Digital Media & Design

What is Digital Media & Graphic Design?

 
In the world of communications “digital media” refers to digitized content used to communicate a message. Consequently, all of this media is designed for, distributed via, and edited in various digital formats. There are many elements that go into the art of digital media, but perhaps one of the better known is the area of graphic design.
 
Graphic design will prepare students for careers in design and creative visual media fields.
 
Many campus-based and online digital media degrees place an emphasis on the fundamentals of graphic design, making this area of study very exciting. If you’d like to launch a career in this ever-changing field, it’s important that you secure an education that provides a framework for success.
 

Picking an Education That Fits Your Digital Media & Graphic Design Needs

 
With many digital media programs, certificates, and courses at your fingertips, it’s important to pick a learning format that delivers what you need.
 
There are many graphic design and/or comprehensive digital media programs. As such, it’s important to seek a graphic design training program that helps students master the fundamentals. As such, you can expect to learn how to create, edit and distribute digital files like audio, video, text, and interactive media.
 
From design theory to visual and sound-editing, you should leave your studies prepared to work with all types of digital content, as well as applicable tools and software. 
 

Online Classroom

Whether you’re seeking a budget-friendly education or perhaps you just require a more flexible classroom environment, there are many online graphic design courses available. Not only can students now access state-of-the-art digital media courses online; there are comprehensive digital media certificate programs and digital media schools online. This allows you to enter the world of digital media at any stage of life, either learning a new skill or earning an entire graphic design degree online.
 

College Campus

Looking for a more personalized education that allows for closer mentorship and guidance? There are lots of traditional colleges that offer graphic design. With the same foundation in the fundamentals of digital media and graphic design, you can earn your education from a digital media arts college in a physical classroom amongst peers and knowledgeable instructors.
 

Career Opportunities

 
You may be wondering what life looks like once you’ve secured your graphic design education. While there is no one career path for individuals with this background, graphic design undergraduate and graduate degrees or even course-based training lends itself to self employment, office jobs, or even freelance careers. And with nearly every industry requiring digital media support, this skillset opens the doors to all sorts of employment opportunities.
 
Just as work environments vary, so does compensation throughout this field. While the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported graphic designers earning a median salary of $48,700 in 2017,  private sector work or even  freelance projects sometimes allow for more competitive wages.