Graphic design courses: boost your portfolio and skills

Relevant qualifications are essential if you want to become a graphic designer. Courses are an excellent way to develop technical skills, build contacts and craft an impressive portfolio of work

Graphic design explained

Graphic design is the art of using visual elements, such as images, shapes, colours and typography (the appearance and arrangement of text) to convey a particular message or idea.

'Graphic design is everywhere, it touches our lives from the moment we wake up to the time we go to sleep,' says Michael O'Malley, senior lecturer in graphic design at Teesside University's School of Arts & Creative Industries. 'It's used in a range of fields and industries, including advertising, branding, marketing, packaging, print media, digital media, motion, websites, and more.'

Graphic design degrees

You can break into graphic design without a degree, securing work through relevant work experience and an excellent portfolio, but unless you’re lucky it can be tough to progress via this route. That's because on the whole the design industry is made up of professionals educated to degree level.

Therefore, for most graphic design jobs you'll need to hold at least an undergraduate qualification.

You don't necessarily have to study graphic design, careers in the field are open to graduates of any design-related discipline, including:

art and design
3D design
communication design
illustration or visual art
photography
product design.

However, if you're set on becoming a graphic designer a variety of institutions offer specific courses.

'Studying for a graphic design degree allows you the time, support and facilities to not only learn the fundamentals of the discipline and also its cultural context, but also to explore, experiment and push the boundaries of your own creative process,' explains Michael. 'It can give you a competitive edge in the job market and also unlock many other career opportunities due to the discipline's versatility and the transferrable skills you gain such as problem solving, creative thinking, adaptability and communication skills.'

Best universities for graphic design

According to The Guardian's 2024 Best UK Universities by subject rankings the following universities are the top ten for graphic design:

Teesside University
Loughborough University
Oxford Brookes University
Buckinghamshire New University
Kingston University London
University of Lincoln
University of Reading
University of the Arts London
University of Bolton
Liverpool John Moores University.

The BA Graphic Design courses at Teesside University takes three years to complete, four if you opt for a placement year. You'll need 96-112 UCAS points for entry, including a Level 3 (A-level) pass in a creative subject. Core course modules include:

graphic processes
visual narratives
introduction to the creative industries
identity, experience and environments
working in the creative industries.

'If you want to broaden your horizons with travel, there is also the chance to apply to study for a semester or summer with one of our international partner institutions such as Prague City University,' says Michael. 'Entrepreneurship is also embedded throughout your studies with support from Teesside University's Launchpad, our dedicated hub for enterprise, which has helped numerous students go on to set-up their own businesses over the years.'

In your final year you'll complete a major project.

Undergraduate course fees for UK students in 2025/26 are set at £9,535. International students will pay considerably more (£17,000).

Discover what you can do with a degree in graphic design.

Masters in graphic design

'You don't need a Masters to become a graphic designer but it's a smart idea,' says Simon Downs, lecturer in graphic communication at Loughborough University.

'An undergraduate has a pretty wide grasp of the field of graphics, but a Masters student spends their time developing a laser-sharp focus on a tiny part of their own graphic language, but in magnificent detail,' adds Simon

The one-year MA Graphic Design and Visualisation degree at Loughborough University helps you to develop an area of expertise within graphic design. You'll need a 2:1 degree in an art and design related subject for entry where you'll study compulsory units such as:

modelling and deployment
design teams
research in a users world
design challenges: management and entrepreneurship
international design practices.

'On the MA Graphic Design and Visualisation we select the candidates with visible talent, often with industrial experience, who are stuck working for bosses and clients who want to play it safe,' explains Simon. 'We help them build on their expertise and reach opportunities that would have been beyond them.'

Fees are set at £13,250 for UK students in the 2025/26 academic year, international students will pay £29,950.

You can apply for a postgraduate loan and may be entitled to scholarships and bursaries to help fund your studies. Learn more about funding postgraduate study.

Search for postgraduate courses in graphic design.

Graphic design apprenticeships

Apprenticeships enable you to earn a wage while gaining the necessary qualifications and offer a viable alternative to university study. In competitive industries such as graphic design they let you train on the job and provide a foot in the door upon completion.

More commonly offered by large and medium-sized businesses, do your research to discover if there are any apprenticeship opportunities in your area.

If you opt for a degree apprenticeship, you'll obtain a Bachelors or Masters qualification while developing your skills and getting the chance to put them into practice.

While there is no apprenticeship standard for graphic design in particular, the most closely related would be the Level 6 Creative Digital Design Professional (integrated degree) apprenticeship.

The following institutions offer this pathway:

Learn more about this route into the profession with our essential guide to apprenticeships.

Visit how to apply for an apprenticeship for advice on securing a place.

Online graphic design courses

Intensive in-person and online graphic design courses are available at all levels, including for those who are just starting out. These shorter training programmes are perfect for those trying to fit their learning around a full or part-time job.

At its London campus, Shillington offers a three-month (full time) or nine-month (part time) portfolio-based graphic design course for students with little to no design experience. There's also an online option for those who would prefer to study via the distance learning route.

On the course, you'll learn relevant industry skills from practising graphic designers and graduate with a polished portfolio of work. The programme takes you through the design process from beginning to end and covers design theory (design principles, typography, colour, design thinking) and industry-standard software such as Adobe InDesign, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop and Sketch. There are no specific entry requirements, and no previous experience is required.

If you choose to study the course online, the lectures are delivered via Zoom with additional study materials also provided to its students.

Both full and part-time online courses cost £9,950.

Another intensive online graphic design course at foundation level is available from The Graphic Design School (TGDS). You can study at your own pace as you have up to 12 months to complete the 11 modules in areas such as Advanced Typography and Preparing Your Portfolio and achieve the certificate.

Other online entry-level graphic design courses are available from universities and art schools. For instance, Central Saint Martins, a college of the University of the Arts London (UAL), runs an online graphic design short course for beginners over a four-week period.

The programme includes eight topics beginning with techniques to form and develop creative ideas, typography and logotypes and kerning, tracking and leading, before moving on to scale, spacing and positioning, poster design, magazine layout and using grids to enhance your work. The final unit on bookmaking and bookbinding requires you to make a small book and build your portfolio.

Aspiring graphic designers can also study short, ten-week evening courses at Nottingham Trent University. The short course for beginners combines theoretical and practical content and focuses on the development of ideas, the creative process and gaining an understanding of visual language, layout and typography.

Adobe short courses

Competence in Adobe software programmes such as InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop, Acrobat and Dreamweaver is essential for graphic designers. If you need to brush up on these technical skills, an assortment of short, standalone evening and weekend courses are available.

London training provider City Lit offers intensive one-day visual communication courses in InDesign, Illustrator and Photoshop for design professionals.

Many universities, such as Nottingham Trent University, and art colleges also provide additional short courses in useful graphic design software.

There's also Certitec, an Adobe-authorised training centre operating in London that provides an array of one to five-day Adobe authorised training courses in a variety of programmes including Acrobat, Dreamweaver, InDesign, Illustrator and Photoshop.

No matter which graphic design course is right for you, they all aim to equip you with the qualifications, skills and confidence you need to succeed.

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Graphic design courses