A Comprehensive Program in 


GRAPHIC DESIGN, DIGITAL AND WEB DESIGN

Unleash your creative side
in new ways.

No need for any prior knowledge! We will teach you!

Design and create everything from branding identity packages including brochures, business cards, logos and stationary as well as posters, ads, flyers, calendars, newsletters, books and manuals, CD jackets and commercial packaging.

Apply Now!

This program is for you if…

You are creative.
You possess good people skills.
You enjoy working with computers and different software.
You have strong verbal and written communication skills.
You are highly motivated.

A hybrid
design program

Learn Graphic & Web Design in Montreal’s West Island! In GWD you will learn the skills you need for a fulfilling career in graphic design and web site design.

In three years, you will be thoroughly prepared to join the corporate design world. You can also set up your own freelance design company. Or continue your design education at university.

Graphic & Web Design holds the middle ground in between Art and Computer Science. In GWD’s web design classes, you will learn HTML and CSS coding, and some PHP and Javascript. These languages are used for the aesthetic and functional design of front-end web interfaces.

GWD’s front-end design (how it looks) should not be confused with Computer Science’s back-end / server-side web development (making it work).

You will learn all about color; composition, layout and design; photography, illustration and typography; animation and video editing.

As a Graphic student you will learn to:

  • design and integrate complex website interfaces in a variety of styles from artistic and expressive, to grid-based, to the clean and sleek “corporate” aesthetic preferred by businesses,
  • create, scan, trace and modify drawings on the computer for logos and illustrations,
  • create web animations using drawings, images and sound,
  • shoot and edit digital photographs and videos,
  • set up and start up your own design business.

Graphic Design & Branding: 


Master the visual identity process, from 2D composition and typography to developing complete branding identity packages (logos, stationery, packaging).



Web & Digital Integration:


Learn to build responsive, modern online experiences, covering Responsive Web Design, HTML/CSS coding, Website Interface Design, and platform mastery using Content Management Systems (CMS) like WordPress.

Digital Marketing: 


Gain essential skills in making digital content perform with Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Social Media Optimization (SMO), and Web Animation.



Design Fundamentals: 


Develop a comprehensive understanding of core concepts like Colour Theory, Visual Communication, and professional Print and Web Production Processes.

Design & Software Oriented

Design

  • Typography
  • Illustration
  • Photography
  • Video design
  • Responsive layouts 
for web design
  • Branding
  • Search Engine and 
Social Media Optimization

Software

  • Adobe ® Photoshop
  • Adobe ® Illustrator
  • Adobe ® InDesign
  • Adobe ® Acrobat
  • Adobe ® Dreamweaver
  • Adobe ® Premiere
  • Adobe ® Lightroom

Web

  • HTML
  • CSS
  • Apache
  • MySQL
  • PHP
  • WordPress

Experienced Faculty

Throughout your GWD training, you will learn from enthusiastic teachers who are up-to-date with practical knowledge of the design field, who are well-connected with the local design community, and who bring their real-world design experience into their classrooms. We encourage students to freelance while still in the program and many students graduate with impressive portfolios filled with work done for real-life clients.

Our program is close-knit and you will develop productive collaborative relationships with other students and teachers. Field trips to printers and web design studios, in-school exhibitions, a graduate vernissage, and guest speakers from the corporate world make sure that the Montreal design community is incorporated into the classroom. GWD students study in three labs equipped with industry-standard software and have access to up-to-date design resources

Belinda June Gare

Ian Rogers

Sebrina Jones

Corinne Pant

Janice Richman

Richard Rock

Eric Girouard

Kellie-Rae Ryan

Stage/Intership


Graphic and Web Design graduating students participate in a 3 week work placement in the sixth semester (mid-April to May).
You can submit your job stage/internship offers for this program by clicking here and you will be contacted by the stage coordinator directly.

Where Graphic and Web Design can take you!

GRADUATE PORTFOLIOS

If your goal is to enter the design industry after graduation,
there is a large pool of employment opportunities on the West Island and downtown that is eager to employ strong design students in both print and web.

If your goal is to continue your studies at university,
GWD graduates continue to study design at Concordia University, York University, Ryerson, and other universities across Canada and the USA.

If your dream is to combine a graphic design education with a university degree in Marketing, Business Administration, Computer Science, or Education: the sky’s the limit, as many of our grads can attest.

For further information on the Graphic and Web Design program, please visit the program section of the John Abbott  website. You can learn how to apply here.


Admission
Requirements

CEGEP Requirements

A Secondary School Diploma which includes:

  • Secondary 5 Language of Instruction
  • Secondary 5 Second Language
  • Secondary 4 Mathematics
  • Secondary 4 Science and Technology
OR Secondary 4 Applied Science and Technology
  • Secondary 4 History and Citizenship Education

OR a Secondary School Vocational Diploma which includes:

  • Secondary 5 Language of Instruction
  • Secondary 5 Second Language
  • Secondary 4 Mathematics
  • Please Note
  • Applicants who have not studied in Québec must have education deemed equivalent by the College.

How to Apply

Program start: Fall

APPLY FOR FALL 2026

Program Prerequisites

No specific prerequisites are required for this program. John Abbott College is affiliated with the Service régional d’admission du Montréal métropolitain (SRAM) and uses its online application service.

The application deadline is March 1.

Warning: 
The documents and payment must be submitted by the deadline.

To apply:

  • Complete the online SRAM application
  • Select John Abbott and the program of your choice along with the corresponding SRAM program number: 570.G0
(Program name which appears on SRAM website – Office System Technology: Micropublishing and Hypermedia)
  • Upload any necessary documents directly to your online SRAM application

Students whose prerequisites are more than five years old should contact the Admissions Office


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