Diploma in Graphic Design with Adobe Creative Cloud

Course Dates

Next Course Commencing:

25th September 2024

Duration:

11 weeks, 1 evening per week from 6.30 to 9.30pm

Course Award

Award:

City Colleges Diploma

Course Fee

Classroom:

€995

Live – Online:

€895

International/Non-EU:

Call +353 1 4160034

“A great design will add value a lot faster than it will adds costs”

Course Overview

“A great design will add value a lot faster than it will adds costs”

On this 11-week course you will learn the Principles of Design:
Typography, Colour, Photography & Layout.
You will learn to create the optimum design presentations, see the best page layout for both document and print as well as creating marketing designs to include integration into social media and web.

You will discover the most important steps towards building a successful brandand in the process becomefamiliar with Adobe Creative Cloud, the industry standard software.

While using Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, & InDesign you will learn how to implement and execute design results that are essential within any industry.  We will use Adobe software throughout this programme to create logos, illustrations, social media posts and poster design for use in both digital and print.

Our course has been created with business owners and business managers in mind but could equally serve a valid purpose for anyone thinking of pursuing a career in Graphic Design.
Our lecturers have industry experience and are Graphic Designers in their own right and who will guide you step by step through the process of Design. Ultimately, you will learn to deliver unique and original solutions to graphic design briefs.

Why Graphic Design?

• Senior Level Graphic Designer can earn up to €65k PA
• Demand for Graphic Designers is still growing, and they are in short supply
• Working with a diverse range of clients keeps this role interesting
• Learn to Make your Brand, product, or service look good to create a positive first impression
• Creative Design will help to set you or your business apart from the competition
• A Consistent Design helps to build trust in your brand
• Great Design organizes information to help deliver a message in a most impactful way
• Good design will help a business to gain visibility which in turn can lead to increased sales

Course Modules

Becoming a Graphic Designer
– The journey and what you will need to know

The Principles of Design –

• Typography – Essential learning
• Contrasting Designs & Colour Principles
• Photography and Image Optimisation
• Proportion to Design Context
• Movement and Design Presentation Flow
• White Space and the Importance of Separation
• Emphasis on Important Information
• Balance, Alignment, and Layout Principles
• Repetition and the Importance of Consistency

Brand Creation – Brand identity is a unique design, sign, symbol, words, or maybe a combination of all of these. These elements are then used in creating an image that identifies a product and differentiates it from its competitors. You will learn this process from Idea to implementation.

Illustrator – Adobe Illustrator is the effective industry standard design software that will let you explore your creative vision, learning to create shapes while selecting the right colour & effects, at the same time getting an understanding of typography. Working across desktop and mobile devices you will learn to quickly create beautifully designed brands / logos that can go anywhere – print, web, apps, video, and animations.

Photoshop – We will discoverer just how powerful Photoshop really is, using it for image editing, retouching, creating image compositions, website draft designs, or simply adding design effects. You will discover how to edit digital or even scanned images that can then be applied online or in print including, managing large quantities of images through automated processes.

InDesign – InDesign is the industry standard software for the design and publication of multi-page documents containing text, vector artwork, and images. Learn to use precise grids and guides to position page elements and create polished layouts. Take advantage of professional typesetting features to format text consistently across pages, chapters, and publications. InDesign manages large quantities of data with unlimited pages making it easy to create dynamic interactive PDF files, ready for digital distribution.

Design integration and implementation into website and online digital formats – Learn how to integrate the designs that you will create into a website and then to maximise their resolution for optimum screen viewing on all devices.

Marketing Design & Integration into Social Media – Learn how to create the graphics that are critical to promoting your business on each of the most important social media platforms: Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Tik-Tok. You will learn the formatting and dimension requirements for each platform.

Learning Outcomes

On this Graphic Design Course, you will get an understanding of the most important elements that will help you to create the best designs for today’s market. You will learn how to create a simple logo and then discover all the various branding necessities that are associated with any logo.
Once you create a business brand identity this you will then follow this through to each of the marketing elements necessary to promote the brand.  You will design posters for social media and a multi-page document ensuring it is print ready and digitally compliant for integration through web enabled applications.

Why should I study Graphic Design?

• It’s nice to get paid for being creative
• Each design you create can make a real difference
• You can be your own boss
• Graphic Designers are always in demand
• Digital designers can generate a high salary
• You get to work across different industries
• There’s never a dull moment
• Designing studios can be fun places to work

Lecturer

Paul Noone

Paul has been successfully teaching ICT to students in various colleges and schools for many years, while prior to and during this time, he established his own Web and Graphic Design business, creating a large portfolio of clients and guiding many of these clients through the design process from inception to the creation of an entirely new brand.

Paul has a vast knowledge of business, being involved in the retail sector for many years, owning and running his own retail chain in Dublin. His business experience also includes the introduction of an international retailing brand to Ireland, involving opening multiple retail outlets around Ireland while simultaneously managing this branding process.

Course Delivery

Lectures are delivered classroom-based and online. All content is webcast live and recorded for review. Online content is available through Moodle.

Assessments/Examinations

Attendance and Assessment:

A ‘Pass’ grade on both the digital assignment (Project) as well as in-class participation is required to achieve the Diploma. A ‘Fail’ grade will result in a Certificate of Attendance for the course but without the Diploma being awarded.
Students must try to attend at least 8 of the 10 course evenings to graduate with either the Diploma or Certificate of Attendance unless a serious and verifiable reason for further absence is provided. Likewise, the Project must be uploaded on the due date unless a sound reason for lateness is provided. In such instances, an extension may be awarded at the discretion of the lecturer.

Digital Assessment:

Students will be assessed through a design project to be submitted within one month of cessation of lectures. This assignment will be based around and thus confirming the students’ learned knowledge of each of the Adobe design software products used in this course.

Entry Requirements:

• To participate in this course, you will need to have access to the Adobe Creative Suite. You will be able to avail of student subscription rates for the Adobe software required for this learning.

See Adobe rates here:

https://www.adobe.com/ie/creativecloud/buy/students.html

• It is essential that for the duration of this course, you have access to either a laptop or desktop PC to gain the maximum benefit of the learning and to complete the design projects to their best potential.