If your business is paying agencies for every banner, brochure, social tile or internal deck, a short graphic design course can shift that capability back inside your team. This page explains exactly what BOTI’s course covers, who it suits, what it costs, and how to bring it to your office in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban or Pretoria.

Why Invest in a Graphic Design Course for Your Staff

For HR, L&D and operations managers, the business case is straightforward. When marketing coordinators, admin staff, internal communications teams and small-business owners can handle routine design work themselves, you reduce turnaround time, cut external design spend, and keep brand consistency under your own control.

A graphic design course is also one of the more accessible ways to add a visible, practical skill to a team. Unlike highly technical disciplines, design fundamentals can be learned in two days and applied the very next week to real workplace tasks: a sales one-pager, a recruitment flyer, a tidied-up report, a social post.

Key business benefits:

• Reduce reliance on outside design agencies and freelancers
• Faster turnaround on internal and marketing collateral
• Stronger, more consistent brand presentation
• A practical, morale-boosting upskilling opportunity for staff
• Better-prepared, print-ready files that avoid costly reprints

BOTI Graphic Design Fundamentals Course: Overview

This foundation course explores graphic design (also called communication design) and its core principles and elements. As the course describes it, graphic design is “the art and practice which involves the planning and projection of ideas and experiences using visual and textual content.” Participants develop a working understanding of design fundamentals and learn to apply those principles to real commercial activities.

It is pitched at foundation level, making it ideal for learners with minimal prior design experience as well as those who want to sharpen existing, self-taught skills.

Course Outline

The two-day programme covers:

• Basic graphic design skills including layout and fonts
• The graphic design process from brief to finished artwork
• Production essentials — understanding resolution, file formats, paper and printing

Course Details at a Glance

Who Should Attend This Graphic Design Course

This course suits individuals who want to learn design principles, elements and terminology, or who want to enhance existing design skills. Within a corporate setting, it is particularly valuable for:

• Marketing and internal-communications staff
• Administrative and EA staff who produce documents and presentations
• Small-business owners and entrepreneurs handling their own branding
• Sales teams preparing client-facing collateral
• Anyone moving into a junior design or content-support role

No formal background is required, which makes it a low-barrier option for upskilling existing employees rather than recruiting specialist designers.

Graphic Design and CAD Training (South Africa)

Graphic design is one part of a broader visual and technical-design skill set that South African businesses increasingly want in-house. Many organisations that begin with a graphic design course go on to ask about CAD (computer-aided design) training for technical, engineering, architectural or manufacturing teams.

While BOTI’s Graphic Design Fundamentals course focuses on communication design (layout, typography, print and digital output), CAD training addresses precision technical drawing and modelling. The two complement each other when a business produces both marketing material and technical documentation.

How graphic design and CAD differ

Building a combined visual-design capability

For SA companies running both functions, a sensible path is to start teams on graphic design fundamentals to build confidence with files, formats and visual standards, then add CAD training for staff who need technical drawing skills. BOTI delivers both as in-house or off-site programmes in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban and Pretoria, with remote options available.

If you are scoping a wider design-and-CAD upskilling plan for multiple teams, our consultants can map a phased schedule and a consolidated quote. Speak to us about a combined graphic design and CAD training pathway for your organisation.

In-House vs Off-Site Delivery

BOTI delivers this course either at your premises (in-house) or off-site at a training venue, across South Africa’s major city centres. In-house delivery is usually the most efficient choice when you are training a group, because it removes travel, keeps your team together, and lets the facilitator use examples relevant to your own brand and collateral.

Off-site delivery suits smaller numbers or businesses that prefer staff to train away from day-to-day interruptions. Remote facilitation can also be arranged for distributed teams.

Ready to scope it? Request a quote or a 15-minute callback and we will help you choose in-house or off-site delivery and confirm dates.

Funded Training and Skills Development

This is a practical, facilitator-led skills programme; delegates receive a BOTI certificate of completion (this is not an accredited qualification). Investing in staff training still supports your broader skills-development strategy. South African employers paying the Skills Development Levy (SDL, 1% of payroll) should plan training spend deliberately, and B-BBEE skills-development spend is measured against a target of 6% of the leviable amount.

Need accredited training? Ask about BOTI’s QCTO/SETA-accredited programmes — for example QCTO-accredited occupational qualifications (BOTI is a QCTO Quality Partner) or Services SETA / MICT SETA computer and business-administration courses. BOTI is an accredited training provider — Services SETA 12582, MICT SETA ACC/2016/07/0045, and a QCTO Quality Partner. If accreditation and scorecard contribution matter for your organisation, ask us to recommend the accredited alternatives that best fit your goals. (This is general guidance, not financial or legal advice.)

Request a Quote or 15-Minute Callback

Ready to bring practical graphic design skills into your team? Request a quote or a 15-minute callback and a BOTI consultant will help you size the course, choose in-house or off-site delivery, and confirm dates.

Call 011-882-8853 or request a quote online via BOTI’s contact page. Ask about our free course catalogue and training-needs guide to map your team’s full upskilling plan across graphic design, CAD and related courses.

Related BOTI Courses and Resources

Explore other BOTI training that complements graphic design skills:

• Graphic Design Fundamentals Course — full course page and booking
• Computer and IT training courses — including CAD, web design and the Microsoft Office suite for technical and document-design teams
• Browse all BOTI courses — find accredited and short-course options for your team
• Contact BOTI for a quote — request group pricing, dates and delivery format

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is the BOTI graphic design course?
The Graphic Design Fundamentals course runs over 2 days. It is a foundation-level programme suitable for learners with minimal prior design experience.

Is the graphic design course accredited?
No. This is a practical, facilitator-led skills programme; delegates receive a BOTI certificate of completion (this is not an accredited qualification). If you need accredited training, ask about BOTI’s QCTO/SETA-accredited programmes — BOTI is an accredited training provider (Services SETA 12582, MICT SETA ACC/2016/07/0045, and a QCTO Quality Partner) and can recommend accredited alternatives where scorecard or accreditation recognition is a requirement.

Can the course be delivered in-house at our offices?
Yes. BOTI delivers the course either in-house at your premises or off-site, across major South African city centres including Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban and Pretoria, with remote options available.

Do you offer CAD training as well as graphic design?
Yes. BOTI offers both graphic design and CAD training in South Africa, so you can build a combined visual and technical-design capability. Contact us to plan a phased pathway and a consolidated quote.