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#5 in BrandingCourseraGraphic DesignFree courseCertificate

Brand New Brand

Graphic design is all around us, in a myriad of forms, both on screen and in print, yet it is always made up of images and words to create a communication goal. This four-course sequence exposes students to the fundamental skills required to make sophisticated graphic design: process, historical context, and communication through image-making and typography. The sequence is completed by a capstone project that applies the skills of each course and peer feedback in a finished branding project suitable for a professional portfolio.The goal of this specialization is to equip learners with a set o

4.9
109 reviews

Created by: Michael Worthington

Our take

Based on the ratings of 109 students and a sample of their written reviews. No course pays to be reviewed.

This is the final project course of Coursera's Graphic Design Specialization, taught by Michael Worthington of the Los Angeles studio Counterspace. The project is the whole point. Learners invent a start-up, then carry it from ideation through a logotype, a graphic palette and a set of applications, ending in a brand development guide they present. It runs about 13 hours and is free to take. One hard rule: Coursera only admits people who have earned certificates in the four previous courses, so it isn't a standalone branding class.

Students rate it 4.9 from 109 reviews, and the praise is consistent. They like finally applying everything from the earlier courses to one cohesive identity, and two reviewers say the logical sequence of creative questions changed how they think about design. One also valued the further-reading recommendations. The complaints are about feedback. Grading is peer review only, and one three-star reviewer said comments from other students were often a single word. Another wished the instructor weighed in on submissions. One reviewer notes it is light on technique and heavy on process and theory, and recommends it for exactly that reason.

It sits beside personal branding and business strategy courses on our Branding page, and it is the odd one out: this is a hands-on design project, not career advice or brand strategy slides. The reviews in our sample date from 2016 to 2019 and the course lists no update date, but process-focused content ages well. If you have done the rest of the specialization, take it; the finished brand guide is a genuine portfolio piece. If not, one of the neighbouring courses is the better start.

Best forPeople who finished the four Graphic Design Specialization courses and want one real project to show for it.
Skip it ifYou have not earned certificates in the four earlier courses, or you want software tutorials rather than design process.

Pros

  • Ends with a finished brand development guide for an invented start-up, a usable portfolio piece
  • Walks through the whole process from ideation to logotype, palette and presentation in logical steps
  • Free to take, with a certificate on completion and a 4.9 average from 109 reviews
  • One reviewer praises the further-reading recommendations given throughout the course

Cons

  • Peer review only; one three-star student found classmates' feedback thin, often a single word
  • Locked to learners who hold certificates from the four earlier specialization courses
  • Focuses on process and theory, so expect little technique instruction
It gives you the chance to go to the next level and start thinking about design as a cohesive way because you are creating the identity of a brand. Very challenging and well explained, totally recomended.
Georgina P, a student

No level is listed, but the certificate prerequisite makes this effectively an intermediate course for specialization finishers.

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Course Description

This course is the culmination of the Graphic Design Specialization and gives you an opportunity to tie together your knowledge and skills into a single project: a brand development guide for a company you will invent.This course takes you through the entire design process, from ideation to creation to presentation. Through the guide, you will be creating and giving a visual identity to an imaginary start-up company, and applying that visual identity to a number of forms. You will also develop a logotype and accompanying graphic palette to visually represent your company, as well as apply that design to a number of different applications to see it at work.Note: Only learners who have earned a certificate in the four previous courses in the Specialization are eligible to take the Capstone.
Read More product length iconTime: 13h

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Instructor Details

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Michael Worthington is the founding partner of Counterspace (Los Angeles), a graphic design studio specializing in editorial and identity work for cultural clients. His recent book designs include A New Sculpturalism, Made in L.A. 2012, and More Real, as well as catalogues for Mark Bradford, William Leavitt, Amanda Ross-Ho, Meleko Mokgosi, Alice Konitz and Samara Golden. His work has been published widely and exhibited in Belgium, Italy, England, the Czech Republic, El Salvador, Japan, France, China and the US, and he has lectured in Korea, Belgium, Holland, Australia, England, France, Mexico and across America. He has been a judge for the California Design Biennial, Output, the AIGA and the ADC and curated the design show "Two Lines Align" at REDCAT. His writing has been published in Eye, Print, Slanted, and Threaded magazines, and various design books, most recently Earthquakes, Mudslides, Fires and Riots: California and Graphic Design 1936-86. He has taught at the California Institute of the Arts since 1995.

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Reviews

4.9

109 reviews in total

Select a bar to show only those reviews.Select the bar again to show every rating.

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By Magdalena G on 10-Nov-19

Excellent and very practical course. I am sure it will help me with further developing my skills in graphic design and create a professional portfolio based on the final Brand New Brand assignment.

By Peter B on 18-Oct-19

This was very enjoyable to go through. I actually would have preferred for this to have been a longer, and more detailed project, with the existing content as the first part, a more in depth application section and a third brand guidelines document to explore the technical application side further.

By Anna S on 18-Oct-19

It's just a great course! Thank you for such good explanations, materials, tasks. It was a lot of fun, practice and new knowledge.

By 杜棹洋 on 3-Oct-19

Good project.

By Doaa M M on 28-Sep-19

جيد جدا

By Austin B on 27-Sep-19

Practical and artistically demanding

By Safa A K on 8-Sep-19

This is a brilliant that lets you explore your design abilities while experimenting with all the ideas from the previous courses.

By Shivansh S on 7-Sep-19

It has been such an informative and intuitive course. I am so thankful to our Professor for making us understand the importance of Graphic Design throughout this Specialisation and then to actually Develop a Brand through this course. These 6 weeks were amazing and hopefully I was able to experiment a lot with Graphics and ideas.

By Kit C on 4-Sep-19

This course is exactly what you need to kick start your career in Graphic Design, you'll learn to design a brand from scratch and to materialize your concept to the material world. This course offers the necessary tools to create and develop a brand, starting from the basics of concept (how to generate ideas, figuring out essential elements of branding, etc) to how to present your project visually.

By Olya T on 30-Aug-19

Excellent course!!! I love it!!!!!

By Xinjuan D on 29-Aug-19

very good course.

By Adler A on 11-Aug-19

This course was exciting cause it allowed me to create a whole project and turn on the fantasy at the full power. Videos are short and interesting, like in previous courses of this specialization. The final score depends much on who review your project. Some peers are generous and inspiring, and some are too tough. For newcomers, low scores can be frustrating, I know from experience. But they don't mean that design is bad, points of view are subjective, after all. So if people like the idea and general design is neat, but got low scores, they can save the idea and resubmit the work, new peers can have another point of view at it.

Showing 12 of 109 reviews

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Overall Score : 98 / 100

Brand New Brand
Visit course on Coursera Write a review
  • Video Duration: icon 13h
  • Price: Free
  • Provider: icon Coursera
  • University: icon California Institute of the Arts
  • Language: icon English
  • Certificate: icon Yes

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