Computer graphics design remains one of the hottest, fastest-growing professional fields and sees no sign of letting up in offering opportunities. In the consumer world, nearly everything you see is a product computer graphics design somewhere down the line, and some guy sitting at a desk listening to old Ted Nugent CDs was sitting in the glow of his terminal screen at three o’clock in the morning looking for inspiration. That box of film doesn’t look so exciting? Hey, that’s the result of works of painstaking work paying attention to minute detail.

Graphic designers create visual solutions to communicate. They use a variety of print, electronic and film media to effectively get their message across to others. Graphic designers create the layout and production design of magazines, newspapers, and other publications. They also put together promotional displays, packaging, and marketing brochures for products and services, and design individual logos for products and businesses. Overall, these professionals need to be able to come up with strategies for layouts and artistic concepts, and they must be able to create visual images that engage, attract and sell their clients products. Most graphic designers today use computer software to generate innovative images. Graphic designers need to be familiar with desktop publishing tools such as Frame Maker, Acrobat Exchange, Photoshop or PageMaker.

Academic training leading to a bachelor’s degree in art or design has almost become a necessity. Although formal training is not strictly necessary, it is very difficult to become skilled enough to make a living without some training. Roughly 70% of graphic designers do go to college and typically major in art, or art history, or product design. Associate degrees and certificates in graphic design also are available from professional schools. These programs generally concentrate on the technical parts of graphic design. Graduates of 2-year programs in general are eligible as assistants to graphic designers or for jobs that entail technical skills only.

Those in computer graphics rarely need worry about finding employment, even during times of heavy bushonomics; indeed, it appears to be one of the most dependable, stable fields in which to seek work. Another bonus of pursuing a career in computer graphics is the current multitude of online education programs in this field of study. Online education, of course, allows one to study at home, thereby not sacrificing his or her current “day job” while secretly pursuing another in the hopes of someday requesting his or her boss to perform some sort of biological obscenity.

The following is a list of a handful of online education programs in computer graphics design.

The Art Institute Online is one of the biggest names in the distance-learning industry, offering courses in all sorts of professional skills in computer graphics. Design is, naturally, a mor...