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Have Ambitions To Design Websites? Take A Closer Look...

If stylish promotions always catch your eye, for example on a poster, a book cover, or a magazine - then why not retrain to become a graphic designer?

Lots of graphic designers have an artistic bent, and maybe studied art at school. But if drawing's not your specialist skill there's no need to despair - these days much graphic design work is computer-based and doesn't require conventional drawing abilities.

Some graphic designers prefer to work in large design houses and others prefer to work in their own purpose-built studios. You can study to degree level at university or opt for vocational commercial training which many view as more useful, it's actually common knowledge that specialist design colleges are much better at preparing students for the commercial world.

Of course it's quite possible to take a short preview commercial course to boost your pre-work experience prior to applying to university.

How Do I Select the Right Trainer?

Graphic design courses come in all shapes and sizes, and choosing the right one can seem like an impossible task - but take heart. Put enough time into your research - costs and quality can vary hugely from one to the next. We don't make recommendations, but try looking at a variety of design colleges accessible from this site (remember anything worth doing is worth doing properly).

If you bookmark this page, (Ctrl D) you can come back to it and use it as a useful homepage for your research. It will start to become apparent what you're looking for as you surf the different sites and become more informed.

A good design training company will take pride in the style of its website, as that's the first indicator we see. The training probably won't be up to much if the website leaves a lot to be desired! Plus the course has to fit your current commitments. Can you tailor in a full-on five days a week training programme, or do you need the flexibility of a home-based system? Is there a limit to the hours of teaching support? Do the course fees cover everything you'll need? Are there convincing testimonials on the site from current or ex students, or perhaps from companies who've employed their graduates?

Portfolio Presentations

Whichever college you go for, you'll need to place a high priority on your presentation portfolio. To get a graphic design job you will need to be able to demonstrate that your work is of the right quality. Any college worth considering will enable you to build a commercially relevant design portfolio as part of your coursework, so take a look through the student gallery pages to see what others have done there.

Mac Or PC?

Computer user skills are important for graphic design students, as a good deal of software is used in design today. Print-based training will still feature on most courses, but essentially you'll be working with the universally recognised Adobe CS4 applications, such as Illustrator, InDesign and Photoshop.

Design colleges often favour using MACS as opposed to PC's. It's possible to obtain software versions for either though so you should be able to use whichever machine you feel most comfortable with. To be a success as a commercial graphic designer, you will have to get good at working with clients and selling your ideas to them.

The majority of commercial images, photos or wording will have been created in a graphic design studio somewhere. By presenting typography and images in a visually aesthetic manner, the job of graphic design is to enlighten, stimulate, encourage and relate with it's audience in the most effective and engaging way possible.

Principles For Design

Designers have many tools in their arsenal - including colour, texture, composition, contrast, shape, repetition, white space, alignment and balance. Spectacular designs can be achieved when these key principles are adhered to - as many successful corporate campaigns can testify to. Graphics can help to attract, educate and reassure a huge number of customers, and so play a big part in every marketing campaign.

A good design college will develop your skills and train you for work. Go for content, quality and a proven track-record.