Updated on Jan 10, 2023 04:02 IST
Jasmine Dang Arora

Jasmine Dang AroraDeputy Manager-Content

Graphic Design is becoming an increasingly important skill in the current times. Be it any industry, knowing the basics of graphic designing is crucial to give your work that professional edge. For a designer, an artist, or an illustrator, graphic design is a fundamental skill that they must keep honing to stay ahead of their competitors.    

However, learning graphic design does not always mean you have to enrol in a regular full-time programme. You can take a step in your graphic design journey by exploring various options for online courses. Whether you are an experienced professional or someone who is just starting his/her career, you can explore a wide range of online graphic design courses, tools, and techniques to become a better designer and improve your portfolio.        

Also Read:

Details About Graphic Design

Online Graphic Design Courses Eligibility 

There are usually no eligibility criteria to pursue an online graphic design course. You can pursue the course at any stage of your career be it undergraduate, graduate, postgraduate or above.

Online Graphic Design Entrance Exams 

Some of the popular entrance exams for admission to online Graphic Design courses are:

Online Graphic Design Required Skillset

While technical skills for graphic design can be improved by regular practice and enrolling in good online courses from time-to-time, it is also important to have some soft skills to excel in the field. Here are some essential soft skills that are important to have for all those who wish to build their career in graphic design:

  • Creativity
  • Good communication skills
  • Attention-to-detail
  • Good time management skills
  • Ability to work under strict deadlines
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Online Graphic Design Courses

As stated above, you can choose to pursue an online graphic design course at any stage of your career, as the aim of such courses is to improve your existing skillset. These days various universities, colleges and Ed-tech platforms such as Coursera and Udemy offer different online certificate and diploma graphic design courses. The duration of the courses can range from few hours to even one year, depending on the type of programme you enroll.

However, with ample options available out there, it often becomes difficult to choose the right course. Therefore, given below are the few popular online graphic design courses that you can consider pursuing:

Online Graphic Design Courses

Duration

Fee (In INR)

Graphic Design Specialization by Coursera

6 months

Free enrollment

Online Graphic Design Course by Shaw Academy

4 months

600 per month (free for first month)

Graphic Design Elements for Non-Designers Specialization by Coursera

4 months

Free enrollment

Graphic Design by Coursera

27 hours (approx.)

Free enrollment

Graphic Design - Visual and Graphic Design by Alison

1.5-3 hours

Free

Introduction to Graphic Design by Udemy

NA

490

Great Graphic Design: Create Emotional, Gripping Typographic Art by Skillshare

NA

Free

Graphic Design Basics by Canva

NA

Free

Online Graphic Design Syllabus

Depending on the duration of the programme, the subjects and tools that are usually taught in an online graphic design course include:

  • Basic Principles of Graphic Design
  • Illustration Elements
  • Colour Theory
  • Design Theory
  • Fundamentals of Computational Thinking
  • Design Process
  • Typography
  • Imagemaking
  • History of Graphic Design
  • Logo Design
  • Flyer Design
  • Poster Design
  • Brochure Design
  • Designing for Web & Social Media
  • Infographics
  • Portfolio Creation
  • Adobe Illustrator
  • Adobe InDesign
  • Adobe Photoshop
  • Blender

Online Graphic Design Job Profiles 

After pursuing a course(s) in graphic design, candidates can pursue a full-time, part-time, or freelance job as a graphic designer in different companies. Some of the popular graphic design job profiles available in the industry include:

  • Creative Graphic Designer
  • Lead Graphic Designer
  • Motion Graphic Designer
  • Assistant Graphic Designer
  • Graphic Designer Visualiser
  • Web Graphic Designer
  • Graphic Designer & Illustrator
  • Freelance Graphic Designer
  • Image Editor
  • UI/UX Designer with Graphic Designing
  • Senior Graphic Designer
  • Layout Designer

Online Graphic Design Top Recruiters

Some of the popular industries that hire graphic designers include

  • Print and publishing houses
  • Advertising agencies
  • Multimedia production houses
  • E-learning companies
  • Web design studios

As per Glassdoor, some of the top companies that hire graphic designers include:

  • Amazon
  • Google
  • Adobe
  • McKinsey & Company
  • Ad2Pro Media Solutions Private Limited
  • Freshworks

Important FAQs for Online Graphic Design

Q. Can I learn graphic designing online?

A. Yes, many universities and online education platforms offer graphic designing courses in online mode. While some courses are free, some are paid. The duration of the courses ranges from few hours to few months (sometimes a year), depending on the type of programme enrolled.

Q. Which is the best online graphic design course?

A. While it is difficult to choose the one best course, here are some popular online graphic design courses that you can consider pursuing:
  • Graphic Design Specialization by Coursera (6 months duration)
  • Online Graphic Design Course by Shaw Academy (4 months duration)
  • Graphic Design Elements for Non-Designers Specialization by Coursera (4 months duration)

Q. How can I self-learn graphic design?

A. You can follow the below-mentioned steps to self-learn graphic design:
  • Enroll in different short-term online graphic design courses to hone your skills
  • Understand the core principles of graphic design
  • Familiarise yourself different graphic design processes
  • Build an online portfolio or a blog
  • Work as a freelance graphic designer

Q. Are online graphic design courses worth the time?

A. The usefulness of online graphic design courses can be determined from the purpose of joining such programmes. The online graphic design courses work best if you already possess some technical skills and have some knowledge of designing tools. However, if you wish to start from scratch and build a full-fledged career in graphic designing, it is advised to join a regular full-time course.

Q. Can I learn graphic design in six months?

A. Yes, it is possible to learn graphic design in six months. However, you need to keep practicing what you learn for a longer duration of time to become proficient at it.

Q. Do graphic designers get paid well?

A. As per Glassdoor, a graphic designer in India gets an average salary of Rs 20,000 per month. On the other hand, as per PayScale, the average annual income of a graphic designer in India is Rs 3.04 lakh. It may be noted that the salary of a graphic designer increases significantly, as the professional grows in skills and experience.

Q. How do I determine if graphic design is a right career for me?

A. If you have the creative aptitude and are good with visuals and designing, graphic design is a right career for you.

Q. What type of education is needed to be a graphic designer?

A. If you wish to enroll in a regular full-time graphic designing course, you need to obtain degrees such as Bachelor of Design (BDes) or BA in Graphic Design. However, these days you can also pursue various certificate online graphic design courses to get that practical exposure and hone your skillset.

Q. Which tools are taught in an online graphic design course?

A. Some of the common tools that are taught in an online graphic design programme include:
  • Adobe Illustrator
  • Adobe InDesign
  • Adobe Photoshop

Q. Is graphic design in demand?

A. Yes, graphic design as a skill is very much in demand these days. No matter which industry you belong to, you need to have the skills to present visually appealing graphic content to your audience.

Q. Which are the popular companies that hire graphic designers?

  • Google
  • Amazon
  • Adobe

Popular Online Graphic Design Colleges in India

Following are the most popular Online Graphic Design Colleges in India. Learn more about these Online Graphic Design colleges (Courses, Reviews, Answers & more) by downloading the Brochure.
28 Courses
41.3 K - 11.74 L
3.1

Top 20 in India

4 Courses
16.2 L - 16.8 L
8.7 LPA

#9 India Today

10.68 L - 14.68 L
3.5

#3 Shiksha Collections

70.8 K - 12.34 L
4.2

#5 Shiksha Collections

70.8 K - 12.34 L
3.6

Top 10 in Gujarat

35.4 K - 12.34 L
3.5

Popular Private Online Graphic Design Colleges in India

15 K - 9.1 L
3.4

#24 India Today

30 Courses
3.6 L - 8 L
4.2

#14 India Today

10 K - 10.03 L
1.94 - 3.86 LPA

Top 10 in Gujarat

Design Applications open. Apply Now

30 K - 2 L
3.55 - 3.74 LPA

Design Applications open. Apply Now

30 K - 10 L
2 - 2.1 LPA

Design Applications open. Apply Now

8 L - 14 L
3.55 - 3.8 LPA

Design Applications open till Apr 5, 2023. Apply Now

Popular Online Graphic Design UG Courses in India

Following are the most popular Online Graphic Design UG Courses . You can explore the top Colleges offering these UG Courses by clicking the links below.

UG Courses

Popular Online Graphic Design PG Courses in India

Following are the most popular Online Graphic Design PG Courses . You can explore the top Colleges offering these PG Courses by clicking the links below.

PG Courses

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