Best Graphic Design Classes NJ: Find Courses & Onsite Training

Learn More About NJ Graphic Design Courses

What is Graphic Design?

Graphic design involves visually communicating a message or idea through carefully designed text, graphics, and color. The art of graphic design originates in the earliest forms of visual communication like cave painting and the invention of the printing press. However, it would not become a formal set of principles and practices until the rise of the advertising industry in the 19th and 20th centuries. Even today, graphic design professionals often work in advertising and marketing though they also have a strong presence in publishing, web design, and the entertainment industry.

Modern graphic design involves a mix of key design concepts and software programs that make drawing, editing, and arranging different design elements easier. Students learning graphic design will often learn to work with Adobe Creative Cloud software, including industry-standard programs like InDesign, Illustrator, and Photoshop. Those with this training can start careers in graphic design or with further training in computer science and web programming can work towards a career in animation, digital design, or UI/UX design.

What Can You Do with Graphic Design Training?

Graphic design training gives you the ability to create professional-looking visual materials for a variety of purposes. Many individuals with this training work on promotional materials within the advertising industry. A graphic design professional working in advertising will need to harness their graphic design skills to visually communicate a brand’s vision or message to their target audience. Graphic Designers in this industry often create promotional materials like brochures, brand logos, product packaging, or social media content that can be shared through a company's digital channels.

Those interested in careers in web design or UI/UX design also often have a graphic design background. This background allows web design professionals to think about the aesthetics and look of the digital assets or web pages they are creating for websites, mobile devices, or applications. Those working in web design and UI/UX design have to bring together the engaging look of an interface with its functionality. Designs need to be accessible and user-friendly but they also need to be memorable and aesthetically pleasing. To ensure this, these professionals often have user testing training so that they know which designs work best for their client’s needs.

Learning graphic design also gives you a skillset that you can use non-professionally. Many of the core concepts and software you’ll learn can be used to create your own illustrations, design a flyer for a family reunion or a neighborhood barbeque, or retouch your own photographs. You can also put your graphic design training to use for a local nonprofit as you will have the skills and tools that many nonprofits could use to build awareness for their fundraising or charitable endeavors.

What Will I Learn in a Graphic Design Class?

Most graphic design courses will cover design theory and composition as well as how to use specific programs and toolsets for those pursuing a career in graphic design. Adobe Creative Cloud programs are industry-standard software used in graphic design, animation, video editing, and web design. Graphic design classes often teach InDesign, Illustrator, and Photoshop, and some will teach other programs like After Effects, XD, or Animate.

InDesign

InDesign is Adobe’s software that allows users to create professional page layouts for print or digital publication. InDesign is widely used by graphic design professionals to create things like promotional materials for an advertising campaign, book layouts, magazine spreads, flyers, and even interactive and dynamic PDFs. Graphic design courses will teach students how to create single and multi-page documents with text, graphics, and color. Learning InDesign involves working with styling and formatting all elements on the page and also learning how to export your page layouts for print or publication.

Illustrator

Illustrator is Adobe’s vector graphics design program. Graphic design professionals often use Illustrator to create accurate and scalable graphics for brand logos, product packaging, digital icons, billboards, or even garment illustrations for those working in fashion design. When learning Illustrator, you will learn to draw using the Pen tool, to use gradients and blends to create color graphics, and to use shapes, brushes, layers, and other effects along with your drawings.

Photoshop

Photoshop is Adobe’s image editing software. It is used by graphic design professionals and non-professionals alike who enjoy retouching or playing around with photographs and images. Photoshop has a range of features including allowing users to remove unwanted parts of an image, resize or adjust the color of an image, and merge or layer multiple images with any other graphics or text. Graphic design professionals learn Photoshop to create custom content for social media, design promotional materials, or edit and adjust product images.

Figma

For those taking a web design, UI design, or digital design course, you will also learn Figma, a design tool for prototyping websites and mobile applications. Figma is an industry-standard tool for user interface design. Learning to use Figma will allow you to make sure your web and mobile designs are both functional and aesthetically pleasing, as a Digital Designer, UI Designer, or Web Designer will need to think about how users engage with and navigate their product as well as how it looks.

Composition

Composition is an essential skill that one will learn in any graphic design course. Graphic design professionals will want to learn how to create well-composed illustrations, photographs, product designs, web pages, and other textual materials. Learning composition involves understanding basic design principles and how to arrange individual components like text, color, graphics, objects, animations, and other elements to create a well-balanced and engaging whole. Whether you are learning graphic design for your profession or as a hobby, learning composition allows you to create professional-looking and well-organized designs.

How Hard is it to Learn Graphic Design?

Graphic design is not considered an especially challenging topic to learn. To learn graphic design successfully, you will need a love of design and the drive to take what you learn and put it into practice. The actual concepts and software used in graphic design should not be too difficult for most to learn, but it will take time and effort to figure out how to use multiple programs to create one unified project. Additionally, those in graphic design suggest that the real challenge of graphic design is coming up with unique, creative ideas for new projects. Creative thinking is a skill that you will develop over time as you learn graphic design.

What Are the Most Challenging Parts of Learning Graphic Design?

Most industry professionals will suggest that one of the hardest aspects of learning graphic design is knowing how to use the theories and tools you’ve learned to create something original and memorable. Developing your own creative eye and style will take time. Mastering the basic tools of graphic design can get you started but only consistent practice and effort will allow you to create original work. Additionally, some of the software you will learn in a graphic design course has advanced features that some will find challenging. Photoshop, for instance, has advanced toolsets with highly specified uses that some find difficult to master.

How Long Does it Take to Learn Graphic Design?

How long it takes to learn graphic design depends on what kind of training you receive as well as how much time and effort you can devote to learning and practicing your skills. With comprehensive, expert-led training, it can take one to three months to learn basic design theories and the necessary Adobe Creative Cloud software for graphic design. After learning the foundations of graphic design, you should feel comfortable creating simple designs on your own. It can take up to a year or even longer to become fully proficient in graphic design. To master graphic design, you need to practice consistently creating unique and challenging designs so that you can produce professional materials that communicate ideas in your own creative voice.

Should I Learn Graphic Design In Person or Online?

Whether to learn graphic design in person or online will depend upon your own learning needs and goals as well as the cost, schedule, and curriculum of a course. In-person training is still considered the best way for most people to learn and retain information. Graphic design can be a hard career field to break into, so, it is particularly important to start building a professional network early, and taking an in-person graphic design course is more likely to facilitate strong bonds among classmates and come with mentorship opportunities. However, in-person classes can also cost more and be scheduled during times when those will full-time jobs or other obligations cannot attend.

Enrolling in an instructor-led, live online class is a good alternative to an in-person class. In live online classes, students will still benefit from guided learning by an expert instructor but will also be able to take the class from the convenience of any location. Live online courses are also more likely to be offered on the weekends, in the evening, or part-time. The main downside of a live online class is that it can be more difficult for students to focus and remain engaged in the course material. With active effort, anyone can receive a quality education from a live online course.

Another option to consider is an asynchronous online or on-demand class. These are self-paced courses where instead of meeting weekly for classes, students are given access to course material and can move through it at their own speed. These classes make for a great introduction to learning about graphic design because they can be less expensive and they have the most flexibility. You can learn when you want and where you want, though you will have to be extremely self-motivated to complete an on-demand course. This style of training also will not come with the professional skill development or career support services that many will need to launch a career in graphic design.

Can I Learn Graphic Design Free Online?

You can find many free online resources to get you started learning graphic design. These include articles, short guides, free graphic design seminars, and workshops from providers like Adobe and LinkedIn Learning, LinkedIn’s online education platform that is often accessible with a public library card. YouTube is also another great free resource with introductory videos and tutorials on essential skills. Noble Desktop’s channel, for instance, has a full Graphic Design YouTube playlist with information on how to get started in graphic design, motion graphics, or UI design, introductions to programs like Figma, and tutorials for software like InDesign, Illustrator, and Photoshop.

While free resources are great for learning the basics of a new skill, they will not provide career support services or professional skills development. Anyone looking to launch a career in graphic design should consider enrolling in paid in-person or live online training.

What Should I Learn Alongside Graphic Design?

After learning basic concepts and tools for graphic design, you can consider expanding your skillset to include things like motion graphics animation or web design. Learning motion graphics often involves working with Adobe programs like Premiere Pro and After Effects. Premiere Pro is industry-standard video editing software and you can use retouch video, correct audio, or edit footage. After Effects is Adobe’s visual effects software that lets users animate graphics, text, and photos. Receiving training in these programs can open up career possibilities as an Animator or Motion Graphics Designer.

In addition, many learn graphic design as a foundation for web design or UI design. If this is something you’re interested in, you will need training in web programming, wireframing, and user testing. Web Designers and UI Designers generally need to know basic programming like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript as well as how to prototype or wireframe the web pages or application interfaces they are designing. UI Designers, in particular, need to know how users interact with the interfaces they are designing and will need training in user testing.

Industries that Use Graphic Design

Most industries use graphic design as a way to communicate the uniqueness and value of their brand visually. Most businesses have a logo and a website, if not a product, that needs to look professional and be designed for their company’s vision and goals. The life sciences and pharmaceuticals industry is New Jersey’s top industry and it overlaps with other industries like technology as biotechnology innovations are considered one of the cornerstones of life sciences. In addition, other important industries in New Jersey are the financial industry and the retail industry.

Life Sciences

New Jersey’s top industry is life sciences, which includes research and development of new pharmaceuticals and biotechnology innovations. Life sciences are thriving in New Jersey, as many top biopharmaceutical companies, manufacturers, and prestigious universities like Princeton and Rutgers call the Garden State their home. Due to this, New Jersey boasts an impressive amount of lab space dedicated to this industry and has the highest concentration of life science researchers and incubators in the US.

Graphic design professionals working in the life science industry are responsible for designing promotional materials for specific companies and even developing educational materials that would be accessible to a broad public audience. Like other industries, life sciences companies will need professionals to work on logo and packaging design as well as content for their website and any digital channels that they use. Graphic design professionals in this industry might also need to work on developing educational illustrations or animations that help others understand new biotech innovations or pharmaceuticals or create dynamic PDFs with important charts, figures, and graphics.

Technology

Another of New Jersey’s top industries is the technology industry. This industry, like life sciences, draws from strength from the number of tech companies, including Audible and Verizon, that call New Jersey home. New Jersey is also working to encourage expansion in this area and has initiatives to support emerging technologies and sectors, like AI, the Internet of Things, and eSports.

Similar to other industries, the tech industry needs to have a distinctive look and style for its companies and branded products. As new startups emerge, they will need someone who can work on logo design and convert their brand message into visuals that can be used throughout their digital channels. Some graphic design professionals like UI Designers or UX Designers are also considered tech workers as they have coding knowledge and focus on how users navigate, access, and engage with a company’s website or applications.

Finance

The finance industry remains strong in New Jersey. New Jersey is home to many banking, investing, insurance, and accounting companies, including Prudential, and is close to New York City, one of the world’s largest financial centers. The state is also working to increase the amount of research and development devoted to FinTech so that new and emerging technologies can continue to enhance the finance industry.

Graphic design professionals in the finance industry can expect to create promotional materials for companies based on new product launches. These professionals might also be tasked with creating dynamic reports and educational material to show to investors or other stakeholders. UI Designers can also find a home in the finance industry, as many companies need someone who can create or manage how users access and engage with their websites and applications. Websites and applications need to have a look that conforms to a larger brand identity as well as be functional and usable for the consumer.

Retail

Similar to most states, retail is an important industry in New Jersey. According to the National Retail Federation, this billion-dollar industry supports around 25% of the jobs in the state. In New Jersey, the most important retailers are involved with food, transportation, and housing, and grocery and convenience stores dominate the retail sector.

Graphic design professionals have many duties to fulfill when working within the retail industry. They will need to design logos for new companies, design product packaging material, or create content for use on a company's digital channels. Those working in this industry might need to create both digital graphics and print graphics, depending on whether the company has a brick-and-mortar location or only sells products and services online.

Graphic Design Job Titles and Salaries

Graphic Designer

Graphic Designers combine text and graphics to convey a message to a specific audience. Graphic Designers know how to create engaging and balanced compositions by arranging text, color, images, shapes, and other elements. Many Graphic Designers work in marketing and advertising, where they create promotional material like print ads, brochures, or product packaging using software like Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign. Graphic Designers can also work in digital or web design, where they might create visual assets for websites, applications, and other digital channels.

Graphic Designers earn an average salary of $64,000 in New Jersey, which is similar to the national average. Your salary as a Graphic Designer depends on your location, experience, and industry, as the salary range for this job starts at around $42,000 and goes up to around $97,000. Someone who starts as a Graphic Designer can work their way up to more senior positions, such as Art Director.

UI Designer

User Interface (UI) Designers create the parts of a website or application that the user engages with. This commonly includes elements like navigation screens, buttons, widgets, and menus. UI Designers need to pay attention to aesthetics and function in their design process, as their designs must be usable and accessible at the same time as they are engaging and interesting to look at. Someone in this role will often have a training background in graphic design and will need additional computer science education.

In New Jersey, a UI Designer earns an average of $70,000 per year, which is in line with the national average. This can range from $53,000 for more entry-level positions to around $93,000. What you actually earn as a UI Designer depends on your experience, skill level, and location.

Product Designer

Someone working as a Product Designer creates and implements product designs. Working with other team members and stakeholders, they work to create functional and attractive product designs that meet the specifications of clients and other stakeholders. Their design work can look similar to other graphic design roles, as they need to have a handle on color, typography, and other visual aspects of a product while also attending to how the end consumer will use the product.

Product Designers make an average salary of $108,000 annually in New Jersey, similar to the national average. The salary range for this role can vary and be industry-specific. At the lower-end, Product Designers are earning an average of $64,000 in New Jersey and this can go as high as around $184,000 for experienced, well-positioned Product Designers.

Digital Designer

Digital Designers develop assets for a variety of digital products which can include websites, applications, video games, or content for display through other digital channels like email and social media. They can also use digital software to work on print products, as well. Digital Designers will need a background in graphic design and will also have additional training to create interactive, dynamic assets and work with 3D modeling or animation.

In New Jersey, the average annual salary for a Digital Designer is around $70,000, the same as the national average. Depending on one’s industry, skill level, and location, entry-level positions can start at around $37,000 for a Digital Designer and go up to around $133,000 for a Digital Designer with more experience working for an in-demand company.

Graphic Design Classes Near Me

Noble Desktop has top-rated classes, bootcamps, and certificate products for those interested in learning graphic design. Class sizes are kept small at Noble Desktop so that students can receive 1-on-1 hands-on training from instructors who are experts in their fields. For those who want comprehensive, career-ready training and professional skills development, consider enrolling in the Graphic Design Certificate program. This month-long course covers essential principles of design and industry-standard Adobe Creative Cloud software while guiding students through working on projects like designing a logo, product packaging, and promotional material and developing a competitive design portfolio. Noble Desktop also offers a Digital Design Certificate and a UI Design Certificate which cover creating dynamic designs for web and mobile applications and using prototyping tools like Figma.

If you want to learn a specific software program quickly and comprehensively, consider a bootcamp instead of a full certificate program. Noble Desktop offers an Adobe Photoshop Bootcamp, an Adobe InDesign Bootcamp, and an Adobe Illustrator Bootcamp. These bootcamps are all beginner-friendly and will provide career-ready training in graphic design essentials over three intensive days. Those working on compiling a professional portfolio that can be used for job, school, or internship applications should also consider the Graphic Design Portfolio Bootcamp which provides training in putting together projects including album or book covers, logos, posters, and social media graphics. Noble Desktop offers additional certificate programs, bootcamps, and individual classes for those wanting to learn AI for Graphic Design, video editing, motion graphics, animation, or web design.

For high school students interested in graphic design, NextGen Bootcamp offers hands-on summer courses that can be taken in Manhattan or live online from any location. NextGen has multiple bootcamp options including a Graphic Design Summer Program, Digital Design Summer Program, and UX & UI Design Summer Program. An expert instructor teaches each summer program and these programs use a curriculum tailored to high schoolers. These courses are a good place to start for those interested in learning industry-standard tools and concepts used by professionals like Illustrators, Graphic Designers, Animators, Marketing and Product Designers, or Web Designers. Not only will you learn design skills and develop your own project, but you’ll also work on building a portfolio for college, internship, or job applications.

Mercer County Community College (MCCC) in West Windsor also offers two accelerated graphic design certificate programs through its Center for Continuing Studies. Interested students can take courses for a Print and Publishing Design Certificate or Web Design Certificate and each graphic design course can also be taken individually as a non-credit earning course. MCCC has classes in graphic design principles, color theory, Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, coding, Dreamweaver, and WordPress. They also offer both instructor-moderated and self-guided online-only courses through the ed2go platform for those who cannot attend in-person course offerings,

New Horizons, an IT training center, also offers live online training in popular Adobe Creative Cloud software. They have one- to two-day introductory and advanced classes in Premiere Pro, Photoshop, InDesign, and Illustrator as well as Adobe classes for those wanting to design elearning materials using Captivate or work on web development using ColdFusion 10 or Dreamweaver. Their introductory courses allow beginners to learn essential concepts, like managing layers and modifying images in Photoshop, for instance, while the advanced courses will build on these skills for those who want more comprehensive, career-oriented training options.

Computer skills training center Certstaffix also offers individual Adobe Creative Cloud programs that someone learning graphic design will be interested in. Their offerings include two- to three-day live online classes in programs like Premiere, Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, Dreamweaver, and After Effects. Certstaffix’s courses are beginner-friendly, cover the essentials through hands-on training, and will prepare students for Adobe Certified Professional certification exams.

Graphic Design Corporate Training

If you’re looking to upskill or reskill your workforce, consider Noble Desktop’s graphic design corporate training options. Noble Desktop offers a comprehensive Graphic Design Certificate program as well as accelerated bootcamps and short day-long intensive workshops that provide essential skills training in software like Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, and Figma. Every class is taught by a trained expert within their field and the class curriculum can be tailored to your organization’s needs.

Classes can be taken in-person at Noble Desktop’s Manhattan training facility, live online from any location, or scheduled on-site at your location. Discounted bulk vouchers are available for enrollment in Noble’s public classes. This option allows you to decide which courses to offer to your employees and your employees can determine which classes will fit best for their own schedule and needs. Email corporate@nobledesktop.com to learn more about these corporate training options and schedule a free consultation.

Elizabeth Gleesing

Elizabeth Gleesing is a university instructor and content writer at Noble Desktop. She earned her PhD in English from Syracuse University in 2023 with research focusing on how documentaries incorporate digital and new media technologies. Her research into artificial intelligence, data analysis, and emerging technologies informs her content writing as she frequently works on articles related to careers in data science, data analytics, AI, and related software.Elizabeth also has over ten years of experience teaching undergraduates in universities and colleges in New York and Washington state and won the Syracuse University English department’s Elson Teaching Award in 2019. Her experience in instruction allows her to coherently explain difficult topics to a variety of audiences.

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Key Insights

Learn More About NJ Graphic Design Courses

What is Graphic Design?

What Can You Do with Graphic Design Training?

What Will I Learn in a Graphic Design Class?

InDesign

Illustrator

Photoshop

Figma

Composition

How Hard is it to Learn Graphic Design?

What Are the Most Challenging Parts of Learning Graphic Design?

How Long Does it Take to Learn Graphic Design?

Should I Learn Graphic Design In Person or Online?

Can I Learn Graphic Design Free Online?

What Should I Learn Alongside Graphic Design?

Industries that Use Graphic Design

Life Sciences

Technology

Finance

Retail

Graphic Design Job Titles and Salaries

Graphic Designer

UI Designer

Product Designer

Digital Designer

Graphic Design Classes Near Me

Graphic Design Corporate Training

NJ Graphic Design Courses by School

Graphic Design Summer Program

UX & UI Design Summer Program

Digital Design Summer Program Live Online

Digital Design Summer Certificate NYC

Adobe Photoshop CC - Part 1

Adobe Photoshop CC - Part 2

Adobe Illustrator CC - Part 1

Adobe Illustrator CC - Part 2

Adobe Photoshop CC (2020)

Adobe InDesign CC (2020)

Adobe Illustrator CC (2020)

Adobe InDesign Core Skills: Level 1

Adobe InDesign Core Skills: Level 2

NJ Graphic Design Corporate & Onsite Training Noble Desktop

Graphic Design Training Locations in or Near NJ

NJ Careers & Salaries Related to Graphic Design

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NJ Graphic Design
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