring that students learn the tools and techniques students need to learn to achieve their specific design learning goals. For those excited to begin a new career in graphic design, web design, motion graphics design, or another area of design, their career-focused certificate programs and bootcamps are comprehensive, streamlined educational paths that can help an individual reach job readiness within as little as a few weeks. Noble Desktop and other professional training centers also offer short courses on design tools like Photoshop and Illustrator and skills at various levels, allowing design students to approach their education a la carte when their learning goals don’t include launching a career.

Design schools and universities

Design schools and universities are the most traditional educational path toward becoming a designer, though career-focused bootcamps offered by professional training schools have rivaled lengthy and more expensive degree programs in popularity in recent years. Universities and design schools provide practical accredited undergraduate and graduate degree programs in graphic design, web design, and communication design, as well as ones geared toward academic careers—such as design history—and management careers—like strategic design and management. With most degree programs running two to four years, even the most practical of these programs have ample time for deep dives into the theoretical concepts and historical context, so graduates have a well-rounded understanding of their design discipline.

The main benefits of universities and accredited design schools include this deep, comprehensive educational experience and the degree awarded that verifies the student’s depth of knowledge. However, neither of these is necessary for a rewarding career as a Graphic Designer, Digital Designer, UX Designer, or the vast majority of practical design roles today. University and design school degrees are best suited for those who wish to work in academia, streamline their road to a management position, or have the financial resources to dedicate to more leisurely development of their artistic skills as personal or professional development. Considering the length of their programs and vast amount of overhead, it's no wonder these programs cost tens of thousands of dollars more than those offered by professional training schools, making the former a more appealing path for most looking for a career-focused education in design. Additionally, while professional training schools are known for their ample career support, universities and design schools may or may not offer similar practical assistance to help graduates land their first job.

Coursera, Udemy, and other on-demand platforms

On-demand platforms like Coursera, Udemy, and LinkedIn Learning offer various design courses with options available in virtually every design discipline. These include short courses on individual skills for those interested in getting started with Illustrator or Photoshop, for example, as well as broader courses that attempt to provide more comprehensive training in an entire skill set, such as UX design or graphic design. These platforms offer learners the flexibility to study at their own pace and on their own schedule, making them appealing to individuals with busy lifestyles or those who prefer self-directed learning. An additional benefit of these classes is that they often come with a lower price tag than other options, as on-demand courses tend to be relatively passive income for schools once they are uploaded.

While on-demand design classes offer several benefits for design learners, their disadvantages are significant, especially for beginners and those looking to learn a comprehensive skill set to a professional level. The most obvious difference between on-demand and live class formats is their lack of live instructors. As any lectures are prerecorded and no set class times are scheduled, on-demand classes do not provide access to real-time guidance and feedback from an expert instructor dedicated to their students’ success. Students of all levels can find it easy to get stuck in their design studies without the accountability and assistance of this mentor figure. On-demand classes are also updated less frequently than the curricula of live courses and can easily become out of date without a student being aware until they are trying to apply their skills on the job.

Apprenticeships

While highly competitive and relatively rare, design apprenticeships are an alternative design learning option that some may wish to consider. These opportunities provide a real-world learning environment where aspiring designers can work alongside experienced professionals, gaining hands-on experience and industry insights as they build a portfolio of design projects. The structure of design apprenticeships varies depending on the specific field, but they generally involve a combination of on-the-job training and classroom instruction. Apprentices generally work under the supervision of a mentor or senior designer, who guides them through real-world projects.

It’s important to note that apprenticeships in the design world are few and far between and, therefore, the most competitive learning option available for aspiring designers. Generally functioning as paid internships, employers in these situations expect applicants to have some considerable design knowledge, making them unsuitable options for beginners. Another consideration is that businesses that host design apprentice programs ultimately have a responsibility to do what’s best for their clients and company, which will not necessarily look like professional training centers’ and design schools’ investment in the success of their students. 

YouTube and other free resources

YouTube and other online platforms host a variety of free design learning resources that can be helpful for students throughout their educational journey. Vloggers working in design and professional training schools feature instructional videos and industry news that beginners can use to learn the vocabulary of the area of design that interests them and get a taste of what working in fields like graphic design, motion graphics design, and UX design is like before committing to a design bootcamp or another paid class format. Resources like Noble Desktop’s free online design seminars can be especially beneficial for beginners, while Adobe’s website hosts several free tutorials for those learning to use the Creative Cloud’s essential applications for designers. Noble Desktop also provides free articles for design learners in their Learn Hub, which answer many questions a beginner may have or may arise at any point in their education.

Design learners will quickly discover that these free resources have their limits, however. They can be valuable tools for learners looking to answer questions during their independent study time between classes or even professional designers seeking to better understand advanced skills like working with a Swiss Grid System in Illustrator or adding motion to their text. These are areas where free resources shine, but they are generally not detailed or in-depth enough to provide a professional or comprehensive education in design. They also fail to provide the guidance and feedback of live expert instructors, the accountability and structure of a set schedule, and curricula featuring a logical progression of theoretical and practical learning, including essential hands-on projects and exercises.

Learn Design Skills with Noble Desktop

Design and coding school Noble Desktop provides a vast menu of design classes led by live expert instructors whether you choose to attend in-person in NYC or live online from anywhere in the world. Their flexible scheduling options allow you to participate as a full-time or part-time student, ensuring you can meet your learning goals no matter your current calendar. Noble Desktop provides classes in a variety of scopes and design-related topics, from beginner-friendly short courses on tools like Photoshop or After Effects to comprehensive career-focused certificate programs in various design disciplines, including graphic design, web design, UX/UI design, motion graphics design, and video editing. Noble keeps their class size small to ensure all learners can receive personalized guidance and immediate feedback from their expert instructors, all of whom are experienced industry professionals invested in the success of their students. In fact, Noble Desktop’s dedication to helping their students achieve their goals is evident in its many perks, including verified digital certificates of completion, free retakes of all their courses within one year, and one-on-one mentorship in all career-focused certificate classes. 

If you’re interested in learning design skills to launch a career as a Graphic Designer, you may wish to enroll in Noble Desktop’s Graphic Design Certificate program. Students in this course will learn essential graphic design principles and turn them into practical knowledge through extensive hands-on projects, creating projects such as signage, infographics, product packaging, logos, and branded merchandise. Students will be job-ready by the end of the certificate program, having built expertise in Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign, and they will have a professional quality portfolio ready to showcase their design skills to prospective employers alongside their impressive verified certificate of completion for the program.

Noble Desktop’s Digital Design Certificate program will arm you with the design skills you need to work in digital design, user interface (UI) design, web design, or graphic design. In this certificate program, you’ll learn the core tools of the trade—Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, and Figma—and key digital design concepts and theory. With no coding required, this program allows you to focus on what matters to you—designing aesthetically pleasing and functional user interfaces, websites, and other digital products. Like all of Noble Desktop’s Certificate Programs, the Digital Design Certificate features one-on-one mentorship for career support, portfolio-building assistance, and a verified digital certificate of completion.

Noble Desktop’s Motion Graphics Certificate program offers practical training in motion graphics and visual effects using Adobe After Effects, Premiere Pro, Audition, and Cinema 4D in After Effects. With the help of your expert instructors, you’ll develop skills in motion graphics design, animation, and video production. With career support, portfolio-building assistance, and a free retake option, students will be ready to impress hiring managers looking for a new entry-level Motion Graphics Designer.