About the Certificate
Develop your creativity and visual communication skills to shape ideas, captivate audiences, or affect social change. Graphic design is utilized in many industries to create everything from packaging and logos to branding and marketing collateral, among other applications.
After completing the Graphic Design Certificate Program, you will be prepared for entry-level positions in the graphic design industry. Learn from experienced professionals and artists, connect with a network of creatives, and receive career support, including career counseling, career assessment, internship advising, and employer networking opportunities. Ultimately, you will create a professional-quality portfolio demonstrating conceptual, design, and technical proficiency for entry-level positions in the graphic design industry.
What You Will Learn:
- How graphic designers apply foundational skills, including composition, imagery, typography, photography, and illustration to communicate messages
- How to create and utilize logos, symbols, and letterforms successfully
- Advanced application of typography for still, motion, and interactive platforms
- Professional output methods—digital and print
- Industry-standard tools, including Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign, and more
- Professional practices relevant to a graphic design career and portfolio development
Prospective Student Resources
- Attend an Info Session for certificate details and a registration discount
- View a course planning document to learn more about course sequence and timelines
- Submit materials to waive a required course
- Review our policies and FAQs for answers to common questions, including refund schedules, information for international students, and details about various certificate processes
- Chat with us during drop-in hours: Wednesdays from 3:00-4:00 p.m. via Zoom
- Schedule an appointment with an Extension Advisor
- Email certificates@otis.edu with any questions
Program Costs
- Approximate Course Cost: $553*
- Total Number of Courses: 14
- Estimated Total Tuition: $7,742**
*Cost for an online course after certificate tuition discount. Upon submitting the
certificate application and fee, students qualify for a 15% tuition discount per course
at the time of enrollment.
**Cost after certificate tuition discount. Courses are individually priced. Tuition
and course fees are paid at the time of enrollment in each course. Total tuition is
not paid in advance or in a lump sum. Additional course fees or materials costs may
apply.
Eligibility and Requirements
Students must be 18+ years of age to enroll. No portfolio or prior experience is required.
Individuals interested in this certificate program can take up to two courses before committing to the program. Before beginning their third course, students are required to submit a Certificate Program Enrollment Application with a non-refundable $185 application fee.
Students are notified of their certificate application results three times per year according to the following dates:
- Between 8/6/2026 - 9/26/2026 for Fall 2026 start
Computer and Technology Requirements
Note: please refer to each individual course page for additional supplies, materials, and software requirements.
- Computer with camera and sound capabilities; reliable internet connection
- A second device with screen such as iPad, tablet, or second computer with working audio, built-in webcam, and microphone
- Camera (smart phone or DSLR camera) with the ability to transfer files to your computer
- Hard drive with at least 250 GB of storage
- Optional: external web camera and USB microphone headset
Required Courses
What is good design? Line, space, balance, value, texture, perspective—these are just a few of the elements and principles that designers engage with to create strong design solutions. This course provides a thorough introduction to visual elements, language, and applications fundamental to 2-dimensional design. Through weekly assignments, students apply design principles using digital or traditional media. This course builds confidence in the design process for beginners and professionals by focusing on perception and thinking, historic and current references, and craftsmanship. Instruction includes design projects, online lectures, online discussion, process, and critique.
Apply graphic design techniques to various assets commonly used in the graphic design industry. Students problem-solve, identify, and present solutions typical of professional client-based projects. They create a creative deck with compelling copy to accompany a creative presentation for a variety of visual content and social shares. Topics include consideration to technical requirements, critical feedback, and revisions as they design for various formats including package design, infographics, UX/UI, motion, and social media.
Learn the fundamentals of a design campaign. In this course, students develop design skills, aesthetic approaches, and strategies to produce advertisements in various formats with attention to typography, copy, and layouts. With exposure to historical and current case studies, students learn professional workflows relevant to marketing design industry environments. Students complete assignments including campaigns that exist in various formats including billboards, social media, and publications.
Color is emotional. A color resonates based on memory, cultural bias, and personal preference. Artists and designers alike communicate effectively through choice of hue, saturation, and value. In this course, knowledge and understanding of color are developed through weekly exercises and homework projects. Through lecture, demonstration, critique, and practical experience, students investigate color theory; fundamental elements, principles, and terminology; color systems, color modes; and more. Students develop an investigative process for problem-solving, revising, and inventing through the application of color as it exists in physical and digital worlds.
Deepen your understanding of color systems and their strategic applications across design disciplines. In this course, students expand beyond foundational principles to explore how color operates in professional contexts such as fashion, interiors, graphic design, gaming, product design, and branding. Through practical, software-integrated assignments and industry-specific critiques, students refine their palettes and develop advanced visual fluency with color. Artists and designers with foundational color theory knowledge are encouraged to enroll.
Successful brands use visual storytelling to shape consumer perception and build lasting connections. Through hands-on projects and real-world applications, students build a complete visual brand system from concept and research to execution and implementation. Focusing on professional standards, students use industry tools to create polished portfolio pieces, including logos, promotional items, and web and social assets. Discussions and case studies will explore branding fundamentals, generational marketing insights, the impact of brands as cultural influencers, and emerging trends in the branding landscape. The course emphasizes critical thinking, art direction, and consistency across brand touchpoints.
Whether your interest is in producing motion graphics or digital images and illustrations, you need to start with the basics and become familiar with the digital tools of the trade. This hands-on course introduces students to static and motion graphics digital applications that are the industry standard for design professionals in areas of graphic design, motion graphics, digital illustration, and digital art— Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe InDesign, and Adobe After Effects.
Whether your interest is in producing a billboard, brochure, or poster, you need to start with the basics and become familiar with the digital tools of the trade. This hands-on course introduces students to print-specific digital applications that are the industry standard for design professionals —Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Acrobat, and Adobe InDesign.
The ability to produce vector graphics is a “must-have” skill for any modern artist or designer. Adobe Illustrator is the world’s leading vector graphics application used for producing professional-quality logos, package design, signage, and so much more. This hands-on course introduces students to the basics of working with Illustrator to create compelling designs.
Adobe Photoshop isn’t just for photographers. Its multitude of applications makes it a go-to tool for creatives. This course teaches a comprehensive understanding of Photoshop and how digital imaging and is used in various professional applications. Students learn the basics of interface elements, keyboard shortcuts, and file management before diving into more advanced topics such as masks, selections, color correction, and layering techniques to create various effects. Through hands-on projects, they develop essential skills to paint digitally, retouch images, and manipulate photos. This course is recommended for anyone who wishes to develop technical foundations for a range of digital art and design careers.
Explore digital print production using Adobe InDesign and develop the technical knowledge needed to prepare polished, production-ready files. Students conceptualize, design, and mock up portfolio pieces using a wide range of printed media. Projects include designing a three-piece self-promotion series, full-color business cards, and press kits for print.
Curate your body of work and get your talent noticed in the marketplace. In this required course, advanced students enrolled in the Graphic Design certificate program will create a portfolio from work produced throughout their course of study. Students will receive individualized critique and guidance in technical and conceptual development. Students work independently and collaboratively to create a professional-quality portfolio demonstrating relevant skills and experience for their chosen industry.
Graphic designers use typography and images to design compelling compositions, messages, and art. This continuation of Introduction to Graphic Design explores the interaction of text and image through conceptualizing graphic imagery, creating aesthetics, and utilizing visual grouping and hierarchy. Students will expand their proficiency in all aspects of the design process, including creative brainstorming, conceptualizing, critical thinking, collaboration, and presentation. Understanding of form, balance, structure, typography, image, space, and color will be further developed through lectures, readings, assignments, and class discussions.
How do designers express ideas? Layout, typography, symbols, photography, and illustration are strategically combined to convey a message, tell a story, or distinguish a brand. Through weekly hands-on assignments and in-depth interactive discussions, students are introduced to a wide variety of topics in graphic design. Students explore the fundamentals of visual communication through the exploration of composition, imagery, and typography. Also covered are the creative process, curation, problem-solving, historic context, and career options. Students complete assignments digitally, by hand with traditional materials, or by combining both. This is an excellent course to begin working toward a professional graphic design portfolio.
Why is Helvetica so widely used? Sans Serif or Serif? If these questions sound familiar, this course is just your type. While learning typography, students consider type classifications and production, with an emphasis on the mechanics of type, including measurements, type spacing, and composition. The anatomy of basic letterforms and letter indication are also explored. Students in this course produce a small booklet or a poster.
This advanced typography course explores the use of typography as a means of communication through various applications among still, motion, environmental, and interactive platforms. Students refine their use of typography as it exists with other visual elements to arrive at individualized aesthetic and conceptual approaches. They develop strategies to enhance readability, create emphasis, structure, and organization. Through industry standard digital tools, they produce projects including a typeface design and a motion design project.