A new professional development course, Graphic Design and Marketing for Business, will be offered this fall by Purdue College of Technology at Richmond in collaboration with the Uptown Innovation Center. The one-credit course will focus on design theories, branding, logo design and corporate identity packages using software such as Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator.
The course was conceived by Sarah George, assistant professor of computer graphics, after receiving requests from area business owners.
“There is a need in the community for these skills, but it's often difficult for people to carve time out of their work schedule to get to campus. We want to serve our community with education, so we are making this class convenient and practical for businesses that need the training,” George said. “There are theoretical and practical procedures that are important to know to make marketing and branding successful. This class will focus on those theories and practicalities, and it will also give the proper hands-on training for students to walk away with finished products to use in their business.”
The eight-week course will be offered four Friday lunch hours at the Uptown Innovation Center and four Friday mornings at the Purdue computer graphics labs on the Chester Boulevard campus.
Jason Whitney, executive director of the Uptown Innovation Center, is excited about the partnership with Purdue.
“This is an important step forward in connecting small business owners with the educational opportunities offered by Purdue,” he said. “Their investment shows that they are working hard to make a serious impact in economic development and to be connected within our community."