Advanced Diploma in Graphic Design
Toronto, Canada
DURATION
3 Years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
Request application deadline
EARLIEST START DATE
Jan 2025
TUITION FEES
CAD 18,221 / per year
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
Introduction
The Graphic Design program is an ideal training ground for the design profession. As a student in the program, you will gain a strong overall understanding of design while also allowing you to select a major in either Communication Design, which prepares you for a corporate design career, or Advertising Design, which prepares you for a career in an advertising agency. In addition, design electives allow you to gain skills in areas such as illustration, motion, interaction, web, book, and environmental design.
The first three semesters provide you with a strong foundation in the core subjects of design, typography, production, digital applications, drawing for design, and design culture. In the fourth semester, you choose a major while continuing to develop applied skills through intensive studio projects. In the final year, you become involved in a thesis or major project, which allows for the synthesis of skills. You will also engage in professional practice classes that prepare you for the workplace.
You learn through working on real-life projects in state-of-the-art labs and through industry networking. Students with an overall grade point average of 2.5 or higher by the end of semester 4 will be eligible for field placement.
Membership in the Association of Registered Graphic Designers of Ontario is included in your tuition, giving you access to a network of Canada’s top design professionals and a head start in the process of becoming a Registered Graphic Designer. The best student work will be displayed in annual exhibitions and a publication distributed to the industry and the general public.
Your Field Education Options
Students with an overall grade point average of 2.5 or higher by the end of semester 4 and a B+ on the portfolio assignment (semester 5) will be eligible for the Field Placement course (GRAF3017) in semester 6.
Admissions
Scholarships and Funding
Scholarships for international students at George Brown College are generally in-program awards based on students’ academic performance (and other criteria) at George Brown College after the beginning of the academic program.
Curriculum
Required Courses
The following courses are required to graduate successfully:
- 25 design required courses
- 5 design elective courses
- 3 general education elective courses
- 33 total courses
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Description of Majors
Advertising Design
The Advertising Design major prepares you for a design career in the exciting global advertising industry. You will learn how to research market opportunities and solve complex business problems through strategic brand positioning; you will also learn how to build customer awareness and loyalty through innovative and creative solutions that are brand-specific to packaged goods products and vital to consumer services.
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Communication Design
The Communication Design major prepares you for a graphic design career focused on corporate identity, branding, and the management of communication design projects. Learn to design strategically and meet the needs of corporate clients.
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**Based on the results of your placement test, you may be required to take COMM 1000 Introduction to College Communication before progressing to COMM 1007. COMM 1000 does not count as a course required for graduation, and you will be charged for this extra course. Please visit Assessment Centre for more information.
Electives
Design electives
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Program Outcome
The graduate demonstrates the ability to:
- Conceptualize and develop design solutions using principles of design to create visual communications that meet the needs of the project.
- Employ the design process to create design solutions that meet the project objectives and the needs of the client and/or user.
- Plan, create, and use photography, illustration, and typography in design layouts to meet the requirements of the creative brief.
- Design, develop and create a variety of media products using relevant, current, and/or emerging technologies.
- Communicate ideas, design concepts, and opinions clearly and persuasively to others.
- Use recognized industry practices throughout the design process and related business tasks.
- Plan, implement, and evaluate graphic design projects using project management skills to deliver quality work to clients according to schedule and within budget.
- Complete all work in a professional and ethical manner, and in accordance with all applicable legislation and regulations.
- Keep current with visual media design trends, technologies, and industry practices using strategies that enhance work performance and guide professional development.
Program Tuition Fee
Career Opportunities
Your Career
Graduates of this program will have acquired the skills and knowledge needed for employment in a variety of graphic design or advertising industry positions, specializing in:
- Graphic design
- Corporate identity design
- Editorial
- Environmental graphics
- Exhibition design
- Packaging design
- Multimedia
- Motion graphics
- Interaction
- Retail identity
- Wayfinding
- Production design
- Web design
- Art direction
- Advertising copywriting
- Marketing coordination
- Print advertising
- Multimedia advertising