Online Course · Graphic Design

Start a Career in Graphic Design

You might be the one friends ask to fix their logo. This course covers typography, branding, layout and freelance practice. You leave with a body of your own creative work.

From $83.62per week, zero interest plan
12 to 24 monthsfinish at your pace
No examsportfolios and design tasks
Anytimestart date, no semesters
Fully onlinestudy from home
At a Glance

Course Snapshot

Study AreaGraphic Design
DeliveryOnline, start anytime
Pace12, 18 or 24 months
AssessmentNo exams, ever
You BuildA body of creative work
PaymentsFrom $83.62 per week
Comes with
  • Branding and identity units included
  • Print and screen both covered
  • Freelance service units in the course
  • Software licensed separately by you
Who It’s For

Why Do This Course

Design As The Job, Not The Favour

Briefs, budgets and deadlines are taught with the craft.

Already Designing At Work?

Fill the gaps: pre-press, typography, motion and interaction.

Set Up As A Freelancer

Whole units on providing freelance services and finding work.

Where The Skills Fit

Where These Skills Could Take You

Design work sits in agencies, in-house teams and at kitchen tables. The day is briefs, drafts, feedback and files that have to be right.

Graphic Designer

Brand, print and screen work to a brief.

Web Designer

Layouts and assets for sites and apps.

Multimedia Designer

Moving parts, image and interaction work.

Digital Designer

Social, ads and everything on a screen.

Freelance Designer

Your own clients, your own rates.

Content Developer

Visuals made to feed a content plan.

Roles where these skills are useful, not promised outcomes. Every role is different, and some need more study or experience.

The Course

What You'll Learn

01
Craft Foundations
The core skills every designer leans on.
Produce typographic design solutions
Create and manipulate graphics
Integrate colour theory and design processes
Refine drawing and other visual representation tools
Research visual communication history and theory
02
Brand And Layout
Where most of the jobs are.
Develop graphic designs for branding and identity
Design and manipulate complex layouts
Produce graphic designs for 2-D and 3-D applications
Create multiplatform advertisements for mass media
Prepare digital images for pre-press processing
03
Digital And Image
Screens, photos and moving parts.
Design interactions
Work with photomedia in creative practice
Investigate technologies for the creation of digital art
Develop and refine illustrative work
04
Working As A Designer
The business end of the trade.
Establish, negotiate and refine a design brief
Provide freelance services
Develop graphic design practice to meet industry needs
Develop and extend design skills and practice
Present a body of own creative work
Included

What You’ll Get

In the Course

  • Type, typographic design solutions
  • Brand, identity and campaigns
  • Layout, complex print and screen
  • Practice, briefs and freelance work

As a Student

  • Self paced, 12, 18 or 24 months
  • No exams, portfolio based tasks
  • Your kit, computer and design software
  • Support, trainer and study advice
Why This One

What Makes It Different

Three things this course does well.

01
The Brief Comes First

You learn to establish, negotiate and refine a design brief.

02
Print And Screen Together

Pre-press, mass media ads and interaction design in one course.

03
You End With A Show Reel

The final unit is presenting a body of your own work.

The Credentials

What You’ll Earn

COURSE PATHWAY

Diploma of Graphic Design

Certificates of Achievement · Open Colleges

Getting Started

How It Works

Step one

Tell Us Your Aim

Agency work, in-house or freelance.

Step two

Ask The Questions

An advisor covers software and pace.

Step three

Sort Payments

Upfront, weekly plan, or pay in four.

Step four

Start Learning

Enrol and begin the typography units.

The Investment

How to Get Started

From $83.62 / week
Pay upfront, or spread it weekly on a zero interest plan.
Zero interest weekly plan
Credit check for the plan
A family member at your address can apply
Pay in four is available
Enquire Now
Good to Know

Common Questions

Do I need design experience?

None needed. The first units cover type, colour and drawing.

What does it cost each week?

From $83.62 a week on a zero interest plan. A credit check applies.

How long does it take?

Twelve, eighteen or twenty four months, depending on your pace.

What software do I need?

Adobe Creative Suite: Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign. Adobe has student pricing through its education store.

What computer do I need?

One with adequate specifications, on Windows or macOS. A graphics tablet can help.

Can I do freelance work after?

Freelance practice is taught. Units cover briefs, client work and services.

Is this course accredited?

You come out with a body of work and a method for briefs. Recognition status is worth confirming with a course advisor before you enrol. In design, the portfolio does most of the talking.

Is there any work placement?

The course may include placement, done on top of weekly study blocks.

Delivered By

About the College

Open Colleges is an Australian training provider that teaches online. Trainers work in the fields they teach.

Units stay reachable day and night, so study fits around work.

Australian providerNamed trainerPortfolio based studyFully online
Your Own Work

Enquire Today

Picture your logo on a shopfront, and knowing which choices got it there.

Enquire Now