Visual Communication Degrees

A visual communications degree provides a mix of skills in art, design and computing. This mix allows you to enter careers in marketing, publishing and website design. The visual communications degree is a great fit for people with an interest in aesthetics who want to design interfaces that will appeal to consumers.

What will I learn in my visual communications degrees?
Visual communications degrees start with coursework in the basic software skills needed to develop designs. You will learn about the use of Photoshop and Microsoft Paint in developing simple designs. The emphasis is on tools like resizing and cropping that will come up again and again in elaborate designs.

The visual communications degree stresses project work. You will learn how to conceptualize a product and go through several iterations of it. You will also learn how to prioritize tasks to get them done within an acceptable timeline.

Visual communications degrees have a strong psychology component. You will learn about the effects of color and design on people. This will allow you to develop powerful and compelling designs that catch and sustain attention.

You will also be exposed to new research on how people read marketing material. This will allow you to design your visuals so people are likely to receive your message.

Visual communications degrees emphasize size, position and placement. A combination of these attributes allows you to develop programs and interfaces that are easy to use and thus likely to keep your users coming back.

The final project in visual communications degrees is often marketing or promotional material. Sometimes a sponsoring outside agency will identify a project and ask you to develop a promotional brochure of pamphlet. This will require you to understand both the product and its target audience. Alternatively, you may be asked to develop a website or portal for similar promotion.

Can I complete my visual communications degrees online?
Yes a visual communications degree can be completed online through a number of institutions that offer the facility. The online visual communications degrees are quite flexible and allow you to stream videos of lectures at your convenience. You also get the experience of completing projects and submitting them for grading. The online visual communications degrees make use of tutorials and case studies to teach you the skills needed by graduates.

What are the career benefits to me of completing visual communications degrees online?
Visual communications degrees are in high demand in many industries. The heaviest recruiters including advertising agencies which are often called upon by larger corporations to develop posters, banners and brochures. Graduates of visual communications degrees are thus needed to develop themes, color and schemes and text content that define the campaign.

Most companies also have in-house teams of designers to coordinate this process. Graduates of visual communications degrees are thus hired into sales, marketing and advertising teams.

Developers of animated films, media and video games also require dedicated designers with flexible skills who can develop prototypes quickly. Graduates of visual communications degrees are among the most sought after hires for these jobs.