What role does graphic design play in your business?

Graphic design plays a huge role in your business and its brand identity, as well as influencing how others perceive your business and its values. As a result, graphic design and the work your designers produce have a huge influence on your overall brand. This includes:

• Your visual identity, including everything from the fonts you use to the color palette
• Your advertising and marketing, including any ads, graphics, emails, and more
• Your user interface, whether it's your website, your app, or anything else your customers use associated with your business

Reasons why graphic design training is important to your business

We’ve highlighted how graphic design plays a huge part in your business and helps to establish your brand and your values. After all, anything your customers see will have had input from a graphic designer in some way.

That’s why regular graphic design training is so important. You want to make sure everything your team produces is of the highest quality - and your business is responsible for providing everything they need to do to ensure that. This includes graphic design training.

More reasons why graphic design training is crucial include:

• It helps establish a strong first impression for potential clients and customers
• You’ll attract the right audience at the right time, which can increase sales
• It maintains a professional image throughout everything you produce
• You’ll continue building your brand identity, which goes far beyond a logo
• It presents information and ideas in a clear and concise way

How can your employees learn about graphic design?

There are a number of ways employees can learn about graphic design so you can ensure they have the skills and knowledge they need to produce consistent quality work.

There are plenty of blogs, websites, videos and books that are available on graphic design. They can work as fantastic sources of information and inspiration - however, they risk becoming outdated quickly, especially when covering the more technical aspects of graphic design.

In-person, classroom-based learning is a great way to learn, however, this can be time-consuming and expensive. It can also get in the way of an employee's day-to-day responsibilities, which can lead to disruptions and added pressure.

If you have a large team of graphic designers, each individual member of the team will have their own strengths, so they will be able to pass on this skill and knowledge to others. Work shadowing is also a useful method, but not suitable for long-term development.

One of the most cost-effective and flexible options is eLearning. Online graphic design courses are self-directed, so learning can be done as and when an employee has the time available. Courses also cover a wide range of topics, so employees can also choose to learn about what interests them.

The advantages of eLearning

As we highlighted above, eLearning is flexible and cost-effective. This comes from online course materials having already been produced and can be accessed any time and anywhere - and on any device. This also means that eLearning doesn’t have to interrupt employees’ day-to-day responsibilities, so it doesn’t add to their workloads and cause unnecessary stress.

Even during busy periods with little downtime, eLearning makes development possible. Because eLearning courses can be picked up and put down when needed, even if an employee has as little as 15 minutes of time for learning each week, a one-hour course can be completed in just a month. And thanks to also being accessible on mobile devices, learning can even be done during the morning commute.

There are plenty of other advantages that mean eLearning is a great way for employees to develop their design skills:

• Scalability is simple and budget-friendly
• Learning can be far more personalized, so employees can upskill in areas that interest them and benefit your business
• Remote and hybrid employees can learn from the same materials as those who are office-based
• Employees can begin learning as soon as a skills gap has been identified
• eLearning courses can always be revisited, making them a valuable resource

Can anyone learn graphic design?

Yes, anyone can learn graphic design, with the fundamentals focusing on color theory, typography, composition, and imagery. It’s also possible for anyone to learn how to use graphic design tools and software which can aid a designer in making stand-out, on-brand designs every time.

However, something that is harder to learn is a natural flair for design or a sense of style. This is a skill that many feel comes from within, however, it can be developed and refined with practice and learning. Great designs don’t often happen by accident - they’re a result of dedication and sometimes even trial and error.

Online graphic design courses help teach employees the skills, knowledge, techniques, and insights they need to become confident designers, building on the experience and training they’ve already had.

What are the best graphic design courses?

There are plenty of online courses in graphic design which are available to access right now. From the fundamentals to advanced topics, eLearning offers employees one of the best ways to learn.

Useful courses for those new to graphic design include:

• Design Fundamentals: Getting Started
• Graphic Design Fundamentals: Type
• Graphic Design Fundamentals: Form & Image
• Adobe Photoshop CC Beginner
• Graphic Design Fundamentals: Color
• Graphic Design Fundamentals: Layout

Advanced graphic design courses for refresher training and upskilling include:

• Illustrator CS5 Advanced
• Advanced Typography: Fine Tuning and Finessing
• Photoshop CS5 Advanced
• Advanced Automation in Photoshop
• Creative Effects in Photoshop

Ready to train your employees in graphic design?

Here at Go1 we have a range of graphic design courses so employees of all experience levels can develop their knowledge and produce better work for your business. For more information on how Go1 can support your organization’s learning and development strategy, book a demo with us today.