Gatlin Education Services offers a series of online classes called Graphic Design with Photoshop CS3 Training. The program is 200 hours. Gatlin Education’s website refers students to the individual school for tuition information—the program are reasonably priced, but costs vary depending on the program. Students have the option to receive a certificate of completion from a major college or university.
The course outline involves three modules. The first module is titled “Foundations”; it deals with an introduction to the history and purposed of design. This online class offers an in-depth exploration of editing, selecting, and layers in Photoshop. There is a discussion on the question, “Who is your customer?” and coursework dealing with the importance and value of whitespace and diagonals in design.
In the second module, the focus of the coursework is “Diving Into Design.” Students learn to evaluate a design as a whole as well as seeing the individual elements. There is extensive class time on fonts and typography, and students will go into depth on layout and on the subject of color. During these classes, assignments will focus on drawing and painting, photo manipulation, and color channels in Photoshop—this online Graphic Design class program utilizes Photoshop extensively. The final objective in this online class module will be an evaluation of color in print versus color on the web.
The third installment of this graphic design class is module three, entitled, “Finishing the Job.” This section deals with issues of working with illustrators and photographers, prepping files for print and production, and developing a project and working within constraints. Students will return to Photoshop in order to learn to develop filters and patterns, Vector graphics, and web tools. This final section will have an extended evaluation of the web in general.
