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Learner Reviews & Feedback for Fundamentals of Graphic Design by California Institute of the Arts

4.8
stars
17,081 ratings

About the 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....

Top reviews

GA

Aug 20, 2018

Very interesting, I liked the format. Easy to follow, nice excercises. It's actually good to cover the basics of design, even if you are not an absolute beginner, and especially if you are self taught

CS

May 9, 2018

An ok course for beginners. A bit too basic for someone who has already had experience in design, but is great anyway cause it breaks things back down to the simplest parts to help you remember roots.

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2526 - 2550 of 4,410 Reviews for Fundamentals of Graphic Design

By ERDEM T

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Jul 8, 2018

It was perfect, well structured and to the point.

By Ansh W

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May 21, 2018

I had one of the best learniing experiences ever!

By Viktoria K

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Jul 1, 2017

I have a lot of fun in this course. It was great!

By Le D

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Aug 20, 2016

Full of useful information, very well organized.

By Man C Y

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Jan 8, 2016

Clear direction, get more ideas on Graphic Design

By Fakher I

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Jul 22, 2023

amazing lectures on fundamentals graphic design.

By Khotso M

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Sep 1, 2022

without any doubt one of the best courses ever.

By Chameleon D

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Jul 24, 2022

really heldpul breaking down the basics. Thanks

By 20eucs028 D S

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Sep 28, 2021

As i expected Calarts gave me a best experience

By Akash K

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Sep 13, 2021

Very interesting for emerging graphics designers

By IENAS A

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Apr 5, 2021

fantastic course i wish there were more of these

By Yui S

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Feb 7, 2021

I really enjoyed this course. Thank you so much!

By Pinar S

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Jan 18, 2021

This course gives me a graphical thinking angle.

By Tarunika R

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Nov 23, 2020

Helps lay strong foundations and fun assignments

By NURGUL K

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Sep 26, 2020

excellent foundation for Graphic Design learners

By Mahnoor N

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Sep 9, 2020

Great course ,I really enjoyed during the course

By naief p

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Aug 26, 2020

thank you so much, Coursera. its helped me a lot

By Md. S

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Aug 23, 2020

Really! I have learned the design ideas. Thanks!

By Ananya P

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Jul 23, 2020

this was an amazing course! thanks a lot CALarts

By Shruti K

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Jun 19, 2020

it is a great platform for improving your skills

By Hailey

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May 31, 2020

Great knowledge of Graphic Design for beginners.

By Karla B

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Apr 28, 2020

Very complete and best for creativity to emerge.

By Soohyeon L

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Mar 5, 2020

I've learned so much from this class. Thank you!

By Jose A G R

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Jun 24, 2019

Great course, clearly explained...learned a lot.

By Evangelos

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Aug 23, 2017

Great course with a lot of knowledge to soak up!