If you've reached the point when you've had enough
- where do you turn for advice on a new career?
What with our current economic climate, a growing percentage of ordinary people are seeking to protect or improve their futures through re-training into an alternative career. If you're evaluating what path to take - you could do worse than starting with our breakdowns of 15 different career-paths.
Click on one of the options and kick-off your research!
If you have a good eye for visually pleasing material - for instance on the cover of a book or pasted on a billboard - then a training course in graphic design could give you professional skills.
Many graphic designers studied art courses at school, or were just always interested in artistic work. Yet if you didn't study art as a teenager and are not sure of your drawing skills, don't worry - a lot of graphic design is now carried out on the computer and so you won't necessarily need to be great at drawing.
The work can vary from being a one man or woman band as a freelancer, to being part of a large team in a design house.
Professional commercial training and certifications are an excellent alternative to a university degree, essentially you probably learn a more commercial orientation at a design college. Then again, you could choose a taster course to build a small portfolio prior to applying for a university place.
It's important to find the most suitable design college and course for your needs, as there are many to choose from. The standard of training and course fees can vary enormously, so take time to do your research.
You'll see different colleges advertising on this page - don't just visit the odd one or two (you wouldn't buy a house after visiting only two properties, so why risk your lifetime's career by skimping on the preliminary work?).
By Bookmarking this site you can give yourself easy access to it at any time - a shortcut is Ctrl D. You will be in a position to compare and contrast the relevant points when you've visited enough sites.
The most obvious basic requirement for a graphic design college is the quality of their own website. The design aspects should give a real wow factor as a taste of the training to come. Also, what time frame do you see your studies taking? Are you looking for an intense boot-camp type course or a part-time flexible study programme? What kind of support is offered, and over what period of time? What extra equipment will you need that isn't covered by the course fees? Can you find any case studies of student stories? Do they relate well to you and your circumstances?
Creating your own portfolio of designs will be an essential component of your training. When you graduate from college you must be able to show a prospective employer the type of design you can do. Every plausible training company will feature commercial standard portfolio work in their syllabus, so a good look through their student presentations will show you a representative selection.
PC or MAC?In order to handle various software applications, a student of graphic design will need to be able to use a computer quite well. You'll predominantly be taught how to design using Adobe CS4 applications such as Illustrator, but there will still be an aspect of print-based design to your training. Many colleges use Macs rather than PC's, but students who want to work from home on a PC can usually obtain PC versions of the software if that is their preference.
Graphic designers need to be able to sell their concepts to buyers, so you will also be required to develop your communication skills. Even the image on the front of a box of washing powder is the result of graphic design.
Successful design work will capture the imagination of its audience. Through artistic presentation it will evoke a certain sensibility in the onlooker that encourages them to respond positively to the product.
Strikingly Different By DesignWith the use of basic principles such as light, texture, colour and repetition, designers can learn how to create memorable effects. The best students then utilise those tools to go on and design eye-catching images that flourish in businesses throughout the world for many years. Businesses everywhere are desperate to hang onto their existing clients, and attract many new ones. Great graphics can help them to do that.
Professional tuition will turn your aptitude for design into your ability to design. Look for courses that exceed your expectations in terms of quality content, tutor support and commercial viability.