Graphic Design Courses

Intensive Foundation Course & Certificate IV in Design

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Intensive Foundation Course

The Intensive Foundation Course is an online intensive foundational course in graphic design. You will cover 12 modules during the course and be issued a Certificate of Completion after successfully completing the course. This course will arm you with all the skills needed to be a graphic designer. You will complete the course with a well–rounded portfolio showcasing your skills.

The Graphic Design School offers this course for people who are wanting to become graphic designers yet do not feel they need a government accredited qualification to do so. The Graphic design industry is reputed to be an industry based on portfolio & the displayed skills that lie within. This considered The Graphic Design School believes that offering an alternate to the government accredited qualification pathway offers students the flexibility to undertake study without the price tag attached to a qualification.

As students progress through the Intensive Foundation Course and develop a love and deeper understanding for graphic design, a greater sense of career focus & direction is established. In some cases it may be necessary to complete a qualification. We offer a course upgrade at extra cost. The course can be upgraded to a Certificate IV in Design qualification. This service has been designed to give students the maximum amount of flexibility & the best possible value when considering study & career options. Note you must have completed the Intensive Foundational Course as a pre-requisite for upgrading to the Certificate IV in Design Course.

You can find more about the Certificate IV in Design qualification Upgrade option in the next tab.

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About The Intensive Foundation Course

The Intensive Foundation Course delivered by The Graphic Design School is designed as a course that provides a pathway to a career in Graphic Design. There are 12 modules that make up the course:

Module 1: Introduction to Graphic Design
Module 2: Design Basics
Module 3: Introduction to Design Illustration
Module 4: Introduction to Typography
Module 5: Colour
Module 6: Advanced Typography

Module 7: Photography
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Module 8: Logotype Design
Module 9: Design Systems
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Module 10: Layout Design
Module 11: Design Systems II
Module 12: Preparing for the Job

A breakdown of these modules can be found on the Course curriculum page of this site

Students have up to one year to complete the 12 modules. The modules can be worked through at your own pace during the year. The course has been designed to be able to complete within 30 weeks. However as the course is self paced, you can decide how many hours a week you wish to concentrate on study.

Fees

The online Intensive Foundation Course costs a full price one off payment of £1140. Students may also opt to pay for the course via the part payment method. There are two choices of payment in the part payment method:

Payment Option: Payment; Frequency; Total
One off payment: £1140; on enrolment; £1140
3 months: £420; per month; £1260
6 months: £230; per month; £1380

Please note: Part payments incur administration and bank charges. The prices in the table above include these charges. You can read more about our part payment direct debit agreement in our terms and conditions page

Enrol Today in the Intensive Foundation CoursePrices, Plans & Enrolments »

Certificate IV in Design CUV40303 Upgrade Course Option

This course is an upgrade from the Intensive Foundation Course therefore you must have completed the Intensive Foundational Course as a pre-requisite for entry to the Certificate IV in Design Course. It's a very simple process with very little extra work involved so read on…

The first step to upgrading to the Certificate IV in Design is a recognition process conducted by the school. Because you have submitted your work online during the Intensive Foundation Course, we have a record of your progress that we check off in our marking systems against the 18 units of competency in the Certificate IV in Design.

After you enrol in the accredited course, one of our experienced tutors will go back to the work you submitted in Modules 1–12 and mark it against the accredited qualification and its units of competency. So, you have a tonne of recognition of high quality work that flows into the Certificate IV in Design assessment records. As part of the upgrade you will submit 5 extra assessments and these will complete the accredited qualification criteria. These assessments are industry related and will prepare you all the more for workplace expectations. Approximate time to complete the upgrade is 30 hours.

As students progress through the Intensive Foundation Course and develop a love and deeper understanding for graphic design, a greater sense of career focus and direction is established. In some cases it may be necessary to complete a qualification, this opt in service has been designed to give students the maximum amount of flexibility and the best possible value when considering study and career options.

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Achieving the full Qualification

In order to achieve the full Certificate IV in Design qualification both the Intensive Foundation Course & the Certificate IV in Design upgrade course must be successfully completed. The full Certificate IV in Design CUV40303 qualification comprises 18 units of competency. As the Intensive Foundation Course has been mapped back to the units below, students undertaking the Certificate IV in Design upgrade option will undertake 5 extra assessments that complete the full criteria for the qualification.

The 18 units of competency are completed by undertaking both the Intensive Foundation Course & the Certificate IV in Design upgrade course and are as follows:

Core units

BSBOHS201A: Participate in OHS processes
BSBDES301A: Explore the use of colour
BSBDES302A: Explore and apply the creative design process to 2D forms
BSBDES303A: Explore and apply the creative design process to 3D forms
BSBDES304A: Source and apply design industry knowledge
BSBDES305A: Source and apply information on the history and theory of design
BSBDES402A: Interpret and respond to a design brief
CUVCOR04B: Originate concept for own work and conduct critical discourse
CUVCOR09B: Select and apply drawing techniques and media to represent and communicate the concept
CUVDES04B: Integrate colour theory and design processes in response to a brief

Elective Units

BSBDES401A: Generate design solutions
CUVCRS05B: Use typography techniques for design work
CUVDSP07B: Research and apply techniques for graphic design
CUVDSP11B: Research and apply techniques for illustrative work
CUVPHI06B: Plan and carry out image capture in response to a brief
CUVPHI07B: Process photo images to work print/file stage
CUVPHI08B: Enhance, manipulate and output photo images
CUVCRS03B: Produce computer aided drawings

What assessments will I have to do?

The extra 5 assessments for the Certificate IV in Design upgrade course are as follows:

Personal Identity Project
Industry Consultation on a past project
OHS assessment
Photography assessment
Copyright questionnaire assessment

Students will also be given the opportunity to refine their portfolios according to feedback given in module 12 of the Intensive Foundation Course. The refined portfolio can then be submitted for review by tutors.

Approximate time to complete the 5 assessments in the course upgrade is 30 hours.

A Qualification for UK and European students

If you are living in the EU, it makes sense to have a qualification that employers will recognise. The Australian Certificate IV in Design is equivalent to a NVQ3 qualification. If you decide to upgrade to the Certificate IV in Design course we can help fast track a NVQ3 Statement of comparability and a Certificate of Comparability from UK NARIC.

UK NARIC is the National Agency responsible for providing information and advice about vocational, academic and professional skills and qualifications from all over the world. They provide equivalency and benchmarking services to individuals to help them work and study anywhere in the world.

Recognition of Prior Learning

Please note we accept “Recognition of Prior Learning” (RPL) for full enrolments in this course. See your student handbook for more details on this process.

Fees

The online Certificate IV in Design upgrade course costs a full price one off payment of £1395. Students may also opt to pay for the course via a part payment method. £600 upfront fee followed by a £825 fee the following month. The above part payment schedule includes a small fee of £30 for school administration and bank charges.

Payment Option: Start; Milestonne *; Total
One off payment: £1395; on registration; £1395
2 payments: £600; £825; £1425

* The first payment of will be deducted on the day of course upgrade. The subsequent payment will be deducted automatically from the nominated credit card or PayPal account on the same date the following month or on the day of course completion, whichever comes first.

* The above Certificate IV in Design upgrade course costs will be invoiced when you decide to upgrade. These costs are additional to the initial costs to enrol in the Intensive Foundation Course costs. Therefore the total cost to obtain the Certificate IV in Design qualification is: £1140+£1395=£2535. We know that it can be expensive to study, this is one of the reasons why the courses have been broken in two. Students who wish to obtain the Certificate IV in Design qualification can enrol in the first course, then a year later enrol in the second. Spreading out course fees over time. Easy part payment plans are also our way of enabling access to a quality study curriculum without the hefty upfront payments.

You have up to 3 months to complete the Certificate IV in Design Upgrade Course. Although approximate time to complete the five assessments is 30 hours, the course is still self paced.

About Online Learning at The Graphic Design School

How Does Online Learning Work?

The Course is provided Online. You study at home, in your own time & at your own pace. E–learning pricing is competitive & students can study from the comfort of their own homes. Studies show that e–learning will be offered by 80% of schools within the next ten years. It was a natural progression for us to want to be a part of this worldwide education movement & we strive to make our online course as interactive & inspiring as a real life classroom the only difference is the graphic design course online lets you organise your study around your lifestyle. Not the other way around!

When you enrol with The Graphic Design School, you will be issued a Username & Password. You can then login as a student & enter our secure student site. This secure site is like your own personal classroom. You will find:

Your first two Modules waiting for you
An e–library packed with digital versions of graphic design books, magazines, sample portfolios & educational videos.
A student community forum
Your own gallery page (you can submit works to the school gallery through this page)
Links & useful information, for your study, students discounts, etc
Over 100 graphic design tutorial videos.

Your online tutor will be there to offer you support throughout your learning experience, along with marking each assignment & offering you valuable & constructive feedback.

You will find the tutorials easy to follow & well written with no formal examinations. The Assignments are fun & learning how to apply your ideas to computer techniques surprisingly easy. You will be mentored throughout the graphic design software learning sections of the modules with both written & video tutorials.

The Intensive Foundation Course has been designed to enable students to complete the course in 30 weeks, the Certificate IV in Design Upgrade Course assessments have an approximate completion time of 30 hours. However, we understand that despite best laid plans, life happens! So we like to offer students the flexibility of up to one year to complete The Intensive Foundation Course and 3 months to complete the Certificate IV in Design Upgrade Course assessments.

Upon graduation from The Graphic Design School course you will have the skills & know how necessary to pursue a successful full or part time career in Graphic Design. Use your portfolio to gain work, further education or an exciting new way to express your creativity!