About
Transform your graphic design talents into your very own business. Build your brand, find clients and get the practical skills you need to grow your venture from the ground up.
Graphic designer, content creator and entrepreneur Tom Cargill will guide you in this video course through how to start your own graphic design business and lead it to success.
Get the skills you need to launch your business by discovering how to:
- Create a graphic design business plan, build your brand’s identity and set realistic goals
- Establish your brand, get copyright advice, website tips and ways to refine your content
- Sell your skills using both free and paid advertising content
- Market yourself by unleashing the power of social media
- Find and land clients and then keep them coming back for more
Requirements
International Open Academy courses are designed for anyone with an interest in learning. No formal qualifications are required to study with us. Our courses are suitable if you want to learn new skills, start a new career, or if you’re already working in a particular industry and wish to upgrade your talents and enhance your resume.
Lessons
Module 1: Introduction
- Meet Tom: Graphic designer, entrepreneur, and YouTuber
- Course overview
- Understanding the value of your skills and how to sell them
- The top tips for developing your skills over your career
- Financial awareness: What you need to know before you get started
Module 2: How to Build Your Business Plan
- What is a business plan?
- Critical mistakes early on and how to avoid them
- The importance of setting realistic business goals
- How to create goals to ensure success
- The psychology of goals - how to make them work for you
Module 3: How to Build Your Brand
- How to create a comprehensive brand identity
- The legalities of building a brand
- Should you use social media or a privately owned website?
- What your website needs to succeed
- Refining your content to gain, and keep, clients
Module 4: Marketing Yourself Like a Professional
- Why is marketing so important?
- Paid vs free marketing: Which should you use?
- Unleashing the power of social media
- Choosing the right social media artwork
- Are business cards obsolete these days?
Module 5: Working With Clients
- A complete guide to business etiquette
- What documents do you need for your graphic design business?
- Dealing with rejection, and learning from it
- Gaining repeat clients
- Thank you, and here’s to success
Career
Who is this course for?
- People interested in starting a graphic design business
- Anyone looking to become a freelance graphic designer but isn’t sure where to start
- All graphic design business owners and freelance designers who need help boosting their brand
- All entrepreneurs looking for new business ventures
Career path
Break free from the corporate world by using your graphic design skills to launch your own business, choose your own hours and be your own boss.
Certification
You will be required to complete each lesson in full, and answer exams at the end of each course module. If your pass rate exceeds 55% on each exam then you are eligible to access a certificate of achievement or other accreditation options to recognize your achievement.
Most of our courses will earn you credits through Continuing Education (CE) / Continuing Professional Development (CPD). CE/CPD points are accepted and recognized by professional member bodies and academic institutions across the US and internationally.
All courses are accredited by the International Council for Online Educational Standards (www.icoes.org) and the The International Association of Private Career Colleges (www.iapcc.org). When successfully completing a course, students can choose to purchase an ICOES certificate that recognizes the achievement, from this third-party institution.
Creator
Thomas Cargill
Expertise: Graphic Design
Thomas Cargill was always creatively driven and naturally gravitated towards the visual arts while in school. At some point during the final years of secondary school, a friend of his mentioned graphic design to which he replied, “What’s that”? From that moment on, he fell deeper and deeper into his passion that today has become his career. He has worked in printing agencies alongside other designers in studios, and has freelanced as well. In recent years, he has found a lot of fulfillment within creating educational content based around graphic design on his YouTube channel.
Graphic Design Business Basics 
2094 Students. ICOES Accredited. IAPCC and CPD Certified.
2094 Students.
ICOES Accredited.
IAPCC and CPD Certified.
About
Transform your graphic design talents into your very own business. Build your brand, find clients and get the practical skills you need to grow your venture from the ground up.
Graphic designer, content creator and entrepreneur Tom Cargill will guide you in this video course through how to start your own graphic design business and lead it to success.
Get the skills you need to launch your business by discovering how to:
- Create a graphic design business plan, build your brand’s identity and set realistic goals
- Establish your brand, get copyright advice, website tips and ways to refine your content
- Sell your skills using both free and paid advertising content
- Market yourself by unleashing the power of social media
- Find and land clients and then keep them coming back for more
Requirements
International Open Academy courses are designed for anyone with an interest in learning. No formal qualifications are required to study with us. Our courses are suitable if you want to learn new skills, start a new career, or if you’re already working in a particular industry and wish to upgrade your talents and enhance your resume.
Lessons
Module 1: Introduction
- Meet Tom: Graphic designer, entrepreneur, and YouTuber
- Course overview
- Understanding the value of your skills and how to sell them
- The top tips for developing your skills over your career
- Financial awareness: What you need to know before you get started
Module 2: How to Build Your Business Plan
- What is a business plan?
- Critical mistakes early on and how to avoid them
- The importance of setting realistic business goals
- How to create goals to ensure success
- The psychology of goals - how to make them work for you
Module 3: How to Build Your Brand
- How to create a comprehensive brand identity
- The legalities of building a brand
- Should you use social media or a privately owned website?
- What your website needs to succeed
- Refining your content to gain, and keep, clients
Module 4: Marketing Yourself Like a Professional
- Why is marketing so important?
- Paid vs free marketing: Which should you use?
- Unleashing the power of social media
- Choosing the right social media artwork
- Are business cards obsolete these days?
Module 5: Working With Clients
- A complete guide to business etiquette
- What documents do you need for your graphic design business?
- Dealing with rejection, and learning from it
- Gaining repeat clients
- Thank you, and here’s to success
Career
Who is this course for?
- People interested in starting a graphic design business
- Anyone looking to become a freelance graphic designer but isn’t sure where to start
- All graphic design business owners and freelance designers who need help boosting their brand
- All entrepreneurs looking for new business ventures
Career path
Break free from the corporate world by using your graphic design skills to launch your own business, choose your own hours and be your own boss.
Creator
Thomas Cargill
Expertise: Graphic Design
Thomas Cargill was always creatively driven and naturally gravitated towards the visual arts while in school. At some point during the final years of secondary school, a friend of his mentioned graphic design to which he replied, “What’s that”? From that moment on, he fell deeper and deeper into his passion that today has become his career. He has worked in printing agencies alongside other designers in studios, and has freelanced as well. In recent years, he has found a lot of fulfillment within creating educational content based around graphic design on his YouTube channel.