Great design rarely happens by accident. Whether you’re creating merchandise for your business, building a brand or considering a career in design, learning the fundamentals can dramatically improve the quality of your work.

If you like the idea of designing your own merchandise, but aren’t sure where to start, there are a lot of options out there. Whether you might like to study online, take a short course, or dedicate even more time to learning new skills, the UK is home to some brilliant graphic design courses. These courses are also excellent places to scout young design talent, if you would rather hire someone to help you build your vision and grow alongside your business.

If you’re not sure where to begin, we’ve rounded up eight of the best graphic design courses available in the UK, covering everything from beginner-friendly introductions to comprehensive professional programmes.

Shillington: Best for Building a Professional Portfolio

Shillington is a portfolio-focused school with no requirements for students who wish to enroll, and they offer a three month full-time course or nine month part-time course in both Manchester and London. Being such a big operation means they have extensive experience in taking someone with zero experience and turning them into a credible designer.

City Lit: Best for Learning the Fundamentals

City Lit offer over 5,000 Adult Education courses a year and have been going since 1919! They are Europe’s largest provider of short courses for adults, and that means they know exactly what you need to succeed in a part-time course. They offer a wide range of study options, but we recommend their Graphic design: stage 1, which covers Typography, Layout, Use of colour, Branding, Logo design and Lateral thinking.

Central Saint Martins: Best for Flexible Online Learning

London’s trendiest school offers online courses in Graphic Design for those who want to develop skills on their own schedule. Their course features more than just recorded lessons, with live expert sessions and student forums to keep you feeling connected to your studies.

Open College of Arts: Best for Comprehensive Distance Learning

Distance learning provider the Open College of the Arts offers a comprehensive Graphic Design training in three stages, to cater to all levels of interest and commitment. Their courses may be more expensive than some others, but they offer one of the most comprehensive academic and pastoral packages to their students.

London College of Contemporary Arts: Best for Flexible Online Learning

The CPD Graphic Design short course offered by the London College of Contemporary Arts is broken down into nine modules, and students can elect to study any combination of interests if they don’t want to commit to the whole curriculum. 

The Graphic Design School: Best for Flexible Online Study

All of the online courses that The Graphic Design School offers are highly flexible, and students are encouraged to customise their lesson plans to suit their availability and their needs. Beyond their specific course materials The Graphic Design School have also put together a vast library of video tutorials on any number of skills, to encourage students to become voracious learners.

University of the Arts London: Best for Developing Specialist Design Skills

The huge wealth of combined expertise across the University of the Arts London is available to their short course students, and they offer tailored study that ranges from Graphic Design: An Introduction to more specific areas like Visual Identity. Courses run in six week blocks throughout the year.

Ravensbourne: Best Value for Aspiring Designers

Ravensbourne offer one of the least expensive short courses in Graphic Design, running over just six sessions. The lessons cover the very basics of Graphic Design, including Photoshop and InDesign, for those who have no familiarity with these programmes at all.

Choosing the Right Graphic Design Course

The best graphic design course depends entirely on your goals.

If you’re starting from scratch, a beginner-friendly short course can provide an excellent foundation. If you’re planning a professional career, investing in a longer programme that includes portfolio development and industry feedback may be worthwhile.

Whichever path you choose, remember that great designers improve through practice as much as study. Building real projects, experimenting with typography, branding and layouts, and receiving constructive feedback are what ultimately develop your creative eye.

If you’re looking for inspiration before you start learning or even some free resouces to use in graphic design, explore our blog “Graphic Design Websites: 33 Amazing Free Resources for Creative Inspiration“. You may also enjoy our blog “What Are the Best Fonts? Readability, Branding and the Science Behind Fonts” to better understand how typography influences branding and communication.

Ready to Turn Your Designs Into Reality?

Learning graphic design is only the first step. Seeing your work printed on real products is often where the biggest lessons happen.

Whether you’ve designed a logo, created your first clothing collection or built a university project, custom t shirt printing UK is one of the best ways to bring digital ideas into the real world.

At ICON Printing, we help designers, students, businesses and creative brands transform artwork into premium printed merchandise, from t-shirts and hoodies to tote bags and more. Get in touch at sales@iconprinting.com for a quote or browse our wide-ranging products, find your favourites and Get a Quick Quote online in less than 2 minutes.