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Graphic Design

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Program Code: 11571
Credential: Advanced Diploma
Start Dates: January, September
Program Length: 6 semesters

Program Overview

Humber’s Graphic Design advanced diploma program develops creative and strategic designers who wish to execute a wide range of visual communication strategies through interactive media such as web and screen, user interaction, motion design, and traditional print-based media.

Through a mix of theory and hands-on practical training, you will combine art and design to produce unique visual communication solutions. Our program will allow you to explore creative strategy and design process, typography, editorial and publication design, package design, user experience (UX), user interface (UI), web design, information design, and motion design. Additionally, our program will prepare you for your career through professional practice and entrepreneurship to round-out a comprehensive skillset to attain employment or freelance work.

As part of the interaction and design common platform cluster, you will be trained on industry-based skills, technology and current design software techniques. Your first semester is shared with the Multimedia Design and Development program. Your exposure to different types of design work and common programming elements will enable you to investigate your options and choose a focus prior to your second year of study.

Courses Program Standards

Upon successful completion of the program, a graduate will:

  1. Conceptualize and develop design solutions using principles of design to create visual communications that meet the needs of the project.

  2. Employ the design process to create design solutions that meet the project objectives and the needs of the client and/or user.

  3. Plan, create and use photography, illustration and typography in design layouts to meet the requirements of the creative brief.

  4. Design, develop and create a variety of media products using relevant, current and/or emerging technologies.

  5. Communicate ideas, design concepts and opinions clearly and persuasively to others.

  6. Use recognized industry practices throughout the design process and related business tasks.

  7. Complete all work in a professional and ethical manner, and in accordance with all applicable legislation and regulations.

  8. Keep current with visual media design trends, technologies and industry practices using strategies that enhance work performance and guide professional development.


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Work Placement

Students will participate in a mandatory work placement which takes place in the last semester of study. After completing a work placement preparation course, students will be supported in marketing themselves to prospective employers to find a work placement that aligns with their personal career goals.

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Media & Creative Arts Students Vote for the Future

Students from more than eight Media & Creative Arts programs worked with Villamedia to test the company's AI-driven generative art project, Vote for Peace, and to learn how the technology may be used in the future.

One Common Semester

The Interactive & Design Platform offers a shared first semester between two programs giving you the freedom to change your area of study in the second semester to any of the two.

Core Skills Gained in Semester 1

  • Web Technology
  • Digital Technology
  • Motion
  • Creative Thinking
  • Design
  • Typography

blue logo with the letters FIND in it and below written in light and dark blue says HUMBER GRAD SHOW 2014 graphic design advanced diploma program

Watch the video to see the 2014 Humber Grad Show. Hear from students and faculty about their experience in the Graphic Design program, what they learned, and how it prepared them to find work in the future program through hands-on experience.

RGD Partner Program

Learn more about Humber's partnership with the Association of Registered Graphic Designers (RGD), Canada’s largest professional association for graphic designers.

Graphic Design students collaborate with Siemens Canada and students from the Faculty of Media & Creative Arts and the Faculty of Applied Sciences & Technology to produce data visualization for the Barrett Centre for Technology Innovation.

Career & Student Success Advisors support your educational and career goals. Read more or book an appointment with Natasha Haniff.

BuildingF brings marketers and agencies together with advanced students from virtually any Humber program to produce strategic creative content and technology solutions. Instead of just being given a grade for assignments, students are provided with a chance to work with real clients, on actual accounts, receiving first-hand experience in the field.

The disciplines that can be accessed through BuildingF include anything found in a modern advertising, design or PR agency, including brand experience design, communications marketing, advertising design, writing, production, and much more.

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Expert Faculty

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Kevin Brandon

My name is Kevin Brandon and I have taught in the Humber Graphic Design program since 2008. With 20-years of design industry experience, I started my career in the print industry and transitioned into the web design field, a fusion of front-end coding and design sensibility.

Courses I have taught have ranged from design, branding, front-end web design and coding with a focus on digital design including: Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign, XD and Dimension CC, Aero AR and Brackets. Front-end web design coding HTML, CSS and an introduction to JavaScript.

I hold a Master’s in Professional Communication from Royal Roads University.

I am an active member of the Adobe Educator Leaders group, which is an international team of educators who are engaged in the latest digital design tools and trends, with a focus not on the tools but the potential.

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Mark-Anthony Karam

Mark-Anthony Karam is a design educator with over 15 years of industry and entrepreneurial experience as a graphic and interactive designer. Mark began teaching graphic design and web design at Humber College in 2008. With a master's in Education and Technology, Mark strives to enhance and expand the student learning experience by using technology mediated strategies that support collaborative learning, accessibility, and inclusion within face-to-face and online learning environments.

Over the course of his professional and academic career, Mark has designed, facilitated, and promoted various courses, design events, and initiatives within the University of Guelph-Humber and Humber College’s Faculty of Media & Creative Arts. Recently, Mark has researched and developed pedagogy for teaching and learning ICT literacy skills and interprofessional skills by way of social constructive collaboration. With his research and development of the Hackathon Environment Learning Plan (H.E.L.P.), Mark focuses on integrating web-based 2.0 design technologies within face-to-face and remote/virtual e-learning environments with the learners experience in mind.

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Leanna Palmer

Leanna Palmer is a multi-disciplinary Creative Director and design educator. She has been a professor at Humber since 2016 and holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Design Art from Concordia University, and a Master of Arts from the Bard Graduate Center in New York City.

For the last 15 years, Leanna has been actively involved in the ever-expanding field of design in an array of environments: large established companies, start-ups, agency, in-house, and as a freelancer. She uses her deep digital expertise and extensive knowledge of the industry as a catalyst for inspiration in the classroom.

Leanna is a creative thinker who enjoys solving user-centric problems and has worked with some of Canada’s biggest companies including: Online Creative Director at Indigo head office, Digital Art Director at the CBC, and an Art Director at the Havas Agency. An innate curiosity has also led her to explore digital materiality and interaction design through some interesting collaborations with artists at Eyebeam Art and Technology Center in New York City, and Hexagram in Montreal.

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Ramy Saboungui

Ramy is an active creative digital strategist at heart, full-stack multimedia designer and developer by soul, as well as an educator with passion and experience in several multinational advertising agencies and an agency he self-founded in 2016 (The Multimedia Studio). He has a drive to help brands and startups scale through strategic agile digital development and innovative personalized solutions tailored to each. Highly experienced in learning how to effectively manage time, he works on several operations simultaneously and has also developed skills in customer service, prioritization, communication, presentation, and agile development.

Ramy has created digital departments at two highly reputable global agencies with offices based in Kuwait and the MENA region. He started as an intrapreneur bridging in new accounts while pursuing a terminal master’s degree in digital media.

Ramy feels fortunate to have travelled around the world and been exposed to global cultures, allowing room for a better understanding and appropriate communication methods amongst various pools of talent. He can communicate through Arabic, English, and French.

Ramy aims never to stop venturing, to keep current with innovative modern trends and technological advancements regardless of industry, and to explore continuously the worlds of digital and psychology, intertwining them. He enjoys strategic and decision-making roles within teams of people who value what they do for a living and strive to be the best, to be able to scale, and to lead successful ventures within their industries while constantly educating and giving back to each other and to the community they service.

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David Spindler

David has been working in the design industry for over a decade at the international level. He is currently the lead art director with GWP where he has created everything from billboards to business cards, and TV commercials to apps. He focuses on developing strong technical skills to help bring creative ideas to life.

Study Abroad

We have a variety of international initiatives that students can explore for credit or work placement hours. These vary every year and offer cultural experiences for students who crave to be inspired by different surroundings and cultures.

Your Career

With more than 25,000 designers, Toronto is at the center of Canada’s design sector. As North America’s third largest hotspot for design, there are many opportunities in Toronto for aspiring graphic designers. Our program helps you develop the skills and training you need to pursue your chosen career.

With your powerful combination of creative thinking and technical abilities, you’ll be ready to make your mark in a wide variety of employment contexts including marketing and advertising, visual communications, web and interactive design, editorial and publishing, commercial printing, branding, user experience and interface design, and multimedia production. Your wide-ranging design abilities and use of digital tools and software will assist you in creating original and appealing designs for a broad range of projects including magazine advertisements, outdoor campaigns and billboards, promotional materials, brand experiences, digital applications and corporate websites.

In addition to creative and technical abilities, students will develop entrepreneurial skills through learning the business of freelance and design. As a freelance designer, you can enjoy the benefits of choosing your own projects, clients, and setting your own rates and flexible hours.

Professional Accreditations & Recognition

Registered Graphic Designers (RGD)

This program satisfies the educational requirement necessary for graduates to pursue the Registered Graphic Designer (RGD) designation, the professional standard for the industry. This designation is granted by the Association of Registered Graphic Designers (RGD).

Additional requirements may apply.

Note: The requirements for the additional credential(s) are determined by the granting body, which is independent from the College. Students are encouraged to obtain the specific requirements directly from the granting body before enrolling.

Program Availability

Start dates between Sept 2023 - Aug 2024
START DATE LOCATION STATUS
September 2023 North Open
January 2024 North Open
Start dates between Sept 2023 - Aug 2024
START DATE LOCATION STATUS
September 2023 North Open
January 2024 North Open

Pixel Perfect

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Watch the video to see students from a variety of programs collaborate on the annual Pixel Perfect show.


Humber Students Benefit from Five Centres of Innovation (COIs)

The Humber Centres of Innovation Network demonstrates our strong commitment to providing an experiential learning environment for students. Students and faculty work with industry partners on real-world challenges to prepare them to become the innovative and strategic problem-solvers of tomorrow. Come to Humber and experience interdisciplinary learning across five COIs.

About the COIs  

News Feed

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A Message from the Senior Dean: Music Degree Update

A Message from the Senior Dean: Music Degree Update

Tue, April 27, 2021

Over the past few months, the Faculty of Media & Creative Arts began a review of our Bachelor of Music program delivery.

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No news at this time.

Every attempt is made to ensure that information contained on this website is current and accurate. Humber reserves the right to correct any error or omission, modify or cancel any course, program, fee, timetable or campus location at any time without prior notice or liability to users or any other Person.

On October 21, 2019, the Provincial Government of Ontario announced the renaming of the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities (MTCU) to the Ministry of Colleges and Universities (MCU). Both names may appear on this website.

Contact Us

Admissions Questions

General Enquiries

Call 416-675-3111 or email enquiry@humber.ca. If you have already applied, be sure to check your application status on myhumber.ca.

Domestic Applicants Enquiries

Domestic applicants can book a one-on-one advising appointment with an admissions representative.

International Applicants Enquiries

Contact the International Centre for information about full-time programs (including the International Graduate School), how to apply and to follow up on your submitted application.

Program-Specific Questions

Speak to the Program Co-ordinator about the course curriculum, projects and career options.

Mark Karam, program co-ordinator
416-675-6622 ext. 3019
gdes@humber.ca

Campus Information

Book a campus tour to take a closer look at what it's like to be a student at Humber.

Want More Info?

Find out more about the student experience and everything that Humber has to offer Future Students.

for more info on Humber, including programs, special events and more!

How To Become An Apprentice

Becoming an Apprentice

Find an employer willing to sponsor you as an apprentice.

Contact the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development to register as an apprentice.

Work with your employer approximately one year before attending Humber.

View Instructions 

Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program (OYAP)

If you’re in high school – grade 11 or 12 – you can earn co-op education credits through work placements in some skilled trades.

Visit OYAP 

How to Apply

Domestic Students

Applications to Humber are made through ontariocolleges.ca. Be sure to submit your application by the equal consideration deadline of February 1. You may apply after February 1, however, post-February 1 applications will be considered on a first-come, first-served basis depending on the availability of the space in the program.

To check program availability refer to the Campus/Availability listing on Humber’s program pages, search by availability, or ontariocolleges.ca.

To see where you are in the admissions process, visit the Admissions Road Map.

International Students

If you’re an international student, you can apply directly to Humber via our International Centre.

Need Advice?

Program Advising Appointments

Get help narrowing down your program options or book a one-on-one pre-enrolment advising appointment with one of our Recruitment Officers.

Transfer & Pathway Advising

Book a virtual appointment with a Student Mobility Advisor learn more about getting Transfer Credit(s) for previous post-secondary experience, Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR), and Pathways options.

Admission Requirements

Applicants must meet all the requirements below in order to meet minimum program eligibility. Meeting minimum eligibility requirements does not guarantee an offer of admission. Admission decisions will be available via MyHumber, or by email and mail. Admission decisions will not be released by phone.

Admission selection is based on the following five requirements:

  • Academic

    To be eligible for admission, you must possess the following:

    • Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) or equivalent including these required courses:
      • Grade 12 English (ENG4C or ENG4U or equivalent)
      • Three Grade 11 or Grade 12 C, M or U courses in addition to those listed above

    or

    or

    Mature Applicants

    Diplomas and Certificates

    An applicant is considered a mature applicant if they have not completed secondary school or other postsecondary school, and will be 19 or older as of the first day of classes. Humber will invite you for testing to demonstrate that you meet all listed course requirements.

    Degrees

    An applicant is considered a mature applicant if they have not completed secondary school or attended postsecondary studies, and will be 21 or older as of the first day of classes. Mature applicants for degree programs will be required to meet course requirements at the U/M level or equivalent.

    College Transfer Applicants

    Diplomas and Certificates

    An applicant is considered a college transfer applicant if they have completed some or all of a college-level credential. Humber may use a combination of secondary school and/or college courses and grades to determine program eligibility.

    Degrees

    An applicant is considered a college transfer applicant if they have completed some or all of a college-level credential. Humber may use a combination of secondary school and/or college courses and grades to determine program eligibility. Applicants must have an overall minimum grade point average (GPA) of 65 per cent in the program. Applicants are required to disclose and provide academic transcripts for all course work completed at the postsecondary level.

    University Transfer Applicants

    Diplomas and Certificates

    An applicant is considered a university transfer applicant if they have completed some or all of a university-level credential. Humber may use a combination of secondary school and/or university courses and grades to determine program eligibility.

    Degrees

    An applicant is considered a university transfer applicant if they have completed some or all of a university-level credential. Humber may use a combination of secondary school and/or university courses and grades to determine program eligibility. Applicants are required to disclose and provide academic transcripts for all course work completed at the postsecondary level.

  • Portfolio

  • Please submit 3 to 5 examples of your creative work. This could include: paintings, drawings, sculpture, sound art, dance, written work, music, technological play/prototypes, digital design, concept & strategy, animation or any other method through which you have explored your creative expression. We want to see you express your creative thinking and creativity.

    Also, please include 3 to 5 samples of your rough work which could include: sketches, notes, thumbnails, writing process, thinking process. If you do not have visual artifacts of your process, please write a brief 250 word (max) description of how you approach and work through a creative project. We want to know how you think. 

  • Written Submission

  • Select three (3) of the pieces in your portfolio. For each of the three (3) pieces, in 150 words, describe why you chose to include that piece in your portfolio. In total, your written submission should not exceed 450-500 words. 

    Submission Instructions

  • English Language Proficiency

    All applicants whose first language is not English must meet Humber’s English Language Proficiency Policy.

  • International Credit Evaluation

    Canadian citizens or permanent residents with international education are required to provide a credential evaluation. Note, for international High school education course by course evaluations, ICAS must be used. For international post-secondary education, a WES evaluation must be provided. In situations where you expect to apply for transfer credit, it is recommended that a course by course WES evaluation is completed.

International Academic Equivalency

Admission equivalencies for Humber depend on your country of study. Please enter your location or choose detect my location to see the requirements for your country below.

Post-Admission Requirements

Once you have been accepted, and have confirmed your offer, you may need to complete a further set of requirements related to your program (Post-Admission Requirements).

N/A

Equipment & Device Requirements

All Semesters

Details and Specifications Minimum Specs Recommended Specs
Processor M1 Apple Processor or Intel i7 or better Intel i7 (Quad Core or Higher)
OS Mac/Windows (Mac Preferred) Mac/Windows (Mac Preferred)
Memory 16GB or higher 16GB or Higher
Storage 512GB+ (SSD Solid State Drive Preferred) 512GB or Higher (SSD Solid State Drive Preferred)
Monitor 13" or higher 15" or Higher
Other Adobe CC & Microsoft Office Subscription. External Hard Drive (256GB or Higher) Adobe CC/Office Subscription. External Hard Drive (256GB or Higher)

Program-Specific Questions

Speak to the Program Co-ordinator about the course curriculum, projects and career options.

Mark Karam, program co-ordinator
416-675-6622 ext. 3019
gdes@humber.ca

Fees & Financial Aid

The 2023/2024 fee for two semesters is:

  • domestic: $3,784.68
  • international: $20,105.00

Fees are subject to change.

Fees by Semester

Domestic Fees International Fees

Additional Costs

$200 - $500 – textbooks, subscriptions, printing and website costs (for one semester). Students are required to have a laptop to enter the program.

Financial Aid, Scholarships and Bursaries

Understand the costs associated with coming to Humber and explore resources available from first year to your final year on Student Fees and Financial Resources.

Scholarships

Humber Scholarships

Find out more about scholarships and bursaries that you may be eligible for, visit Student Scholarships. International students can visit International Student Scholarships.

Humber Bursaries

Bursaries are available for Certificate, Diploma and Degree programs primarily based on financial need, visit Humber Bursaries.

External Awards, Bursaries & Scholarships

Find out more information about external scholarships and bursaries, visit External Awards.

Indigenous Student Awards, Bursaries & Scholarships

Humber offers a variety of bursaries and scholarships for Indigenous students, visit Indigenous Student Awards.

Explore Opportunities through Humber Pathways

Humber Pathways include:

  • Opportunities to build on your college education and complete your diploma or degree at Humber.
  • Degree and graduate study opportunities at other institutions in Ontario, Canada and abroad.
View Transfer Out Opportunities From This Program  
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