Graphic Arts, Imaging, and Advertising Design
Graphic Arts
Make itlook likesomething.
Learn to take an idea and turn it into something people actually want to look at: logos, layouts, packaging, posters, brand work. You'll test for Adobe Certified Professional credentials in Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign, the three programs design work actually runs on.
$62,960 median
What graphic designers earn nationally. In design, your portfolio does more hiring than your resume.
2 Years
Junior and senior year. A senior-only option is available, but you'll miss a full year of lab time and credential prep.
No Tuition
Lab fees are typically a few hundred dollars. Payment plans are available.
College Credit
Earn college credit toward a degree while you are still in high school.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook: Graphic Designers, May 2025 wage data. BLS notes most graphic designers hold a bachelor’s degree and are hired on the strength of a portfolio.
Credentials You Can Earn
All three are earned by passing the exam. We get you ready. The score is yours.
ADOBE CERTIFIED PROFESSIONAL
Photoshop
- Photo editing and retouching
- Compositing and masking
- Color correction
- Preparing images for print and screen
ADOBE CERTIFIED PROFESSIONAL
Illustrator
- Logos and brand marks
- Vector artwork that scales cleanly
- Illustration and icon design
- Type treatment and lettering
ADOBE CERTIFIED PROFESSIONAL
InDesign
- Multi-page layout
- Brochures, publications, and packaging
- Typography and grid systems
- Building print-ready files
Ideas, Then Finished Work.
Design isn't decorating. It's solving a problem someone hands you, with type, color, and layout, and making the answer look inevitable.
- Typography and how type changes meaning
- Color, composition, and layout
- Logo design and brand identity
- Photo editing and image manipulation
- Illustration and vector artwork
- Print production and preparing files correctly
- Designing for screens as well as paper
- Taking a client brief and presenting your work
In the labIndustry-standard Adobe software on design workstations, plus production equipment for taking a file all the way to a finished, physical piece.
Why WCCC
You leave with a portfolio
In design, nobody hires off a transcript. They ask to see your work. Two years here means you graduate with finished pieces to show, not just a list of software you have used.
Keep your home school
You're still part of your home high school. Graduate with your class, and keep playing sports, going to prom, and showing up for homecoming.
Steady demand
BLS projects about 16,000 graphic design openings a year through 2035, though the number of those jobs is expected to shrink 2%. Design skills travel, though: web and digital interface designers earn a median of $104,000 and that field is growing.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, May 2025 wage data and 2025–2035 projections.Where This Can Lead
This program is a head start, not the finish line. When you graduate, you'll have real options:
Start working
Junior designer, production artist, or freelance work for local businesses
Keep training
A design degree, with certifications and a portfolio already behind you
Keep building
Specialize in branding, packaging, or digital design, or build your own client list
Applications open December 2.
See the lab before you apply.