Online Advertising Design Degrees
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Advertising design is a great career path for someone looking to apply their creative abilities in a business-related profession. Most advertising designers have obtained a degree in an art-related field -- though some also come from marketing or advertising schools -- and generally land positions as graphic designers. Advertising design work incorporates art and aesthetics with the principles of marketing, so it is helpful for aspiring graphic designers to have some knowledge of the basics.
Advertising designers combine the worlds of art and marketing to create visual pieces that represent a product or organization. Most advertising designers work as part of a firm with many other designers. Outside clients hire the firm to assist with a marketing campaign or other project, and the designers work as a team to produce samples which, if approved, will go on to be produced and made available the public. Most people who pursue this career path do so as a way to make art for a living in a field that can be highly lucrative. Because of the potential for impressive promotions and salaries, the competition for these jobs is fierce, so applicants with the most training and experience stand the best odds of being accepted.
Featured Accredited Schools Offering Online Advertising Design Degrees
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What are some of the specializations within this degree program?
Advertising design professionals will most likely specialize in the type of art at which they are particular skilled, such as cartoons, graphics, photography, or text.
What degree levels are available?
- Associate Degree: 2 years to complete
- Bachelor's Degree (BA): 4 years to complete
- Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA): 4 years to complete
- Master's Degree (MA): 2 years to complete
- Master's of Fine Arts (MFA): 2 years to complete
What are the educational and certification requirements?
Because of the competitive nature of this field, potential candidates would be well advised to pursue as high a degree as they are able. An associate degree is acceptable for some advertising design positions, but most will require a bachelor's at least. After some years, the lower-level positions available to associate degree students can provide enough experience to qualify them promotions or positions with larger firms. Associate degrees can be obtained through two-year graphic design programs that emphasize the basics of digital design software and image composition. Students come out with a simple portfolio and technical knowledge and may be able to gain employment with their skills as entry-level graphic design assistants.
Students will find and be prepared for more opportunities if they have a BA or BFA in graphic design. These four-year degrees indicate to design firms that the graduate has spent significant time immersed in the study of graphic design and has accumulated an advanced portfolio of work. In addition to having more time to practice and study graphic design, a bachelor's degree also allows for the opportunity to take marketing and advertising courses or even pursue a minor in them. By taking courses in graphic design and marketing together, students gain a more comprehensive understanding of the field they hope to enter.
An MA or MFA in advertising design is an opportunity for a graphic designer with some work experience to advance their career by continuing their education; the degree may also help a new designer to enter a firm in a more senior position than they otherwise would. Master's degree programs allow for more specialization than others, so designers can practice their skills and become acquainted with new techniques and software while pursuing a specific avenue of graphic design, like web design. This specialized knowledge combined with practical experience in the field makes designers with MAs and MFAs likely candidates for senior positions -- for example, art directors or design supervisors -- in advertising design firms.
There are no certification requirements for advertising designers at the moment, though there is a movement to change this. Many schools do offer certificates for their students that attest to their proficiency in a certain software program or a design concept, which can let potential employers know where a candidate's strengths are or demonstrate that the candidate has gone above the required steps. However, graphic designers are free to begin work without passing any standard exam or requirements.
What kinds of classes will I be expected to take?
- Design Principles for Advertising: Although there are many similarities across different types of graphic design, there are some principles and ideas that are unique to advertising design. Students can expect to learn how to use graphic design basics as they apply to the creation of advertisement including how to highlight important textual clues, and how to create images which promote subliminal product advancement.
- Digital Typography: With thousands of different typefaces to choose from for every design, this class covers how to differentiate different type faces and explains when to use certain fonts and when to use others for the best results.
- Two-Dimensional Illustration: Have you ever wondered how some images just seem to pop out of the page and speak to you? This class covers how to turn a 2-D image into an exciting landscape for graphical expression.
- Web Design: Any advertising designer today has to be comfortable with not just print design, but website design. This course covers basic dos and don'ts for website design to maximize the quality and effectiveness of web-designed advertisements.
- Electronic Publishing: It is one thing to design an advertisements for the web, but to actually know how to put it out there yourself gives you a competitive edge in the marketplace. This course covers how to publish websites and advertisements in the electronic age.
If I pursue this program online, will I be required to complete any on-site training?
Online advertising design programs do not require any on-site training.
What are some other degrees that are related to this program?
- Graphic Design: Graphic designers are employed by a wide range of companies, media organization, and other firms in order to help them graphically present their information in an appealing manor. Graphic designers learn how to use images and text to create visually stunning presentations, brochures, advertisements, book covers, and many other materials.
- Interactive Media Design: Interactive media design is similar to graphic design in its mission, but designers in this field use different tools to create promotional materials on electronic platforms that are interactive in nature (i.e. the user can interact with them through clicking and rolling over). This type of design is increasingly in demand as more programs move toward user interface on electronic platforms like computers and tablets.
- Website Design: Website designers use the tools of graphic designers combined with complex HTML, Java, and other computer programing languages to make both visually interactive and user-friendly websites for companies and organizations. Web designers are in a growing industry that places a premium on the ability to create easy-to-use websites that can draw more users to visit and interact with.
- Print Design: Although it is the most traditional field of design, it is still a very popular and in-demand career. Print designers use graphic design concepts to create print materials that are both visually stunning and capable of promoting or adapting to the particular purpose at hand.
