OfG / Online-Schule für Gestaltung

OfG, short for Online-Schule für Gestaltung (Online School for Design), is a German distance-learning school for design, media and creative careers. Its homepage says that since 2010 it has trained participants in visual communication, communication design, web development, UX/UI design, 3D design, animation, photography, Adobe software, industrial design and fashion design, and it describes OfG as the leading provider of state-approved, multiple award-winning online courses in design, media and creativity. It is a learner product for adults who want to study part time: the courses are built to be completed alongside a job, entirely online, with written feedback from working designers on each assignment. Most of the site is in German, and the flagship Graphic Design course is offered in English or German.

The course catalog

The homepage groups the courses by field. Visual communication covers graphic design and a typography masterclass. Communication design adds print production and crossmedia design. Web development covers web design and UX/UI design. There are further tracks for motion design, 3D design and animation, photography (including a course in nude photography), Adobe software (a graphics software foundation course, Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, and Premiere for video editing), product design under industrial design, and fashion design. Each course ends in an OfG certificate. Graduates, the homepage says, work in business, advertising agencies and publishing houses, or independently in their own design studios, and the courses are meant for beginners and advanced learners alike.

The Graphic Design course

The Graphic Design course is the one OfG presents in English, and it shows how an OfG course is built. The course page describes it as state-approved and fully online with no attendance on site, spread over 12 modules that you complete flexibly, and leading to the qualification Certified Graphic Designer (OfG). In it, the page says, "you will learn to apply basic design principles, create graphic forms, make confident color decisions and use typography skillfully", and you develop "logos, brands and image campaigns, screen designs and magazine titles."

The modules run in this order:

• Design basics: perception, Gestalt laws, basic visual forms, proportions and the golden ratio, symmetry, and the stages of a design process.
• Color and color systems: color theory, contrasts and harmonies, color management, RGB, CMYK and CIE-Lab, and special colors such as Pantone, HKS and RAL.
• Image, image processing and photography: composition and selection, photomontage, AI image generators and how to recognize AI-generated images, taking photos yourself, layers and filters, file formats and resolutions.
• Typography and typeface: font classifications, anatomy and families, mixing fonts, macro and detail typography, and font licenses.
• Signs, pictograms and icons: sign systems, creating pictograms, orientation systems and signage, and icons for screens and websites.
• Layout and editorial design: grids and type areas, magazine and newspaper design, covers, ads, book and poster design, and print production through to PDF export.
• Logo design: word and figurative marks, trademark protection, designing, evaluating and redesigning logos.
• Corporate design: corporate logo, type, color and imagery, business stationery, corporate identity, design manuals, audio branding, naming and brand development.
• Marketing and advertising: tools such as AIDA, target-group design, social media posts and stories, newsletters, ad campaigns, flyers and banners.
• Screen and interface design: website structure and navigation, user experience guidelines, HTML and CSS basics, search engine optimization and mobile devices.
• Design management: self-marketing, winning clients, fee negotiations, briefings, presenting creative work, portfolios, copyright and rights of use, and running your own studio.
• Design history and final project: from Arts and Crafts, Art Nouveau and the Vienna Secession through De Stijl, Constructivism and the Bauhaus to New Typography, ending with an independent graphic design project carried from concept to realization.

Each module ends with a practical monthly task. In every module you submit an assignment and receive professional feedback, and the page says you can use all the work you produce in an OfG course for your own portfolio. The course is updated with current topics; the latest additions are chapters on artificial intelligence in design, the basics of prompting, flexible logo design, and the EU AI Act in everyday creative work.

The course page puts the workload at around 10 hours a week over 12 months, and notes that these time requirements must be kept when the course is funded by a grant. You need a computer with internet access, a passion for creativity and basic knowledge of Adobe CC or comparable software; drawing skills are not necessary. Learners new to graphics software are pointed to OfG's foundation course in graphics software (taught in German), any alternative graphics software can be used, and the OfG confirmation of participation lets you buy Adobe CC at a reduced education price.

The page lists who the course is for: career starters, professionals who want to deepen their knowledge or change direction, marketing managers, private individuals interested in graphic design, prospective and trained media designers, art and design students, and interns and trainees in agencies. The job profiles it names run from graphic designer and communication designer to UI/UX designer, social media content creator and art director. A student quoted on the English course page writes: "I am already recommending it to others who are a little bit overwhelmed by all the different online courses, just like I was until I found OfG."

How studying works

The teaching material is entirely online and combines texts with graphics, examples, exercises, animations and videos. You study when you like, in any modern browser on a PC or Mac. Support comes from people rather than automated grading. The course page promises: "We analyze each submitted task and provide you with written feedback", and adds that "Experienced designers are on hand as coaches to help and advise you with all your projects." The homepage says the lecturers are available throughout the course and that each piece of work is analyzed individually, with constructive suggestions for improving your designs.

The coaches named for the Graphic Design course are Marie Steiert, Svenja Lyon, Petra Eberbach, Karin Meyer-Haussner, Gundula Schmidt-Moskob, Inga Reineck, Jutta Krüger, Frauke Swienty, Christine Kern, Monika Meisel, Daniel Meier and Katrin Jaeger. OfG says it works only with experienced graphic designers, designers, photographers and media professionals, and that it has developed its courses since 2010 together with graphic designers, media designers, marketing experts, agencies and international companies. To keep support personal, each course admits only a limited number of participants.

Approval, funding and the certificate

The course page states, in German, "Dieser Online-Fernlehrgang ist von der ZFU staatlich geprüft und zugelassen" (this online distance course has been examined and approved by the state body ZFU), with approval number 7243512, and says the course is exempt from VAT because of that approval. It is certified under AZAV and, in the page's words, "100% eligible for funding through the education voucher from the Federal Employment Agency", the German Bildungsgutschein; the course ID to give the employment agency is 13995531. The site's badges also list ISO 9001 certification. Graduates receive the title Certified Graphic Designer (OfG), with permanent access to the current learning content after successfully completing a course.

On reputation, OfG says it "has been a regular test winner on independent rating portals for many years", and its homepage shows ratings of 5 out of 5 on Google and 4.9 out of 5 on Fernstudium Check.

Fees and terms

The Graphic Design course costs 189 Euro per module, or 2,268 Euro for all 12 modules, with "No hidden costs, examination fees or anything else." Breaks are free if you need them, and the course fees are guaranteed not to rise during your contract. After registering you can test the course for 2 weeks and cancel for your money back under the 14-day right of withdrawal. After that the course can be canceled monthly; the cancellation form offers ordinary notice of 14 days to the end of a month. OfG credits that monthly cancellation right with "a 98% completion success rate", since only highly motivated participants go on to complete the final project.

Courses start on set dates, and a flexible start is possible on request. Prospective students can order a free information pack by e-mail or post, and employees can request a quote to present to their employer.

Who it suits

OfG suits adults who want a structured, part-time route into design work with real feedback, especially in Germany, where the state approval and AZAV certification open the door to Bildungsgutschein funding. The Graphic Design course suits career changers and working professionals who can give it about 10 hours a week, and its English option makes it usable for English speakers. Its later modules on corporate design, marketing, screen design and design management cover the business side a freelance designer needs. The wider catalog suits learners heading into web, UX/UI, photography, 3D, motion, product or fashion design, though the site presents those courses in German.