Objectives

Online Graphic Design degree program objectives

The goal of the Associate of Occupational Studies (AOS) in Graphic Design program is to prepare students for a professional career as a graphic designer. In the program, students will develop the technical, creative/visual, and communications skills for professional practice. Students will also develop a portfolio of individual creative work to present to potential employers.

These goals are summarized in the online Graphic Design degree program objectives below. For more details on the courses that meet these objectives, review the Graphic Design curriculum.

In the Graphic Design AOS program, students are expected to develop the ability to:

  • Create sophisticated, appropriate color palettes and use color and contrast effectively in their work.
  • Design and lay out typography for readability, impact, or expression.
  • Create drawings in traditional media that show a command of proportion, perspective, and value contrast.
  • Prepare images for professional publication with Photoshop retouching, correction, compositing, or collage.
  • Create engaging and readable layout designs that attract the eye using fundamental design and composition techniques.
  • Develop effective logo designs from a client brief using an iterative design process.
  • Create simple, stylized logos, icons, and illustrations in Illustrator.
  • Manipulate framing, perspective, distance, and lighting to take professional-level digital photographs in a range of settings.
  • Create consistent, engaging, and readable layouts in InDesign for multi-page print publications.
  • Create consistent, visually appealing page designs using HTML and CSS via Dreamweaver or via hand coding.
  • Apply in their work an understanding of English composition, business writing, psychology, computer science, marketing, and art history.
  • Write papers and presentations that demonstrate critical thinking, clear organization, and professional style, grammar, and spelling.
  • Represent their design services to potential clients or employers and manage different aspects of the graphic design process.
  • Identify current areas of strength and prepare and maintain a portfolio of their best design work in print or on the Web.
  • Develop competence in various print design genres including poster design, logo/branding design, magazine layouts, cover design, and packaging.

Prospective students can use these online Graphic Design degree program objectives to compare this program with others and to build a learning plan upon entering the program.

Employment Opportunities

Program graduates are prepared for entry-level graphic design positions in advertising, print production, publishing, and computer graphics. Potential employers for graphic design program graduates include specialized design firms, advertising firms, printers, publishers (newspaper, magazine, book), computer systems design firms, and motion picture production firms. More information on job opportunities in this field of study can be found at O*NET OnLine.

Degree Catalog
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Image of student work meeting Graphic Design degree program objectives Student work by Rebeccah Robinson. The online Graphic Design degree program objectives present the key learning goals of the program.


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