Specs Howard School: Graphic Design Program

Graphic design is everywhere!

You'll find it within the flyers, special offers, coupons, invitations, and catalogs you fish out of your mailbox. When you pick up a magazine or newspaper, you'll see it on every page and in every detail, from the headlines to the ads. It’s a part of every web site you’ve ever visited, including the one you're looking at right now! It’s on buses, billboards, signs, and business cards. It’s at the grocery store on food labels, soft drinks and even your favorite shampoo.

There simply isn’t a day that goes by that you’re not bombarded by graphic design. Indeed, the daily assault keeps a lot of professional people busy and — most importantly — employed.

Graphic designers select and arrange visual elements such as color, typography, images, and symbols to convey a message to people. Some messages are very loud, sort of like your neighbor's plaid pants, while others are more understated and subtle. For instance, the use of bold colors and lines are likely to demand attention while clean lines and text are apt to imply elegance.

The graphic design program at Specs Howard is designed to teach you the fundamentals of good design and provide an introduction to the skills you need to land an entry-level position in the design field. Practical exercises in a Mac® lab containing the current hardware and software. You will learn to create web sites, advertisements, media presentations, and more.

Based on the hands-on philosophy students have come to expect from Specs Howard, the new one-year graphic design program will teach you the basics of print and web design utilizing Adobe Creative Suite 3 Design Premium®. You will learn to alter and edit images in Photoshop, draw images and logos in Illustrator, animate in Flash, prepare print layouts using InDesign and create professional web sites in Dreamweaver. You will also learn how to market yourself and create your own design portfolio.

Admissions Requirements
You must be a high school graduate or a GED recipient. If you are a high school senior who has satisfied all other admissions requirements, you may register but your enrollment will be contingent upon receiving a high school diploma. All applicants must pass an entrance evaluation consisting of two parts: a general aptitude test and a grammar test.

Choice of Class Schedules
Classes meet two days a week: Mondays & Wednesdays or Tuesdays & Thursdays
Morning: 8:30 AM – 1:00 PM
Afternoon: 1:15 PM – 5:45 PM
Evening: 6:00 PM – 10:30 PM

Online Class Requirements
6 hours of content per week is delivered online

Lab Hours
Open all day on Fridays (8:30 AM-10:30 PM)

Click here to learn more about the graphic design program's curriculum >>