Launching Your Career
While it's not, strictly speaking, necessary for you to attend a graphic design school to launch a career in this exciting field, earning a certificate, diploma or degree is an excellent idea. Even though it is possible to land a graphic design job based solely on a strong portfolio of work, the vast majority of employers prefer to see that you've honed your skills at a computer graphic design school. It demonstrates a commitment to your craft and career path.
Types of Graphic Design Programs
If you want to attend a graphic design school, ask yourself whether you want to invest in an in-depth degree program, or if you just want to get your feet wet by taking a shorter, more general diploma or certificate program. Generally speaking, you should choose a degree program if you're 100 percent certain that this is the career path you want to follow, as you'll have to invest more time and money in your education. For your efforts, you'll be rewarded with a greater range of job options upon graduation.
Conversely, if you just want to dabble in graphic design, a shorter diploma program may be a better idea. Upon graduation, you'll be more limited in your employment options, and you'll have to start by working your way up from an entry-level job. However, there is nothing wrong with following this path, and many people have built very successful careers this way.
An online graphic design school is an excellent cost-saving alternative. Typically, the programs that an online graphic design school will offer are short in duration and lead to certificates or diplomas. These academies are ideal solutions for people who learn well independently and don't want to rearrange their current schedules around attending a graphic
web design school in person.
Graphic Design School Admission Requirements
To get into a top graphic design school, you'll need good grades, a strong portfolio and, in all likelihood, multiple letters of recommendation. The best graphic design schools stake their reputations on the quality and employability of their graduates, so they're not going to let you in unless they think you have a realistic chance of boosting the school's reputation by going on to a distinguished career. They want to see raw talent as well as a commitment to academic performance.
Graphic design school rankings can help you sort out the best schools from the also-rans. Once you've identified the graphic design schools you want to get into, contact each of them individually (or visit their websites) to familiarize yourself with their specific admission requirements.