Best Online Graphic Design Schools?

Q: I'm considering going to school online & was wondering what some of the best online graphic design schools were. So far I've talked to Mt. Sierra & The Art Institute which has a diploma program as well as associates, bachelors, & masters. Also is there a demand for graphic designers & what types of opportunities are there for designers? Thanks for any info.

A:If you are not already skilled as an artist, no amount of formal training will help very much. People calling themselves graphic designers are a dime a dozen and the market is saturated with them. There's much more involved than clicking away in one of the graphics programs. If the course does not start with basic composition and use of colors, you are going to get ripped off. They should also start you with a color test similar to the http://www.bizynet.com/Projects/Color-Test.htm page. One set of the magic art numbers is 3 x 4. That also happens to be the ratio of height and width of your computer screen. Even after years of formal training, a student may not have the aptitude to do well at commercial graphics. The folks selling the courses won't tell you why you aren't doing well on the Internet. They will just keep taking your money {grin}. If you do get very good at it, you can expect to spend three to five years before you can quit your day job. Most web designers, who are also highly skilled at graphics, never do manage to quit their day job.