Graphic design students (left) are developing drawing skills that will help them be creative when they produce computer-generated graphics.
Students in Advertising & Graphic Design work both with computers and by hand, taking design, drawing, photography, and graphical software courses to earn their degrees.
The Advertising & Graphic Design Department graduated its first class in the summer of 2005. We were excited to send the grads out into the workforce. Each year more graduates join the local workforce.
For new students, the program includes courses in "hands-on" art and design classes as well as computer courses in all of the industry pertinent software and technologies—Photoshop, Illustrator, Dreamweaver, InDesign, Quark, Acrobat and electives offered teaching Flash, Fireworks, HTML, and CSS. Creativity and technology combine to prepare students for the wide variety of job opportunities in this exciting field.
Our advisors in the Graphics Design Industry tell us that they are looking for employees who are artistic, skilled in industry standard computer graphics and Web design software, with strong people skills to work with clients, and are able to wrap it all up with creativity that raises them above the competition.
We have 2 Macintosh Computer Labs for students' use. These computers represent efforts to prepare our students for the world in which they will be employed. Instructor Woody Hayes (below) holds class in one of the new Mac Labs.
Information on Job Opportunities for Graduates
Students who complete the Advertising & Graphics Design Program will be qualified in a broad variety of interrelated fields. Advertising includes areas such as newspaper & magazine advertising. There are many newspapers, from major Metropolitan to smaller local area, service papers and magazines. Specialty areas, such as promotional materials, for everything from restaurants to bank key chains, is a huge field. Illustrations for books and other stories, posters, computer clip art, and brochures spans another field. Many photography studios require computer graphics employees. Product and Packaging design in every commercial industry uses designers. Just think of all the visuals you see every day and know that there is a graphics designer behind them.
Program Planning Guides are available online.