If you have a creative bent of mind, an out-of-the-box style of thinking and an ability to transform thoughts and ideas into meaningful representations, graphic design courses are a great way of enhancing your skills and to fine-tune your abilities to help you become a thorough professional in the field of graphic design.
Graphic design courses allow you to easily transform an idea or concept into a visual format by incorporating various elements of design in an aesthetically pleasing manner to create an impact on the minds of viewers. Once regarded as a part of visual communication, graphic design has now become an area of specialisation due to its application in various fields of visual media like print, movies, electronics, etc.
With creative freedom to express thoughts without restrictions, graphic design courses are finding more takers than ever before. Also, opportunities for graphic designers are increasing manifold as advertising and branding are becoming the backbone of anything and everything. From creating logos to brand style, and product design to its packaging, graphic design applies to the creation of any visual content. Almost all of the world’s catchy logos and successful advertising campaigns are designed by graphic designers who understood the need and requirement of the client and blended it perfectly syncing up with the viewer’s imagination.
Graphic designers are a very sought-after bunch of professionals because not everybody possesses the perfect blend of creativity, ingenuity, logic, problem-solving skills and analytical approach that is necessary to execute a design, which stems from an idea or concept.
Graphic designers find employment in various areas of visual communication and are an integral part of advertising, print and electronic media. Pass outs of graphic design courses can do justice to various positions like creative director, web designer, brand identity designer, flash designer, illustrator, logo designer, web designer, prepress technician, etc.
Some of the other jobs available for the pass outs of graphic design courses include creative service manager, email marketing designer, information architect, mobile designer, presentation specialists, user experience designer, user interface designer, etc.
For being a graphic designer, an inborn talent is of advantage but it is not a must. Also, there’s no stopping for the ones with a good know-how of graphic design tools like Adobe InDesign, Dreamweaver, Illustrator as well as Quark Xpress and Flash.
Some of the other important attributes a graphic designer must possess are:
So, candidates with artistic flair and readiness to adopt modern technological tools in their quest to create a pictorial design out of an idea can rest assured that graphic design is and should be their area of interest and there is no reason why they can’t excel in the same.
Some of the reputable institutions in India that offer graphic design courses at the undergraduate level include National Institute of Design, National Institute of Fashion Technology, and Industrial Design Centre (IDC) of IIT Mumbai. To enrol Bachelor’s degree program in graphic design, a candidate is required to pass grade 12 examinations or any other exam approved as an equivalent.
Generally, the institutes offering graphic design courses put out admission related advertisements in newspapers or announce the same on their websites. Most of the institutions start their admission process during late April and finish it off by the middle of June.
Many institutions conduct their own entrance exams, studio tests, or interview to assess the performance and aptitude of the aspiring candidates. Also, some institutes consider the score obtained at national level entrance exams (AIEED, NID, SID, MIT and CEED) for admission to undergraduate graphic design courses offered by them. Further, there are certain institutes which not only consider the ranks secured at national level entrance exams but also conduct aptitude tests along with a personal interview.
Undergraduate graphic design courses span over a period of 3-4 years depending upon the syllabus followed by the institution.
Most graphic design courses usually adopt the theory and practical style of approach with more emphasis on practical classes. This approach not only brings out the innate talent but also fine-tune the skills of students making them independent in their approach to a given problem.
There are certain institutes that offer graphic design courses with a distance learning or an online interactive mode. But graphic design being more practical-based, those taking up distance learning/online interactive mode are also required to put in the necessary practical hours.
There is no uniform fee structure as such for undergraduate graphic design courses. An undergraduate program in the National Institute of Design costs something between INR 2,70,000 and INR 3 lacs while Industrial Design Centre (IDC) of IIT Mumbai charges about INR 1.2 lacs as academic fees. Generally, the academic fee for undergraduate graphic design courses in well-known institutions is between INR 1.5 lacs and 3.5 lacs with additional expenditure being incurred in the form of hostel and mess charges.
|
Type |
Duration |
Fee (INR) |
|
Undergraduate |
4 years |
2.7-3.2 lacs |
To enrol into postgraduate graphic design courses, the aspiring students should have completed their undergraduate courses in graphic design, fine arts, and other related subjects.
Colleges and universities offering postgraduate graphic design courses release their schedule of admissions on their websites, as well as advertisements in the newspaper. The enrollment process usually starts by the end of April and wraps up in June. In most of the cases, institutions offering postgraduate courses consider scores obtained in entrance exams and performance in personal interviews for admission.
Postgraduate graphic design courses are usually of two-year duration with certain institutions awarding postgraduate diploma degrees in 1-1 ½ years.
Majorly, graphic design courses focus on acquiring practical skills. And, of course, the importance of theoretical knowledge cannot be underrated. However, there are institutions offering design courses through distance learning and online interactive modes. Remember, if you go for either distance learning or online mode; be a little more willing to spend extra hours in studying the practical aspects.
The fee structure for postgraduate courses doesn’t deviate much when it comes to the annual fee. Also, certain institutions offer merit-based scholarships to deserving candidates by taking into consideration the academic record, aptitude and performance in the entrance examination.
|
Course |
Duration |
Fee |
|
Postgraduate |
2 years |
5- 7.5 lacs |
Graphic design is a very vast topic and there are various specialized subjects within it that help aspiring graphic designers to choose their area of interest. Some of the areas of specialisation offered through graphic design courses are advertising design, icon design, typography and calligraphy, digital illustration, interface animation, print design, web design, mobile app user interface design, etc. Further, some of the specialized undergraduate graphic design courses are BA (Hons) in Graphic Design, BA Advertising, and Graphic Design, and B.Des in Graphic Design among others.
Also, diploma graphic design courses in web design, 3D VFX, visual communication, animation, advertising and media, are offered by various institutes that train aspiring professionals in their chosen area of interest.
Similarly, various certificate programs in graphic design, such as Advanced Certification in Graphic Design and Pre-Press and Advanced Certification in Audio-Video Post Production, can further help further fine-tune skills.
This aspect of Graphic designing focuses on communicating with clients and customers through any visual means available. These skills are considered broad and comprehensive and they prepare graduates to enter a number of great fields within the communications industry.
The aspiring graphic designer can gain expertise in software, such as 3D and VFX. The professionals are always in demand as it has expanded massively from movies to advertising as well.
Advertising and Media is the section, which has graphic designers in great requirement. Graphic ads are popular as they provide easy illustration and people connect easily with such ideas.