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CourseraPhotoshopFree courseBeginner levelCertificate

Fundamentals of Graphic Design

Calarts created this 14-hour course that is run by Coursera. This course is all about the fundamentals of graphic design. It focuses on typography, composition, image making and color and shape. It teaches the base skillset necessary to make full use of graphic design tools like Photoshop.

5.0
866 reviews

Created by: Michael Worthington

Produced in 2015

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What you will learn

  • Fundamentals of image making.
  • Fundamentals of typography.
  • Fundamentals of shape and color.
  • Fundamentals of composition.

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Course Description

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Photoshop Awards Best Free Course

Graphic Design is all around us! Words and pictures-the building blocks of graphic design-are the elements that carry the majority of the content in both the digital world and the printed world. As graphic design becomes more visible and prevalent in our lives, graphic design as a practice becomes more important in our culture.Through visual examples, this course will teach you the fundamental principles of graphic design: imagemaking, typography, composition, working with color and shape... foundational skills that are common in all areas of graphic design practice. I don't just want you to watch a video of someone talking about design, I want you to MAKE design! If you want to be a designer you have to be a maker and a communicator, so this course will offer you lots of opportunities to get your hands dirty with exercises and with more practical projects.At the end of this course you will have learned how to explore and investigate visual representation through a range of image-making techniques; understand basic principles of working with shape, color and pattern; been exposed to the language and skills of typography; and understand and have applied the principles of composition and visual contrast. If you complete the course, along with its optional (but highly recommended) briefs, you will have a core set of graphic design skills that you can apply to your own projects, or to more deeply investigate a specialized area of graphic design.To succeed in this course you will need access to a computer. You can complete this course without one but it will be tougher. Access to, and a beginner's level knowledge of Adobe Creative Suite programs, such as Illustrator, Photoshop and InDesign will help you, especially if you want to complete the optional briefs.
Read More Beginner Beginner Level product length iconTime: 4h

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Pros

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Cons

    • Course is great as a first-time introduction to the core concepts of graphic design.
    • No prerequisites are necessary. This is a good course for exploring whether or not a cursory interest in graphic design could bloom into something more.
    • Amazing opportunity for professionals peripherally attached to graphic design to learn more about the field of study.
    • This course does not teach intricate software skills. You will not master Photoshop and similar software here.
    • Not a practical skills course at all. Focus is almost entirely on design concepts rather than applications of those concepts.
    • Course if for people interested in graphic design rather than invested in it.

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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

5.0

866 reviews in total

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By Ernesto J on 9-May-19

This course is really helpful for understanding the objective of the graphic design.

By Antonio D O on 4-May-19

Loved this class! Michael is a great teacher, it is very clear that he has a lot of knowledge and i feel that he truly cares about teaching as well as his students. The exercises were perfect and gave me the basic design skills that I needed.

By Nathaly W on 17-Apr-19

I really enjoyed how this course was laid out. I took design in high school, but never really grasped the concepts of design until my final year. This course really added a structure to the basic things I already knew and gave me a way to understand them separately, how to use them separately and then smoosh them all together. I had great fun doing the assignments and the course work was explained in a clear and understandable way.

By Aura M C on 15-Apr-19

I really enjoyed every bit of this course! Awesome content and teacher. It was also nice to get feedback on my work from peers as well to view the work of others! :)

By Paula R C R on 13-Apr-19

very satisfactory!

By Senith M F on 12-Apr-19

all the Knowledge!

By Diana A on 11-Apr-19

Great instructor, cannot wait for the next one.

By Leah E on 11-Apr-19

I have taken graphics coursework at a number of institutions of higher learning. I appreciate the straightforward, simplified and accessible way the information is presented in a logical and sequential format to create a foundational understanding of the essential elements of graphic design. Weeks 3 and 4 are where it really comes together. I found these lectures of such critical importance that I saved them all. For a short term course, without the more extensive commitment of a full 16-week term one might find elsewhere, if one commits the time and effort to undertake all of the assignments, I found as much value in this course as I have in more traditional programs. It's reminded me of why I love graphic design, and although it's a basic introductory course, I was excited to undertake these exercises and do it all over again. This class is worth your time, effort and attention. Thank you CalArts and Coursera!

By Enrico J on 8-Apr-19

It is a great course and I learned a lot!

By Marcela M on 7-Apr-19

Really good introduction to most concepts in Graphic Design. The homework for each week is very useful and should not be skipped, even when optional!

By Alvaro M on 7-Apr-19

For anyone who wishes to understand and develop the essential fundamentals of Graphic Design.

By Maja L on 3-Apr-19

This course was extremely informative and it encompassed numerous information which will be useful in my further professional development.

Showing 12 of 866 reviews

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Overall Score : 100 / 100

Fundamentals of Graphic Design
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  • Video Duration: icon 4h
  • Price: Free
  • Provider: icon Coursera
  • University: icon California Institute of the Arts
  • Year: icon 2015
  • Level: Beginner Beginner
  • Language: icon English
  • Certificate: icon Yes

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