Acquiring creative skills at a young age can give students a solid foundation for various marketable skills that can lead to high-paying jobs. Knowing graphic design basics can also be valuable for some job opportunities. Furthermore, developing their unique design style can help increase your confidence.
Whether students want to start building their portfolio or learn more about graphic design for fun, we have collected a list of 10 top graphic design programs for high schoolers that you should definitely check out.
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Why You Should Learn Graphic Design During the Summer
Since teens don’t have regular classes, they can focus more on learning the basics or advancing their skills. Even if graphic design isn’t a career goal, the skills learned could be useful for various job and school applications. Below are the top 10 graphic programs.
7 iD Tech
7 iD Tech offers in-person and virtual courses, which are available for students of different ages. The instructors use exciting projects to help teach students the basics of graphic design and guide them in creating their own unique designs. Students will learn how to effectively use Adobe Photoshop, Animate, and Premiere Pro for graphic design, as well as how to storyboard for YouTube.
With these skills, they can create various content ranging from short tutorials to documentaries. It’s a tremendous 10-week program for children ages 13 and 17 from all backgrounds. The program costs $649, which includes a certificate upon completion.
Stanford Pre-Collegiate Summer Institutes
The Product Design two-week virtual program at Stanford teaches students the basics of product design and design engineering through individual projects, group discussions, and lectures. Students will have developed problem-solving skills and will have a design portfolio that they can use for college or internship applications. The price of tuition is $2700.
NextGen Bootcamp
NextGen Bootcamp is an in-person and virtual two-week bootcamp designed for high schoolers interested in learning graphic design basics. The in-person course is taught at their New York City Campus. The camp consists of a variety of topics, such as typography, color theory, layout design, and digital illustration. During the Bootcamp, students will learn how to use popular software such as Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign. The program costs $2495 for in-person and $1299 for virtual. The price includes a certificate of completion.
UCLA Pre-College Summer Institutes – Design Media Arts
During the summer, UCLA provides a program called the Design Media Arts Summer Institute, where students can learn about different media types, such as 3D games, video, and print. The program aims to teach students how to use these media to create a multimedia project by the end of the course.
This program is only in-person and taught at the UCLA campus in Los Angeles, California. The program is for students 15 years or older and costs $4142. That fee includes two meals daily, full dorm stay supervision, and group activities.
Browse through Impressive Teens to discover many impressive extracurricular activities for your kids, tweens, and teens. Whether your child has a major interest in sports, music, art, or STEM, we have something for everyone. Our website is straightforward to navigate, and you can filter activities by age, location, and interest.
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Noble Desktop’s Digital Design Certificate
This seven-week graphic design summer program for high school students is in-person and virtual for those who want to learn how to apply graphic design principles to the digital realm. It is another program that is suitable for beginners as well as more experienced graphic designers.
The course teaches Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign, which are also included in the Graphic Design program. In addition, it focuses on software programs commonly used for User Interface (UI) Design, such as Adobe XD and Figma. Students must be 18 to sign up. The price is $3995 for 132-course hours.
Noble Desktop – Graphic Design Certificate
This one-month program teaches students the fundamental principles of graphic design, which include composition and typography. In addition, students will get experience using the software programs commonly used by modern graphic designers, such as Adobe InDesign, Photoshop, and Illustrator.
As long as students have basic computer skills, they qualify to participate. Students can attend online or in-person courses for $2995.
Tufts University Pre-College – SMFA Graphic Design Bootcamp
The SMFA at Tufts University has a program called Graphic Design Bootcamp that teaches students graphic design basics using Adobe Creative Cloud software. The program also includes lectures by industry professionals and ends with a final showcase.
This pre-college program is helpful for students interested in various fields such as communications, marketing, or the arts and can assist them in starting a successful and creative career. It costs $2000 for students in grades 10-12. It lasts one week for 40 hours.
Summer Art Intensive at The Cooper Union
This program lets student artists choose a studio concentration and spend two days a week in it. They will also create a portfolio and visit major New York City museums. Students also get to talk to guest artists in residence and industry professionals.
Upon program completion, students receive a portfolio of their work and a summer anthology publication. They also get to have their work displayed in a student exhibition. The tuition price is $2,700.
The New School at Parsons Academy
The Summer Intensive Studies program lets you choose between a three-week program at their New York City campus or a four-week online option.
Students get to interact with fellow students who are just as enthusiastic about fashion, art, and design as you are. You’ll earn three college credits during the program and build your creative portfolio. The price is unlisted for this program.
American Graphics Institute
American Graphics Institute’s graphic design courses for high school students aged 13-18 teaches graphic design, web design, or web development skills.
Each multi-week summer program includes hands-on, project-based computer courses and understanding programs such as Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, and other Creative Cloud apps. The price for this course is $895.
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Get Creative with Graphic Design Summer Programs for High School Students
High school can be a challenging yet exciting time for teens. With classes, extracurricular activities, and college preparation, finding the time to explore creative outlets is often difficult. Why not get in touch with creativity this summer by exploring graphic design summer programs? With a wide range of prices and lengths, everyone will understand what works for them.
