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Get the Skills to Be a Graphic Designer

52-Week Online Graphic Design Program in Canada

The CD-ED online Graphic Design program provides the practical skills and industry support it takes to pursue a creative and rewarding graphic design career, along with the flexibility and convenience of online Distance Learning.

Career Opportunities After Taking Our Online Graphic Design Program

Graduates of this program are fully prepared for a wide range of interesting design positions, including:

  • Graphic Designer
  • Cartoonist
  • Graphic Artist
  • Layout Designer
  • Illustrator
  • Logo Artist
  • Newspaper Layout Artist
  • Advertising Design Technician
  • Icon Designer

Our online graphic design courses will allow you to seek work in dozens of disciplines and companies, including advertising, freelance graphic design, brand identity, publication design, multimedia production, television, publishing houses, print services, government, and much more.

Graphic design font training and logo design possibly produced in one of the online graphic design courses at CD-ED Canada
Many grads choose to work as freelancers or open their own design companies after taking our online Graphic Design courses

Online Graphic Design Courses Focused on Preparing You for a Career

This is career-focused graphic design training. You won’t spend time working through electives or irrelevant content designed to drag out the program and drive up costs. Your digital design classes are tailored to your needs and getting you into a rewarding professional position, without spending a ton of time and money sitting in a classroom.

Throughout the year you will design many types of projects, including

  • Magazines
  • Movie posters
  • Web pages
  • Advertisements
  • Illustrations
  • Children’s books
  • Album covers
  • Postcards
  • Newsletters
  • Annual reports
  • Travel brochures
  • Book covers
  • Calendars
  • Greeting cards
  • Infographics
  • Logos

And more!

You are given plenty of choices in projects, in terms of choosing which “client” you’d like to work with, and even using your own favored businesses and causes for inspiration!

Meet one of CD-ED's Graphic Design graduates, Jennifer, and hear about her experience with CD-ED!

Is Online Career Training Right for You? Take the Centre for Distance Education “Online Career Training Readiness Quiz”

This fun, online quiz takes 3 minutes to complete and you’ll get a personalized report. Identify your strengths and social style plus the training and positions you’re best suited for. Get Your Online Career Training Readiness score now >>

A font book ad of designs from Graphic Design grad Amanda Downey, who took online graphic design courses Canada
Grads who complete online Graphic Design courses at CD-ED come away with a lot of design knowledge and a personal portfolio

Graphic Design Principles to Become a Well-Rounded and Skilled Designer

We have built an engaging, stimulating, relevant, and FUN program for you! Our goal is to ensure you can easily take on the thought processes, philosophies, and business practices of a working graphic designer.

I am in the Graphic Design program in CD-ED and it has been nothing but amazing. From the care the instructor puts in, and to the student services team as well.When searching for programs, I found other colleges were asking 3 times the amount CD-ED was, while offering a very similar course. I loved that CD-ED is 100% online and can be done from anywhere. This was very important to me.I am two weeks away from being done my course, and I am excited and ready to begin my career in Graphic Design.
Lauren, Graphic Design Student

Let’s take a look at some of the big-picture concepts you will be learning through our Online Graphic Design certification program to add into your daily practice and working processes:

Professional Software Skills

The creative design software section of the program gives you the essential tools needed to increase workflow and produce usable, attractive graphics while learning:

ps_iconAdobe Photoshop

id_iconAdobe InDesign

adobe_illustrator_draw_logo_screen_rgb_48pxAdobe Illustrator

I am absolutely in love with this course, and I can honestly say that I wouldn’t want to spend my time any other way. Everyone has been so friendly, and my teacher is nothing but great and inspiring. I’m so grateful for everyone who has made this experience so smooth.
Vanessa B.

You Own Portfolio

There’s nothing that will help get you hired – or win you new clients – like a beautiful portfolio of your existing design work. Throughout the entire program, your projects are critiqued and, with the help of instructor feedback, refined to create a series of pieces unique to YOU for a professional presentation of your capabilities. Then, you are provided with the skills to create a strong, striking portfolio that can be presented digitally, in print, and on the web. The portfolio is geared towards earning you employment opportunities in a firm or as a freelance designer.

About Distance Education & Online Learning

CD-ED’s online graphic design program includes all the theory and practical training of traditional learning, without the set schedule, costly commute or rigid lesson plans of traditional learning.

But it’s not right for everyone.

Online Learning requires discipline and time-management skills. You will be required to devote a minimum of 25 hours per week to this program.

The online classroom works very well, and I haven’t had any problems with the lesson submissions. I really commend the designers of this online classroom for a very good, user friendly design. I have done other online courses where the logging in and out of various portals and sites was a nightmare and consumed more time than doing the course. There is a human touch here at CD-ED that is not present at other distance education providers.
Rosemary Hayes, Graphic Design Student

Online Graphic Design Courses – Program Curriculum

25 hrs/wk, 52 Weeks, 1300 Hours

WeeksHoursCodeCourse Subject
1 – 250DES 101Design Theory
3 – 325DES 102Creativity
4 – 425ENG 105Writing Skills
5 – 10150GRA 101Adobe Photoshop
11 – 1250DES 103Color Theory
13 – 18150GRA 103Adobe Illustrator
19 – 2175DES 201Advanced Design Theory
22 – 27150GRA 104Adobe InDesign
28 – 33150DES 104Typography
34 – 37100ENG 106Communications
38 – 4075DES 105Logo Design
41 – 4375DES 106Print Design
44 – 47100DES 205Identity Design
48 – 4825ENG 107Presentation Design
49 – 4925DES 107Designing for the Web
50 – 5275GRA 109Portfolio Design & OHS

The best way to see if taking online Graphic Design courses through the Centre for Distance Education is right for you is to contact an admissions representative. Get more information about career opportunities, our programs, and financial aid options. Get more info now >>

Required For Enrollment:

Applicants to this program may have grade 12 or equivalency, but it is not required.
Applicants without grade 12 or equivalent must achieve a pre-determined score on our scholastic level exam and have their application reviewed by the Registrar.

The Centre for Distance Education Inc. reserves the right to accept or reject applications based on the entire application package and information submitted by the applicant during the enrolment process. 

For any questions about eligibility, please call 1-866-446-5898 to speak with a knowledgeable CD-ED Admissions Representative.

Online Community Learning

As a CD-ED student, you have the freedom to create your own weekly schedule – but you’re far from on your own. Our student website ensures that you’ll never feel alone, with access to course-wide discussions, live chats and a private messaging system that allow you to interact with as many (or as few!) fellow students as you wish. Plus, you will have weekly interaction with your instructors.

  • Convenient Online Learning Platform
  • Instructor Support
  • Access to Online Resources
  • Industry Software & Materials

With my education I have successfully landed a full time graphic design job, which I got really fast. I am also surprised every day about the skill and knowledge I am using at work as at the time when I was learning it, I did not think it was super important. Though the Centre is on the other side of the country, I really felt like I was part of a community as they made me feel like an individual and not just a stranger through the screen. The school has taught me everything I need for success in my field.

Jenna Folstrom, Graphic Design Graduate

Is a Creative Career in Graphic Design Right For You? Get More Info…

If you’re interested in learning more about careers in Graphic Design, and exploring whether Online Distance Education with CD-ED is right for you, fill out the form on this page to receive more information or take our online training readiness quiz!

A helpful CD-ED Admissions Representative will be happy to answer any questions and can help with everything from career paths to financial aid.

For immediate questions, give us a call at 1-866-446-5898