Hello! I am Mira, and I am presently within the technique of making an attempt to determine what I might prefer to go to school for, and my lovers mother mentioned I ought to do graphic design, I’ve achieved small graphic design tasks on-line for individuals however I am closely contemplating it. I am additionally going to highschool in hopefully Canada. Does anybody have any recommendation, or useful feedback?
Graphic design can be tough to get work in. Have a look at areas you can expand into. My wife did a masters and moved from graphic design to ux/ui interaction design. Pays better and very creative. Just food for thought
Get an associates or a bachelors degree in design, spend and internship at an AGENCY, then work at an agency or a reputable in-house studio for 1-2 years before moving into your next role.
While a degree is necessary to be successful, it doesn’t need to be from a prestigious school. Your portfolio will speak more than your degree.
Hi Mira,
It’s important to choose a field that you’re passionate about, and it sounds like you’ve already had some experience with graphic design projects.
If you’re interested in studying graphic design in Canada, it might be helpful to research the various colleges and universities that offer programs in this field. You can find information about specific programs and their curricula on the schools’ websites. It might also be helpful to talk to current students or graduates of these programs to get a sense of their experiences.
In addition to researching specific programs, it might be helpful to think about what kind of work you want to do as a graphic designer. Do you want to work in print design, digital design, or both? Do you have a particular area of interest, such as branding or user experience design? Understanding your goals and interests can help you choose a program that aligns with your career aspirations.
I hope this helps!
I’m a Canadian based designer and have been in the industry for 20 years. Feel free to DM me with any questions you may have and I’ll do my best to help you.
Are you planning on going to a trades college or university?
I graduated from the community college in Halifax with a certificate in design. Amazing program at NSCC.
We have a fine art college in the city that offers a BA in Design, but I’ve spoken to a few people that have graduated from that program and they said they had a hard time finding work due to a lack of technical experience. Their work is amazing, but they weren’t taught the technical side of the trade.
Just some observations I’ve made, reach out if you have any questions.
Graphic design doesn’t usually require college and I noticed that going for business and having a minor in design can be better than getting a degree just in graphic design.
In fact I went for graphic design and noticed I wasn’t learning anything except in the little bit of business classes I was taking. I had previous design and art experience. I left college before getting the degree.
I regret not going for business and learning how to start my own legal company while that young because there’s nothing better than working for yourself and while young there’s more chances you can find support if your business doesn’t go well at first and make your way up before you lose a lot of your support group as you age and things happen in life.
Experience is far more valuable than schooling in design and you can get that experience while in school so it is more important to know how to make that skill into a career through school than learning design itself.
It is also very difficult to become a graphic designer because it’s a highly competitive field with not as much business as it used to have because of a combination of corporate greed, an economy hit hard by covid, and advances in technology.
I think doing what you can enjoy and having a skill that allows you to work for yourself if need be is important and that is why I do think graphic design is worth it but business classes are extremely important to take so you can freelance without legal and financial issues.
It also allows you to take anything you are good at and make it profitable if it continues to become more difficult to get work in creative fields. For all we know, it could get easier too. The future isn’t completely predictable.
Also, not every place has a company that will employ designers so being able to work for yourself will give you an advantage. You could work online and not worry if you have a reputable employer.
Hi Mira.
I’m Canadian. I studied graphic design.
I went to George Brown college in Toronto for the 3year design program. I loved it. It was thoroughly a wonderful experience, and I learned a lot.
When I first graduated, I found it difficult to find work. That’s understandable for the times… it was the mid 90s, and there was a bit of a recession. Also, I originally wanted to work in advertising… and at that time, most big agencies only hired grads from OCAD, which put me at a bit of a disadvantage…
But after knocking on doors for a year I finally got a position as a junior designer at an ad agency.
These days it’s all changed. Making Tv commercials isn’t the ‘dream’ that most kids have now… now it’s about the web, or designing apps or whatever… lol, which is precisely what I do now … by the end of the 90s I left advertising to get into web development and application design… and boy I’m glad I did 🙂
Toronto is an incredible place to live and to go to school…it’s fun, vibrant and best of all, Toronto is a hotbed for tech companies and design firms…
I can promise you two things.
One, being a designer is an awesome career.
Two, it’s hard. Like anything else, you get out of it what you put into it. Money and success is what will come out of that hard work… but it takes time. You’ll make mistakes, you’ll have jobs where you will be working for jerks and awful people… these things happen. Just keep improving, keep moving forward.
I’m 50 now, and the creative director at a software company. It’s a dream job. It took a long time to get here, and a lot of hard work, but one thing that has never changed is my love for design… and THAT is the secret. To truly succeed, you kind of have to be a real geek about it… you have to love this stuff… I still get up every day and when I start working, I spend the first hour or so visiting every design blog, tech blog etc to see what’s new, to see where things are going, to chat with other designers around the world. I try to keep up with it all because I find it endlessly fascinating. After all these years, I still just love it 🙂
I wish you all the best, and think you’re going to have the time of your life 🙂
If you have any questions, feel free to hit me up to chat 🙂
Take full advantage of your time during undergrad. Do internships, try to land freelance work, devote your time to developing your skills and portfolio outside of your studies. Your professional portfolio is JUST as important as your degree! Good luck to you! I’m in my second year of undergrad BFA in Graphic Design
I love the GD field and there is opportunity out there. Major respect for wanting to further your education! Just want to make something clear, as i think this is common misconception with graphic design. If you go to school for graphic design; you will be going to ART school. What that means for your actual interests or how you value that degree will be up to you.
Also please just call him your boyfriend
i’m in college for graphic design in ontario, currently in second year (have experience in similar program at a different college) if you want to chat about admin requirements or which programs to apply to feel free to dm me 🙂
Research the program first – and honestly making sure they are teaching you some code or motion graphics. It will open way more doors that way.
Second some other sentiments here. See what’s available for where you want to work.
Design is a fairly bloated field and, being honest, most businesses that aren’t design businesses don’t care/understand what investing in quality design can do.
If you can, maybe specialize. UI/UX is big, motion/video graphics are less common, and, if you’ve got the mind for it, 3D design is good. Everyone knows Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, so you gotta bring something unique. Otherwise, places are gonna be paying the owner’s 15 year old nephew instead of hiring a quality artist.
Personally, if I could do it all again, I would not have pursued design at all. Not saying you should, but it’s really not a priority for most businesses and it makes it that much harder to find a good paying job unless you go freelance.
I had been interested in graphic design before the internet was a thing. I went into university to pursue my passion and came out broken. Basically university made everything feel like a chore.
My advice: university/college requires the right angle of approach. It will challenge you — but you need to challenge it back. MAKE BUSINESS PARTNERS OUT OF YOUR PEERS in college/university. Make good friends and lasting relationships and keep in touch. I regret wanting to leave uni as fast as I can to strike out on my own. Worst decision ever. You need to branch out. University isn’t there to teach you graphic design — it is there for your to APPLY what you already know to real-world scenarios— it is there to guide you on standards — but most importantly it is there to expose you to other people and THEIR ideas — and hopefully you will take advantage of that opportunity to grow with everyone else.
In the end I finished on time because I had aced most of my plates and pieces every time. In hindsight (since my dad was paying for everything) I should have fallen back 2 years and spent more time developing connections with people. I should have taken an additional honors year. But I didn’t, and that was all 23 years ago and I have no one to blame but myself.
You can be successful alone — but youd be a hell lot more successful if you can get other people to build your ideas.
Balance your design degree with a strong business background. Agency work is great, but there are tons of other avenues for work in the design field.
I work in fashion, started with a graphic design degree which led to an internship. During my internship the company went under a major overhaul. My ability to show an understanding of the business side got me hired full time, eventually transferred over to the Product Management side, now I run an entire category for a global organization.
I still get to be creative, through briefing/presentations/numbers, and wouldn’t have been able to get there without being a well rounded contributor.
Learn how to:
Use Office Suite
Use Google Office
Understand business dialog/jargon/conversations
Read some HBR management books
Stay up-to date on design trends (don’t become a 1-trick pony)
I can’t tell you how many designers are clueless about the business side, and I’ve seen it stunt their career advancement and employment choices ++++ you will make more money.
Hi Mira, I am a Canadian designer as well (10+ years), so my DM’s are open too if you need them.
Out of my univeraity graduating class, I am considered a “unicorn” as I went straight into graphic design work after graduating and have stayed in the field. Lots of folks either couldn’t find work, or found they wanted to do something else and ended up going back to school. So it can be super tough. Where I ended up in my career however, is perhaps not considered to be a conventional field for most graphic designers, as it has to do with safety and product design.
So my advice would be:
* There are going to be points in school or in your career where you will not “love” what you are doing. Even passion projects require practice, boring “grindy get through it” moments, administration, project management, repetitive tasks etc. If graphic design is something that you are deeply passionate about and lose track of time doing it, then it may be a good career field for you.
* Get that portfolio started!
* Look at lots of different design fields, and learn what you like about them. You may be surprised at what you find you get excited about.
* Many different schools will either have a course format that shows you a little bit of everything, or will be more narrow and focused on a specific area. So that may change where you apply.
* Find a mentor(s) / community that work in graphic design and ask lots of questions. There are lots of artists guilds / design guilds that can help prepare you for the field if you find you wish to persue it.
* If you are traveling to Canada for university, look at the potential cost of living etc. before you chose your school. International students (online or physically attending) pay far more than local Canadian students have to.
* If you can avoid having to work full time or even part time while taking your courses, do. Creative fields of any kind are absolutely black holes for time, and the course loads can be very heavy, so keep that in mind.
* Lots of students burnt out hard in the class years ahead of mine and after, so have a “battle plan” in place for self care and speaking with your professors if you need help, clarification on assignments or extensions.
* Not every college or university has design programs with internship opportunities in place for after you graduate. So you may have to prepare to “market yourself” a bit afterwards through freelancing, or other stepping stone positions with different companies.
* Like others have said, your portfolio speaks volumes. It isn’t always about the years of education you have behind you. You will learn a ton once you hit the working field of design, so we are all perpetual students.
* Where you start in your career does not have to be the same place as where you find yourself in 5+ years. Not getting into the graphic design field right away, and having to do other work while yiou wait for the right opportunity, is also okay!
* My final piece of advice is: You will spend a significant amount of your life at work, with your colleagues, moving all sorts of projects forward, so don’t let your day-to-day work kill your creativity or joy. It’s a significant discipline to keep up at times, so make sure you save some creative space for you to enjoy.
Wishing you all the very best as you explore this both exciting and often daunting season of next steps for education/career! 
The big question: Why? Do you feel it is your calling, or do you jut need to declare a major? Graphic design looks like a fun and glamorous job. But it’s actually quite demanding.
Designers tend to be underappreciate by non-designers (you draw pictures for a living? Why should we pay you for that?), and yet will expect you to be creative on tap.
Some clients will be vague with you, belittle what you produce when they are unclear about what they want, and be disorganized when submitting content and edits.
You will suffer fatigue and imposter syndrome. Most designers I know, myself included, have suffered work related panic attacks at some point in their careers. We live and die by deadlines.
No lie, I’ve had a client who gave a draft print piece to six separate people to edit/revise, and each on submitted, separately, their own edits, all of which contradicted each other. And when I refused them, telling them that they needed to submit ONE set of edits, I was accused of trying to derail their project. Design is a service, and as a service department, some clients will try to blame designers for their projects failing. Shit rolls downhill. Everyone needs their project as soon as possible. If I submit this at 5:30pm on Thursday, you’ll have it ready when I get in on Friday? As if you have only one client at a time – my average was 14.
Not to mention clients who think they could do it better if they only had the time.
There are plenty of non-degree holders who will be your competition – they will ask for less compensation (no degree).
It is a job you take home with you, and designers tend to be the first people let go when a company isn’t doing well.
Why do you want to be a designer versus being someone who makes art in your spare time?
Unless you have a full scholarship or free tuition… don’t do it… if you really want to be a designer you can learn a lot online for free with the goal of building a portfolio good enough to land you an industry job where you will gain real experience. It’s the best advice I can give to anyone considering this career path. I’ve been at it for 20+ years and the only thing I got from going to art school is an endless mountain of debt that I will carry with me for the rest of my life. I’m not trying to discourage you, if you are really passionate about this field of study, exhaust all of the free resources you can before deciding to pay for an education in design. Don’t let your boomer parents pressure you into the worst financial decision you could make at your age.
Edit for clarity. I went to the art institute and was forced to drop out after running out of federal aid, so I don’t have a degree but somehow managed to build a marketable skill set. At the end of the day you can have a degree, a mountain of debt, and have trouble finding work.. or you can have a good enough skill set that you built on your own, network as much as possible and build your own client base. The degree doesn’t mean shit. It’s basically a participation ribbon that doesn’t carey any real weight.
Just my two cents, try to get a degree in marketing. That way, you can do more than just graphic design.
A degree in business marketing will allow you to do design but also open the door to higher earning potential.
Best of luck either way!
Don’t. Take business and learn Graphics design online. You need a degree in something marketable and scaleable to any economy.
I recommend not going to school for that. Get a coding or an engineer degree. Teach yourself graphic design on the side.
Go for a bachelor’s of design, it’s more universal to many different areas of design. If you’re going to choose a Canadian school on the west side of the country, Macewan and University of Alberta (both in Edmonton) have great programs. I’m speaking from experience
Look into the “School of Art” in San Francisco
best decision i ever made was to go to art school and get my bachelors, been working professionally for the last 10+ years and despite what some say here, design jobs are plentiful, everyone needs design. obviously your chosen industry will greatly sway this but overall i think a design degree can take you far, but you have to love the process ofc and love the grind that comes with a design degree. student debt sucks ass yes but even still it was worth every penny imo
happy to discuss more about my experience in art school and as a professional
Hey Mira! I’m a 3rd year student studying graphic design and I absolutely love it. In my opinion, the best part of going to college for design (as opposed to being self-taught) is you will graduate with a solid portfolio containing a wide range of work.
I would recommend creating a portfolio early into your college career so you can begin applying to internships. My school requires 3 internships and I am immensely grateful for that. Design is a saturated field, so internships are necessary to stand out.
Let me know if you have any questions, good luck! 🙂
Have a look at the entry requirements for the graphic design course you are interested in. As you put together your application portfolio, you will soon realise if this is what you want to do or not.
Well, I’ve been in Advertising about forty years.
In New York City. I retired from it 15 years ago, just about the time that Social Media, websites appeared.
I don’t know what it’s like today, as for me, I loved every minute of it. From mechanical Artist to VP Creative Director in an Ad Agency on Fifth Avenue.
It’s a demanding job. You really need to have a love for it. The deadlines and pressures are very high.
As for me…I’d do it all over again.
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If you are passionate about it, I’d definitely say go for the degree and don’t stop until you get it. I chased after music for 13 years only to end up nowhere with. After some time, I fell into graphic design after trying to publish books just to make income – specifically, I fell in love with typography and editorial design.
Now, with five years of experience and having clients coming to me for typesetting, I have the experience of a designer with a bachelor’s degree but sadly I do not actually have the degree. So get that qualification and be proud when you do. It’ll be worth it in the long run.
Do it!
I would say go for it! Getting a degree in graphic design is good but you need to stand out. Either with practicing drawing, photography, working on the side or adding ux design/frontend/digital marketing later, is reccomended. Having the skill to draw different styles and knowing design history can elevate your work while studying. Good luck with applying 🙌
All I can say is I went to school for graphic design and I have more than 160,000 dollars in student loans. I’m in my late 40s and that will never be paid off. I also have an entry level job that has nothing to do with graphic design. I loved the adobe programs, but the pressure to constantly think of new ideas was overwhelming. You also have to be quick. School lets u take forever on a project but that’s not realistic in the real world. I had a complete break down in 2016 and never went back to it. I hate myself everyday for wasting so much time on it. I don’t want to discourage u because it sounds like you have your mind made up. My experience will not necessarily be your experience. I wish u the best of luck.
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Sounds like a really bad idea but hey don’t let a bunch of disillusioned old farts talk you out of it
Cannae magine doin anythin else