What to Learn After Graphic Design

Graphic design is the art of building persuasive, communicative visual designs out of text, graphics, images, and colors. Suppose you already know how to use graphic design. In that case, you might consider learning to apply those skills to the digital space through UI design, moving from 2D images to motion animated images, or expanding your design skills into film and video editing. We’ll cover these related career fields below so you clearly understand what skill you want to tackle next.

What is Graphic Design?

Graphic design is a field of creative arts that focuses on projecting visual communication, often built of combinations of text, images, photographs, and other visual elements, with specific goals. Graphic design covers a wide array of different artistic disciplines and endeavors. Still, at its core, it is the act of using visual imagery to communicate with audiences and convey feelings and ideas that language alone wouldn’t be able to express. As a subset of the fine arts, graphic design skills are used in virtually every industry, but they are particularly prominent in advertising and branding. Advertisements, product packaging, logos, branded merchandise, and other promotional materials all demonstrate graphic design skills. Any business or organization looking to reach an audience will want to hire those skilled in graphic design.

Since graphic design covers a wide range of artistic disciplines, no two Graphic Designers will be working with the same toolset or on the same kinds of projects. Some will work in traditional print mediums, such as the publishing or magazine industry. Some will work on designing logos and branded merchandise for companies to place on billboards, hats, and other promotional materials. Some will work on digital projects, building webpages and mobile application assets. Others will design infographics, posters, and signage for activist organizations or non-profits. Graphic design is a wide-open field of diverse artistic endeavors, and learning graphic design skills will open many doors for creatives.

Read more about what graphic design is and why you should learn it.

What Can You Do with Graphic Design?

Graphic design represents a wide-ranging field of visual expression, which means there is virtually no limit to the kinds of images that sufficiently skilled creatives can create. As the field of graphic design is so expensive, creatives can make use of their skills in both professional and personal contexts. As professional Graphic Designers, creatives will be tasked with building imagery that is both evocative and communicates complex persuasive ideas to their audience of consumers. Graphic Designers will build the iconography of companies and brands, build the images that audiences come to associate with those companies, and help construct memorable advertising campaigns, promotional material, and product packaging.

Graphic design skills are also useful for non-professionals who want to persuade large audiences. Small business owners, start-up entrepreneurs, or even creatives working in marketplaces like Etsy may wish to learn more about graphic design to build their brand identities and set themselves apart from their competitors. Activists and organizers can learn graphic design skills to build more visually appealing and persuasive designs for flyers and infographics. Politicians will hire graphic designers to build campaign materials. As long as someone is attempting to communicate visually to an audience, they will benefit from either learning graphic design skills or working closely alongside someone who knows them.

User Interface Design

One of the first skills to learn after mastering graphic design tools is UI design. This involves taking the graphic designs created in programs like Photoshop and Illustrator and transforming them into interactive digital assets for use in webpages or mobile applications. It also involves designing layouts for websites with tools like Figma and Adobe XD. UI design gives Graphic Designers an even more complex canvas on which to work, opening them up to new career opportunities and creative projects.

If you are interested in learning more, Noble offers many user interface fesign courses specifically for students trained in tools like Photoshop and Illustrator.

Motion Design

Graphic Designers traditionally work in static, two-dimensional mediums like print and merchandising. Students looking to expand their skills into other venues may wish to consider learning motion graphics design skills. Here, students will learn how to take many of their graphic design assets and use programs like After Effects to give their designs life. This can greatly expand the scope of projects that a creative person can build, and add another set of tools to their repertoire.

To learn more about these skills, consider the options for motion graphics courses available through Noble.

Video Editing

Another route that creatives with graphic design training can take is learning video editing skills to work in the television and film industry. At the same time, these overlap with motion design skills (Noble offers a certificate program that teaches both); video editing training will focus more on using these skills to alter and manipulate already existing video images rather than teaching students how to create new video files. Because of this, students who enjoy or have extensive Photoshop experience may gravitate naturally towards learning tools like Premiere Pro.

Students interested in the video editing training options available to them should visit Noble’s website.

Key Insights

• Once students are confident in their graphic design skills, they should consider what path they wish to go down to expand on their training.
• Students interested in learning how to transform their designs from static images into interactive digital assets for things like webpages and mobile applications should consider UI design training.
• Creatives looking to add life to their designs may wish to consider learning the tools involved in motion graphics to work on creating animated 2D and 3D projects.
• Students looking to work in the film and television industry may consider applying some of their graphic design skills to video editing training and learning how to use tools like Premiere Pro.
• Regardless of what path your graphic design career takes, Noble Desktop offers live in-person and online training courses to help you achieve your goals.

Learn Graphic Design with Hands-on Training at Noble Desktop

Interested in learning graphic design? There are a few different options available. It’s possible to either study individual graphic design tools in accelerated bootcamps or learn complementary graphic design skills in more career-focused training programs. Both graphic design training courses are available to students through Noble Desktop, both in-person and online. These courses are taught by experienced instructors who can teach students important graphic design techniques and give them vital feedback on their designs. Even online, Noble strives to keep class sizes small, ensuring that students can interface directly with their instructors. Plus, all of Noble’s courses have the option to retake the course for free within a year. This allows students to hone their skills, cover material that may have given them difficulty, or just get more hands-on practice and feedback on their designs.

For students looking to learn the programs most commonly associated with professional graphic design, Noble offers a wide selection of bootcamps. These include training courses in Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign, all of which are industry-standard tools. These courses will provide students with hands-on training in the advanced techniques to manipulate and edit photos, build vector graphic illustrations, or construct layout designs. Each of these courses will guide students through practical exercises replicating the kinds of projects built by professional Graphic Designers. Each of these courses will teach an individual tool, but because they are all part of the Adobe Creative Cloud, learning one tool will ease future training and greatly expand how creatives can use multiple programs simultaneously.

Students looking to build a career in graphic design may wish to consider Noble’s Graphic Design Certificate program. This accelerated training program will teach students all three major 2D graphic design tools. Students will learn Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign work separately, then they will learn how these programs complement one another, introducing students to new and expansive ways to build graphic designs. Since this is a career-focused bootcamp, students will receive one-on-one career mentorship. The final portion of the course is dedicated to helping students build a practical portfolio of sample design that they can take onto the job market. For students looking to turn a passion for graphic design into a career, Noble’s certificate programs are an ideal place to receive the necessary skills training.