Online Graphic Design
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.
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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:
- National Institute of Fashion Technology Entrance Exam
- National Institute of Design Entrance Exam
- Undergraduate Common Entrance Examination for Design
- Symbiosis Entrance Exam for Design
- Common Entrance Examination for Design
- Unitedworld Institute of Design Aptitude Test
- Pearl Academy Entrance Exam
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
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
- Adobe
- McKinsey & Company
- Ad2Pro Media Solutions Private Limited
- Freshworks
Important FAQs for Online Graphic Design
Q. Can I learn graphic designing online?
Q. Which is the best online graphic design course?
- 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?
- 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?
Q. Can I learn graphic design in six months?
Q. Do graphic designers get paid well?
Q. How do I determine if graphic design is a right career for me?
Q. What type of education is needed to be a graphic designer?
Q. Which tools are taught in an online graphic design course?
- Adobe Illustrator
- Adobe InDesign
- Adobe Photoshop
Q. Is graphic design in demand?
Q. Which are the popular companies that hire graphic designers?
- Amazon
- Adobe
- Popular Online Graphic Design Colleges in India
- Popular Private Online Graphic Design Colleges in India
- Popular Online Graphic Design UG Courses
- Popular Exams
Popular Online Graphic Design Colleges in India
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Popular Private Online Graphic Design Colleges in India
Popular Online Graphic Design UG Courses
UG Courses
- B.Sc.
1 College
- UG Diploma
1 College
Popular Exams
Important Exam Dates
| Dates | Upcoming Exam Dates |
|---|---|
| Apr ' 26 | MITID DAT 2026 - Exam Date TENTATIVE |
| Apr ' 26 | MITID DAT 2026 - Exam Date TENTATIVE |
| Dates | Past Exam Dates |
|---|---|
| Aug ' 25 | MITID DAT 2026 application |
| 27 Apr ' 25 | Design Entrance Test (DET) |
| Aug ' 25 | MITID DAT 2026 application |
Nov '25 - Jan '26 | NIFT 2026 application form OPEN (Regular fees) TENTATIVE |
Jan '26 | NIFT 2026 application form (Late fees) TENTATIVE |
Oct '25 | SAT Registration Deadline for November Test TENTATIVE |
11 Sep ' 25 - 1 Dec ' 25 | NID DAT 2026 Registration Date |
2 Dec ' 25 - 4 Dec ' 25 | NID DAT 2026 Application Correction Window |
1 Oct ' 25 - 31 Oct ' 25 | UCEED 2026 Application DATE |
1 Nov ' 25 - 7 Nov ' 25 | UCEED 2026 Application DATE (Late Fees) |
News & Updates
Student Forum
Answered a month ago
The BDes Graphic Design syllabus is not the same for all colleges but rather differs on the basis of the college/institute where you're planning to study the course. This is because each institute has its own syllabus approach where some core subjects focusing on the design fundamentals, typography
V
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a month ago
The entrance exam difficulty level for BDes Graphic Design admissions differs based on the particular exam that you're preparing to appear for. For admission you have exams like UCEED, NIFT Entrance, NID DAT and CUET for admission to top Graphic Design colleges in India offering the BDes course. If
V
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a month ago
You generally have to pay an application fee of around INR 1,500 to INR 3,000 for admission to the BDes Graphic Designing course. The application fee needs to be submitted along with the duly filled college application form to confirm the submission status. The amount differs on the basis of the des
V
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a month ago
The time involved in the Graphic Designing admission process cannot be said with any certainty but can easily take around 4 to 6 months because of the steps involved like college applications, entrance exams, merit lists, portfolio, college counselling, course fee payment and final admission. It is
V
Contributor-Level 10
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Is the BDes Graphic Design syllabus the same for all colleges?