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BEGINNER-FRIENDLY • VERSATILE SKILL FOR ANY CAREER

Visual Design Short Course

Gain the vocabulary and tools to tackle diverse design challenges on the job. Kickstart your portfolio and create beautiful, responsive designs for the web.

This course is not available in France.

Career Karma Best Web Design Bootcamp of 2023Course Report Best Online Bootcamp of 2023

Over half of jobs in tech and IT now require digital design skills — as well as 815,000 open roles in other industries.

Boost Your Professional Value With Versatile Skills

More than pushing pixels, design is a superpower for many careers and is core to the success of many companies. Strong visual communication is critical, whether you’re creating a digital product, a presentation, or an ad campaign.

Tap Into a Valuable Professional Network

Form real connections that can change the course of your career. Meet practitioners and peers who can help you succeed through our global alumni network. Graduate with an industry-recognized GA certificate, and join an exclusive community.

Let Your Employer Foot the Bill

More than 45% of our part-time students receive tuition reimbursement from their companies — you could, too. We can send you an employer sponsorship package to show your manager the advantages of learning with GA.

Learn on a Schedule Designed for Busy Professionals

Learn for 8 weeks in the evenings, or dive into in-depth study with our 1-week, accelerated course. You can join us at one of our campuses or take part from the comfort of home — wherever you’re based — via our Remote classroom.

Statistics source: Burning Glass

Hundreds of Premier Companies Trust GA's Design Programs to Train Their Teams — Here Are Just a Few

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Inside Our Best-in-Class Curriculum

Created With a Focus on Real-World Relevance

Gain fluency in the fundamental tools of visual communication design — typography, color, and layout. GA’s visual design advisory board curates the innovative teaching approaches of our entire expert network to meet evolving employer demands. From Gestalt, to UX, to responsive design, students graduate ready to tackle the challenges they'll face on the job.

Learn the Keys to Production-Ready Design

Balancing principles, practice, feedback, and critique, this course dives deep into in-demand tools and techniques that are relevant across a variety of careers. Learn valuable UI design skills, then apply them, kickstarting your portfolio with responsive web designs.

Get a Head Start With Self-Paced Prep Lessons

Before day one, gain familiarity with the design software such as Sketch, Figma, or Photoshop via optional tutorials. We take a blended approach to learning, so you’ll complete a series of preparatory lessons before each session to get up to speed with the topic and make the most of collaboration time.

Request Full Syllabus

Real-World Portfolio Projects

Graduate with a polished capstone project: A production-ready mockup of a responsive webpage. You’ll build a process presentation deck to showcase how your work evolved from concept, to sketch, to final piece.

Individualized Instructor Support

Get guidance, feedback, and more from experts who are dedicated to supporting your learning and career goals. Instructors are on hand in class and during office hours to offer real-time support and help you turn ideas into action.

Global Network of 97K+ Alumni

Create connections with peers that last well beyond your time in the classroom. As part of the GA alumni community, you’ll gain access to networking events and workshops to keep evolving your career for years to come.

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“This course exposed me to the world of design and changed my thinking about how I view the world and my thought processes with developing products. I am better able to understand the structure and style of my visualizations. I am also able to better communicate with designers.”

Associate, Booz Allen Hamilton
Sarah Murtaza, GA D.C.

Instructors

These design experts bring in-depth experience from the field to the classroom each day, providing invaluable insights into succeeding on the job. 

GA instructors are committed to providing personalized feedback and support to help you gain confidence with key concepts and tools. 

Instructor, Online
Senior Art Director at iProspect
Instructor, Washington, D.C.
Senior User Experience and Interface Designer at Publicis Sapient
Instructor, Online
Principal Product Designer at Walt Disney Parks, Experiences & Products
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“Everyday I have to turn down a designer who is strong at UX but lacks a thorough understanding of visual design. Visual Design helps turn the great insights from UX research into elegant solutions.”

Visual Design Instructor, GA San Francisco
Shawn Sprockett

Flexible Financing Options

Employer Sponsorship

Receive full or partial tuition reimbursement from your company.

As low as

$0

Per your employer’s benefits

Full Tuition

Total cost of course:

$3,500

Private Loans

Apply for a loan from one of our high-quality lenders, Climb, Ascent, or Meritize. Qualify for monthly payments as low as $250 USD at zero interest for 18 months.*

As low as

$250

per month

*Loan approval subject to eligibility.

Installment Plans

Divide tuition into two, three, or four easy payments.

As low as

$1,125

per installment

Want more information about tuition & financing in your area?
Our Admissions team is here to help.

Contact Admissions

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why are visual design skills relevant today?

More than pushing pixels, design is the superpower behind the success of many companies. According to InVision, 92% of mature design organizations can draw a straight line from the efforts of their design team to their company’s revenue.

Design knowledge is also a boon to individual careers. Burning Glass reports that more than a half of tech and IT jobs now require some form of digital design, as well as 815,000 open roles in other industries. Whether you’re creating a digital product, an ad campaign, or a presentation, strong visual communication is critical to convey ideas in meaningful and compelling ways.

What are the professional backgrounds of visual design students?

Visual design skills are a powerful extension to a variety of professional backgrounds. You’ll find a diverse range of students in the classroom, including:

  • Product designers and UX practitioners who are striving for higher-fidelity mockups to more clearly communicate design solutions. InVision reports that 66% of UX designer job postings require UI skills.

  • Digital marketers who are aiming to independently create assets for digital marketing campaigns on for email, social media, and the web.

  • Web developers who are looking to pair visual and graphic design experience with programming skills to build products that are both functional and beautiful.

  • Print or graphic designers who want to switch to digital.

Ultimately, this program attracts a community of eager learners who are interested in gaining a foundation in digital design and kicking off their portfolios.

What does my tuition cover?

Here are just some of the benefits you can expect as a GA student:

  • A practical visual design skill set that can be applied to solve design challenges in a variety of professional contexts.

  • 32 hours of expert instruction from a professional designer.

  • Optional pre-course tutorials for beginners to gain basic familiarity with design software.*

  • Access to our robust coursework, including expert-vetted lesson decks, project toolkits, and more. Refresh and refine your knowledge throughout your professional journey as needed.

  • A real-world project where you’ll apply the visual design techniques to create a production-ready mockup for a responsive webpage and a presentation deck to demonstrate how your work evolved from an idea, to a rough sketch, to a final polished design.

  • Individual feedback and guidance from instructors and TAs during office hours. Stay motivated and make the most of your experience with the help of GA’s dedicated team.

  • Exclusive access to alumni discounts, networking events, and career workshops.

  • A GA course certificate to showcase your new skill set on LinkedIn.

  • Connections with a professional network of instructors and peers that lasts well beyond the course. The global GA community can help you navigate and succeed in the field.
    *Note: While students will use Photoshop, Sketch, Figma, or Adobe XD, the primary focus of this course is on learning design principles rather than becoming proficient in design software.

Will I earn a certificate?

Yes! Upon passing this course, you will receive a signed certificate of completion. Thousands of GA alumni use their course certificate to demonstrate skills to employers and their LinkedIn networks. GA’s Visual Design course is well-regarded by many top employers, who contribute to our curriculum and use our design programs to train their own teams.

Are there any prerequisites for this visual design course?

This is a beginner-friendly program with no prerequisites, although many students have used software such as Photoshop, Sketch, Figma, or Adobe XD* previously and may be familiar with basic visual and graphic design principles. Beginners will have access to optional tutorials to practice using software and boost their confidence ahead of class.

Our Admissions team can discuss your background and learning goals to advise if this course is a good fit for you.

*The design software used in this course varies by market.

Who teaches this course?

Our instructors represent the best and brightest visual design professionals who have designed for Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, Nike, and Redbull. They combine in-depth knowledge as practitioners with a passion for nurturing the next generation of talent.

We work with a large pool of experienced instructors around the world. Please speak with our Admissions team to find out who is teaching the upcoming course in your location.

Can I work full-time while enrolled in this course?

Yes! All of our Short Courses are designed for busy professionals with full-time work commitments. Depending on your location, classes meet twice per week in the evenings, or all day on Saturday. If you’re able to dedicate a full week to learning, we also have a full-time, accelerated 1-week option. You may opt to take this course in-person at one of our 20+ campuses or online via our Remote classroom setup. 

You will be expected to spend time working on homework and projects outside of class hours each week, but the workload is designed to be manageable with a full-time job.

If you need to miss a session or two, we offer resources to help you catch up. We recommend you discuss any planned absences with your instructor.

Which format should I take this course in — on campus or online?

It’s up to you! Our Remote courses offer a learning experience that mirrors GA’s on-campus offerings but allow you to learn from the comfort of home. If you don’t live near a GA campus, have a busy travel schedule, or just want to save yourself the commute, a Remote course could be a good option for you, if available in your market. You’ll still get access to the expert instruction, learning resources, and support network that GA is known for.

If you prefer to learn alongside your peers and can make it to campus, our in-person courses allow you to take advantage of our beautiful classrooms and workspaces.

Our Admissions team can advise you on the best format for your personal circumstances and learning style.

What are my financing options?

We offer a variety of different financing options, including installment plans, so you can focus on what counts — your education. Plus, more than 45% of our part-time students receive full or partial tuition reimbursement from their employers. Speak with our Admissions team to learn more and find the best fit for you and your finances.

What projects will I work on during the course?

Throughout the course, you’ll complete a number of smaller projects designed to reinforce what you’ve learned in each unit, all of which culminate in a final portfolio piece you can show off to stakeholders and future employers. Apply the concepts and tools you’ve learned to create a high-fidelity mockup for a responsive webpage. You’ll also build a process presentation deck to accompany your design that demonstrates how your work evolved from idea, to rough sketch, to polished piece. 

We encourage you to tackle a design challenge that’s related to your work or a passion project you’ve been meaning to carve out time for.

Still curious?