Online Graphic Design Classes for High School Students

Top Live Online Graphic Design Courses

Graphic Design Topics

When searching for a graphic design course, you want a class that covers graphic design comprehensively, including the industry-standard design applications, graphic design theory, and portfolio development. You can also choose to focus on a specific application within graphic design, including popular apps like Adobe Photoshop, InDesign, and Illustrator, or related fields like visual design or UX design.

Live Online Graphic Design Courses by School

Here are some of the top Live Online schools offering Graphic Design training, including NextGen Bootcamp (6 courses), UMass Summer Pre-College (2 courses), and iD Tech (1 course).

NextGen Bootcamp

NextGen Bootcamp, a subsidiary of Noble Desktop, is a computer science education company dedicated to providing middle and high school students with a state-of-the-art education in coding and digital design. Its courses are available live online or in-person in New York and New Jersey. NextGen's programs include hands-on, immersive summer camps as well as both in-school and after-school courses that are customized to meet student needs.
NextGen’s Top Live Online Graphic Design Courses
- Graphic Design Summer Program
  - 30 Hours
  - $1,299
  This graphic design summer camp teaches students how to use Adobe Illustrator, Adobe InDesign and Adobe Photoshop. They will learn how to retouch photos in Photoshop, create page layouts in InDesign, and create vector graphics in Illustrator. This immersive program is perfect for high school and college students.
- Graphic Design Summer Program Online
  - 30 Hours
  - $1,299
  Students in this live online graphic design summer camp will hone their skills with the three major design applications: Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign. They will learn how to retouch photos in Photoshop, create page layouts in InDesign, and create vector graphics in Illustrator. This course is designed for high school and college students who want to prepare to learn design in college, launch a career, or start a new hobby.
- UX & UI Design Summer Program Online
  - 45 Hours
  - $1,999
  In this live online summer course, high school and college students will learn the fundamentals of user-centered app and website desig. After learning fundamental concepts for good UX and UI design, students will create their own clickable prototypes to test.
- UX & UI Design Summer Program
  - 45 Hours
  - $2,495
  In this summer program, high school and college students will learn the fundamentals of user-centered app and website desig. After learning fundamental concepts for good UX and UI design, students will create their own clickable prototypes to test.
See all NextGen Bootcamp’s Courses
iD Tech

Founded in 1999, iD Tech offers summer camp and school-year programs that cater to teens with in-person and online classes.
iD Tech’s Top Live Online Graphic Design Courses
- Creative: Design with Adobe & YouTube
  - 10 Weeks, 1 hr/wk
  - $649
  In this program, students learn Adobe skills for making YouTube videos. Students advance through certifications in animation, short filmmaking, artistic process, and branding and social media.
See all iD Tech’s Courses
Designer Camp

Designer Camp provides design summer camps to preteens and teenagers in locations around California and via live online classes.
Designer Camp’s Top Live Online Graphic Design Courses
- Digital Designer Camp 101
  - 1 Week
  - $495
  This weeklong virtual camp introduces students ages 11-17 to the design industry. Students learn about fashion and interior design as well as photography and personal branding from industry professionals as they create their own digital design portfolios.
See all Designer Camp’s Courses
UMass Summer Pre-College

UMass Amherst offers pre-college education for high school students as part of its University Without Walls (UWW) programming.
UMass Pre-College’s Top Live Online Graphic Design Courses
- Summer Design Academy
  - 3 Weeks
  - $1,877
  High school designers in this course develop proficiency with the digital tools that real-world architects and interior designers use on the job. Students learn to draft and model, create graphic designs, and offer and incorporate useful feedback as they work on their capstone architectural design project.
- Summer Design Academy II
  - 2 Weeks
  - $1,877
  This course builds on the skills and projects students developed in Summer Design Academy. High school designers learn to advance and apply their knowledge from the previous course for their capstone project in architectural design.
See all UMass Summer Pre-College’s Courses
Tufts Pre-College Program

Boston location: 108 Packard Ave, Medford, MA, 02155 US

Tufts University provides pre-college education for high school students as part of its University College programming.
Tufts Pre-College’s Top Live Online Graphic Design Courses
- Graphic Design Bootcamp
  - 1 Week
  - $2,000
  High school students discover the field of graphic design in this weeklong immersive course. As they build skills in digital graphic design with Adobe Creative Cloud products, students discover careers in visual communications, marketing, and photography.
See all Tufts Pre-College Program’s Courses
Stanford Pre-Collegiate Summer Institutes

Stanford University's Pre-Collegiate Summer Institues prepare students in grades 8 through 11 to enter college with small, intensive classes.
Stanford Pre-College’s Top Live Online Graphic Design Courses
- Product Design
  - 2 Weeks
  - $2,700
  This course introduces high school students to design from an engineering perspective. Students learn the principles of product design as they begin to build their own design portfolios.
See all Stanford Pre-Collegiate Summer Institutes’s Courses
Digital Media Academy

Originally known as the Academy for New Media, the high school training provider Digital Media Academy started in 1999 on the campus of Stanford University. It has since expanded to other university campuses and runs online courses as well.
Digital Media Academy’s Top Live Online Graphic Design Courses
- Drawing & Design
  - 1 Week
  - $2,278
  With this course, young artists learn learn tools and skills for digital drawing and animation. Working in Photoshop with a digial drawing tablet, students practice perspective, color, poses, backgrounds, and storyboards.
See all Digital Media Academy’s Courses

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Live Online Graphic Design
Corporate & Onsite Training

Upskill or reskill your workforce with our industry-leading corporate and onsite Graphic Design training programs. Conduct the training onsite at your location or live online from anywhere. You can also purchase vouchers for our public enrollment Graphic Design courses.

Learn More About Live Online Graphic Design Courses

Instructor led high school graphic design class

Graphic design is the craft of using images to communicate a message or to accomplish a goal. A graphic designer is a person who creates these images. They use a combination of fonts, photos, and colors to communicate ideas. Graphic design is so embedded into our daily lives that you probably don’t even notice it most of the time. The box you eat your cereal from was designed with a graphic designer. All of the apps you use on your phone were designed with a graphic designer. The work of graphic designers communicates with us every time we browse the shelves in a store or look at a website.

We all care about how something functions, but we also care about what it looks like. For example, a website can function properly, but it isn't doing its job if it doesn’t look appealing. If your newsletter has excellent information but looks terrible, no one will read it. Graphic designers combine function with form to provide a compelling mix of usability and beauty.

Why High Schoolers Should Learn Graphic Design

Graphic design is more commonly associated with the medium of print. However, the internet has altered what graphic designers do as they use their skills to create images for digital media such as websites, social media, brand logos, email newsletters, and online advertisements.

The average salary for a graphic designer in the United States is $49,000 a year. Graphic designers who specialize in moving images or user experience (UI) make an average of $84,000 per year. Digital designers can make an average salary of $94,000 a year.

This career path has the potential to earn more with time and experience; graphic designers who move into management positions make an average of $139,000 as a Design Director.

If you’re interested in pursuing graphic design as a career, beginning your training in high school is a great idea. You’ll be able to explore your interest in design to more easily to uncover the right design path for you. Graphic designers are needed in almost every industry. This means you could develop your design skills while training in the industry of your choice, such as marketing, music, computer science, fintech, or product design.

Your newfound design skills can also help you secure an internship or a part-time position as a graphic designer to help fund your college education. For example, many of your college classmates might want help building a website for themselves. Or, you could impress potential employers with a portfolio of everything you designed while still in high school. If you’re planning to attend a design college, developing your skills while still in high school will give you a valuable head start. Even if you end up switching to a different medium later, your training in graphic design will still be profitable.

Virtual Graphic Design Classes at NextGen Bootcamp

Virtual graphic design classes allow you to start studying graphic design from anywhere, and they often provide the same features as an in-person graphic design course. Your instructor will be teaching the course live, so you’ll be able to interact with them in real-time and ask questions whenever you need. You also won’t be limited to courses located in your hometown which, depending on where you live, can be challenging to find. With virtual courses you have the opportunity to study with experts who are leaders in graphic design. Virtual classes also allow you to work on group projects and receive hands-on feedback on your work via screen-sharing software. You can also choose a virtual graphic design course specially designed for high school students. Schools like this will give you a curriculum geared toward your goals and provide you with a community of other teenage graphic designers so you can share ideas.

NextGen Bootcamp offers graphic design summer courses for high schoolers live online. All of NextGen Bootcamp’s courses are designed specifically for high school students, have guaranteed small class sizes, and are taught by instructors who are experts in their field. All of NextGen Bootcamp’s courses combine micro-lectures with guided practice: students will learn about a topic in a short, interactive lecture, and then they will be immediately guided in practicing the skills from the micro-lectures through a hands-on activity. NextGen Bootcamp also has a free retake policy which allows students to retake a course within a year to continue developing their coding skills. This means that you can review the materials and create new projects using your more advanced skills.

NextGen Bootcamp’s Graphic Design Summer Camp is designed to help high school students increase their graphic design skills. Students practice design thinking through a series of hands-on projects that provide a comprehensive understanding of Adobe’s graphic design software tools: Photoshop, InDesign, and Illustrator. First, students will learn to edit and create photos using Adobe Photoshop. Next, students will gain proficiency in creating page layouts using Adobe InDesign. Finally, students master digital drawing and vector graphics with Adobe Illustrator. Graduates have projects to include in a design portfolio and a certificate of completion to use for internships or applications to design colleges.

In their Web Design Summer Camp, NextGen Bootcamp combines design skills with coding skills. High school students receive hands-on instruction in designing websites in Sketch and then coding the site they designed in HTML and CSS. Students will learn to code by hand in HTML and CSS, using HTML to mark up web content and CSS for adding style to the website’s content. Graduates will have a portfolio website and a certificate of completion to use for internships or on college applications. They will also have a good foundation for pursuing web design professionally or working part-time in web design while in college.

If you can’t decide if graphic or web design is right for you, you can dip your toes into both at the same time with NextGen Bootcamp’s Graphic & Web Design Summer Program. Students in this course learn a diverse array of design and coding topics such as design thinking, app design, HTML, CSS, and using the Adobe graphic design applications InDesign, Photoshop, and Illustrator. These concepts become the basis for creating two projects: a graphic design portfolio and a usable website. Students can display these portfolio projects for potential internships or on college applications. Students can also use their skills to land part-time work or attract clients.

Other Live Online Graphic Design Classes for High Schoolers

If you’re interested in taking virtual graphic design classes for high schoolers, there are more options that you can choose from.

Digital Media Academy offers several career pathways that include groups of courses on that topic. One of their career pathways is creative design which includes courses such as Graphic Design with Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator, 3D Printing & Product Design, 3D Character Animation with Maya, Classical Animation with Adobe Animate & Premiere Pro. Their Digital Storytelling career pathway includes training in Digital Photography with Adobe Photoshop and Stop Motion & Computer Animation with Toon Boom Harmony.

Several colleges also offer pre-college programs in graphic design. UMass Amherst’s Summer Design Academy gives high school students the chance to develop design skills using the same tools as professional architects and interior designers. Tufts offers a Graphic Design Bootcamp geared toward students interested in design, marketing, and visual communications.

Designer Camp Digital is a boutique design camp based in Los Angeles. They’ve recently begun offering the camp as a digital camp experience. Campers learn in hands-on design workshops with professionals from the design industry and participate in virtual tours of studios, showrooms, design houses, and design businesses. Campers receive a design industry mentor and a digital portfolio upon graduation.

How to Choose a Graphic Design Class

Choosing the best graphic design class for you can be tricky. You’ll want to consider your interests and goals first. What kind of design interests you most: graphic design? Web design? Interior design? Architecture? Are you preparing for college, or do you want to gain more practical professional skills? You should also consider factors such as cost, length, difficulty, and the ages allowed in the course.

Which Live Online Graphic Design Class is Right for Me?

High school students learn graphic design

You have several options when it comes to learning Graphic Design, so we’ve chosen 11 of the best Live Online courses from the top 7 training providers to help you make your decision. But even so, with the variety of considerations including cost, duration, course format, starting level, and more, choosing the perfect course still isn’t that easy.

Here are the key questions you should ask yourself before enrolling in a Graphic Design course. We hope you’ll find the best option based on your learning preferences and goals.

What level should I start at?

Enrolling in the right skill level is pivotal. Skipping over prerequisites can leave you confused, while choosing a course too easy will waste your time and tuition dollars.

Beginner Courses

If you’re new to Graphic Design, there’s no need to fear. We’ve found 9 beginner courses, with costs ranging from $495 to $2,495. The top options open to beginners include:

Graphic Design Summer Program @ NextGen Bootcamp ($1,299 | 30 Hours)
Creative: Design with Adobe & YouTube @ iD Tech ($649 | 10 Weeks)
Digital Designer Camp 101 @ Designer Camp ($495 | 1 Week)
Drawing & Design @ Digital Media Academy ($2,278 | 1 Week)
Summer Design Academy @ UMass Summer Pre-College ($1,877 | 3 Weeks)

Note that beginner courses still typically assume basic proficiency with computers.

Intermediate & Advanced Courses

Already comfortable with the basics of Graphic Design and feel ready to move to an intermediate or advanced class? Consider the following courses which all require some prerequisite knowledge:

Summer Design Academy II @ UMass Summer Pre-College ($1,877 | 2 Weeks)

How does live online Graphic Design training work?

Live Online training is synchronous training where participants and the instructor attend remotely. Participants learn and interact with the instructor in real-time and can ask questions and receive feedback throughout the course. Instructors can remote into students’ computers (with prior permission) to assist with class exercises and any technical issues. The courses are hands-on and interactive like in-person training.

You can attend the course from your own home or office. This option works best for those without easy access to a nearby facility, and it has become increasingly popular during COVID-19.

If you attend a virtual training from your home or office, you’ll need a computer with strong internet access and any relevant software installed prior to the course. Most schools provide setup instructions before the course, and some will provide direct assistance.

The instruction takes place via a teleconferencing software like Zoom, Webex, or GoToMeeting, and some schools have their own learning portals.

When are Graphic Design classes available?

It’s crucial to find a course that fits your schedule. For live online Graphic Design training, we’ve found flexible scheduling options, including weekday, evening, and weekend courses.

Courses with multiple scheduling options include:

Creative: Design with Adobe & YouTube @ iD Tech ($649 | 10 Weeks) is available weekdays, evenings, or weekends
Drawing & Design @ Digital Media Academy ($2,278 | 1 Week) is available weekdays or evenings

Courses available weekdays only include:

Digital Designer Camp 101 @ Designer Camp ($495 | 1 Week)
Summer Design Academy @ UMass Summer Pre-College ($1,877 | 3 Weeks)
Summer Design Academy II @ UMass Summer Pre-College ($1,877 | 2 Weeks)
Graphic Design Bootcamp @ Tufts Pre-College Program ($2,000 | 1 Week)
Graphic Design Summer Program @ NextGen Bootcamp ($1,299 | 30 Hours)

Courses available evenings only include:

Product Design @ Stanford Pre-Collegiate Summer Institutes ($2,700 | 2 Weeks)

Due to changing schedules and uncertainty during COVID-19, we recommend that prospective students confirm course availability directly with the school.

What should I learn in Graphic Design?

With Graphic Design encompassing so many verticals and subtopics, it could be challenging to find what you’re looking for. We’ll help you break down the subcategories and related topics (see the Graphic Design topics section) to focus directly on one of the subcategories.

When learning Graphic Design, you can attend a course or program that dives comprehensively into Graphic Design or focuses on a particular topic, including Photoshop, InDesign, or Illustrator.

Comprehensive Graphic Design Classes

If you’re committed to learning Graphic Design comprehensively, we’ve found a couple courses that can help you achieve that goal.

Graphic Design Summer Program @ NextGen Bootcamp
This course takes place over 30 Hours.
Graphic Design Summer Program Online @ NextGen Bootcamp
This course takes place over 30 Hours.

Focus on a Specific Subtopic within Graphic Design

Within Graphic Design, you can focus your learning on a specific topic, including Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, Visual Design, and UX Design. Each one of these topics will directly enhance, supplement, or support your learning in Graphic Design. To see how each topic relates to Graphic Design and to focus your learning on any subcategory, see the subtopics section above.

For a quick overview, here are some popular classes:

Learn Photoshop with Drawing & Design @ Digital Media Academy.
The course costs $2,278.
Learn UX Design with UX & UI Design Summer Program @ NextGen Bootcamp.
The course costs $2,495.

What type of course is right for me?

When learning Graphic Design, there are a variety of learning goals you can achieve, including learning Graphic Design comprehensively, getting started, or adding to existing skills.

To find the perfect fit for you, it’s important to determine what your training goals are. Here is a breakdown of the variety of courses and learners.

Comprehensive Learner

For those who are committed to comprehensively understand Graphic Design and ready to spend 30 hours to master Graphic Design, these classes will help achieve that goal. With prices ranging from $1,299, there is a financial commitment, but learning these skills can have a tremendous impact on job performance and earnings potential.

Graphic Design Summer Program @ NextGen Bootcamp ($1,299 | 30 Hours)
Graphic Design Summer Program Online @ NextGen Bootcamp ($1,299 | 30 Hours)

Committed to Getting Started

If you know you need to get started in Graphic Design but you’re not quite committed to learning it comprehensively, these courses will get you started with hands-on skills you can use right away. Many schools offer the ability to continue learning with intermediate-to-advanced courses, and some offer package discounts. All these courses are open to beginners.

Creative: Design with Adobe & YouTube @ iD Tech ($649 | 10 Weeks).
Digital Designer Camp 101 @ Designer Camp ($495 | 1 Week).
Drawing & Design @ Digital Media Academy ($2,278 | 1 Week).
Summer Design Academy @ UMass Summer Pre-College ($1,877 | 3 Weeks).
Graphic Design Bootcamp @ Tufts Pre-College Program ($2,000 | 1 Week).
UX & UI Design Summer Program @ NextGen Bootcamp ($2,495 | 45 Hours).

Skill-Advancer

For those with some familiarity with Graphic Design looking to advance or add to their skills, these courses provide those with experience the perfect opportunity to skill-up. All these courses require prerequisite knowledge, and we’ve included a brief note for many of them, but you should check with the school for more details on the entry requirements.

Summer Design Academy II @ UMass Summer Pre-College ($1,877 | 2 Weeks).

Will learning Graphic Design help me get a job?

Graphic Design is an in-demand design skill that is essential for a variety of career paths. Here are some popular positions listing Graphic Design as a skill and the average national salaries according to Indeed as of November 2023.

Design Director: $126K / year, average national salary
Digital Designer: $95K / year, average national salary
UI Designer: $89K / year, average national salary
Visual Designer: $80K / year, average national salary
Designer: $73K / year, average national salary
Graphic Designer: $58K / year, average national salary

See the careers section for more information about the top related careers and salaries, and visit the career pages for detail on skill requirements, day-to-day work, compensation, tips, and more.

What are the benefits & downsides of live online Graphic Design classes?

Some benefits of live online Graphic Design training include:

Flexibility to attend from anywhere and eliminate long commutes
Ability to ask questions and interact with Graphic Design experts in real-time
Instructor’s ability to remote access your screen to troubleshoot any issues
More frequent scheduling options and lower prices on average than in-person training
Hands-on practical training like in-person courses

While there are several benefits to live online training, there are a few important things to consider. You should make sure you have a quiet workplace with strong internet access. Additionally, you should have the necessary applications installed prior to class and your computer should meet any system requirements. To ensure a seamless learning experience, some schools provide remote setup support and Zoom tutorials upon request prior to the course.

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Top Live Online Graphic Design Courses

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Key Insights

Graphic Design Topics

Photoshop

InDesign

Illustrator

Visual Design

UX Design

Live Online Graphic Design Courses by School

NextGen Bootcamp

NextGen’s Top Live Online Graphic Design Courses

iD Tech

iD Tech’s Top Live Online Graphic Design Courses

Designer Camp

Designer Camp’s Top Live Online Graphic Design Courses

UMass Summer Pre-College

UMass Pre-College’s Top Live Online Graphic Design Courses

Tufts Pre-College Program

Tufts Pre-College’s Top Live Online Graphic Design Courses

Stanford Pre-Collegiate Summer Institutes

Stanford Pre-College’s Top Live Online Graphic Design Courses

Digital Media Academy

Digital Media Academy’s Top Live Online Graphic Design Courses

Live Online Graphic Design Corporate & Onsite Training Noble Desktop

Learn More About Live Online Graphic Design Courses

Why High Schoolers Should Learn Graphic Design

Virtual Graphic Design Classes at NextGen Bootcamp

Other Live Online Graphic Design Classes for High Schoolers

How to Choose a Graphic Design Class

Which Live Online Graphic Design Class is Right for Me?

What level should I start at?

Beginner Courses

Intermediate & Advanced Courses

How does live online Graphic Design training work?

When are Graphic Design classes available?

Courses with multiple scheduling options include:

Courses available weekdays only include:

Courses available evenings only include:

What should I learn in Graphic Design?

Comprehensive Graphic Design Classes

Focus on a Specific Subtopic within Graphic Design

What type of course is right for me?

Comprehensive Learner

Committed to Getting Started

Skill-Advancer

Will learning Graphic Design help me get a job?

What are the benefits & downsides of live online Graphic Design classes?

Related Classes

Live Online Graphic Design
Corporate & Onsite Training