Graphic Design class for high school students - summer

In this graphic design class, high school students learn the principles of great design and typography from a professional in the design industry while using professional-grade Adobe design software to create digital drawings, logos, advertisements, magazine layouts, and more.
We offer two delivery options for this class: in-person and online.
Online: half-days: In the online graphic design class, students use their computers and software to complete the graphic design program by attending the course online using Zoom from 10 am-1:00 pm ET over two weeks. The students end the course by creating a digital project to showcase their work. This schedule allows for shorter online days and covers the same materials in the live in-person workshop.
In-person: In the in-person graphic design class, students spend a week attending class from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. ET, completing the program using computers in our classroom in Woburn, MA, and finishing with a final project.
No prior art or design experience is necessary for this program. This graphic design class is generally offered in the summer at the American Graphics Institute location in suburban Boston or as a live online course over two consecutive weeks. 

Graphic Design class topics covered:

• Principles of design
• Digital drawing and tracing
• Typography and text effects
• Creating print advertisements
• Editing and retouching images
• Designing and creating a logo
• Print design layouts
• Conducting a design critique
• Creating a digital design portfolio

Applications used for the graphic design class
Software supplied for in-person classes at our site. Remote students should download the 7-day trial or register for a student subscription to the Adobe Creative Cloud.

• Adobe Photoshop
• Adobe Illustrator
• Adobe InDesign

By the end of the graphic design class, students will gain the following:

• Knowledge of basic design principles
• Basic understanding of Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign
• Insight into the opportunities and challenges of a design career
• Portfolio of graphic design work

2026 In-person dates and times (Boston area only)
Session time: 10:00 am - 5:00 pm for in-person course

July 27th – July 31st  (Classroom computer with software is provided during the class.)

2026 Online Course Dates
Session time: 10:00 am - 1:00 pm for live online course

June 22nd - July 3rd, 2026
July 13th - July 24th, 2026
August 3rd - August 14th, 2026

Note: Unlike our other full-day courses, this graphic design course meets online every weekday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. EST

Graphic Design Class for High School Students - Sample Daily Schedule (Summer)

9:45 am - Log in to the live online classroom (Zoom)

10:00 am - Workshops start: learn new topics and techniques with a live instructor

11:00 am - Complete practice exercises

11:30 am - Learn new topics and techniques

Noon - Project planning; Individual or collaborative project work

12:30 pm - Review and share projects

1:00 pm - Class ends for the day

All times are Eastern. While the start and end times remain consistent, the in-class schedule may vary based on the covered materials.

Graphic Design Class for High School Students - Sample Schedule (after-school session)

The after-school class section meets Mondays and Wednesdays from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm EST.

6:00 pm - Workshops start: learn new topics and techniques from a live instructor

6:45 pm - Complete practice exercises

7:00 pm - Learn new topics and techniques

7:30 pm - Individual or collaborative project work

7:45 pm - Complete, review, and share projects

8:00 pm - Class ends