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

4.8
stars
17,037 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

MN

May 18, 2022

very good introductory course. i enjoyed the assignments, they are not overwhelming, easy to start, and the optional ones offer great opportunity to dig little deeper into graphic design fundamentals.

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

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601 - 625 of 4,402 Reviews for Fundamentals of Graphic Design

By Witenberg S R S

Feb 7, 2016

I really did enjoy the lessons, the assignments on different views of an object and last one on single contrasts indeed contributed to my creativity practicing. The lecture about patterns was impressive!

By simone f

Mar 25, 2022

Well explained and put together. The complexity of the essential elements in graphic design was taught in such a careful manner that it seemed to be a fairly simple subject. What I expected was delivered!

By Constanza V B

Mar 1, 2021

Excellent course!! Specially if you are a beginner but even if not you are still going to learn a lot of new things. Optional briefs are really helpful, and you will most likely make an enormous progress.

By Lasya G

Jun 5, 2020

The fundamentals of design that are essential for a beginner have been explained very well. However, further courses may be required for more details about their application in different fields of design.

By Matthew B

Sep 21, 2016

Perfect for beginning and intermediate graphic designers. The explanations of concepts and exercises are quite useful and makes the foundations of graphic design clear and accessible. Highly recommended.

By Tanguy L B

Dec 8, 2023

Really well explained and gradually in the processus, it helps to work our eye in graphic design and our skills. I highly recommand it for any beginner in this subject. Thank you to Michael Worthington !

By Luis D S M

Sep 9, 2021

This course helped me to understand the basic element of graphic desing. I'm impress how well structure is this program, I totally recommended and doing the excercises will enhance a better way to learn.

By Rebecca A

May 31, 2020

It teaches you the basics and the fundaments of graphic design, for those who don't know and want to start learning it's a good way to begin with and even those who know and want to go back and remember.

By Andie L

Aug 15, 2018

Great introduction into what Graphic Design is all about. It breaks down the complexity into bite size, tangible pieces of information that you can apply to your graphic design mindset. Highly recommend!

By Tianyin L

Feb 8, 2018

I feel that this course suits me, a complete novice to graphic design, very well. It covers the basics and key themes in graphic design, and the examples shown are very stimulating and thought provoking.

By Марта В

Aug 11, 2021

I love this course. It has great videos with very accurate explanations and great practical assignments. I would recommend this course for everyone who wants to begin their journey with graphic design.

By Tim M

Oct 24, 2020

Very easy to follow along online while still feeling interactive through peer feedback. The assignments were engaging, great practice, and could aid in portfolio development for folks who need material.

By Jashtelle E

Aug 24, 2020

Really informative! I have gained so much insight into my field that I never knew about. I had an internship in graphic design years ago, so these things were never a part of my life. Thank you so much!

By Nakash

May 16, 2016

I like this course and Coursera .org. its giving opportunity to peoples for learning. guys if you want learn so please visit on Coursera .org

i learn many things from this course and i wish i learn alot

By Shirui P

Aug 7, 2020

This is my first graphic design course, and I really enjoy learning it! The syllabus is clear and well-organized, and the contents are worth really learning to build the foundations for future studies.

By Brandon J

Aug 3, 2020

For a fundamentals course, it does a great job of being approachable but still thorough. I came to this as a working professional looking to refresh some concepts, and still I found insightful tidbits.

By Lai C Y

Jan 6, 2020

A great breakdown and thorough explanation of what is graphic design. Mind opening to know the origins of fonts, typeface in typography. A must-have if you have an interest in pursuing graphics design!

By Dylan B

Nov 15, 2017

A wonderful course! I was able to learn the skills necessary to express my ideas in a way other people can understand. I highly recommend this to anyone considering graphic design for pleasure or work.

By ognjen r

May 1, 2017

Great! Teaches you how to begin thinking as a designer. Interesting concept, cool homework. More than happy to recommend. Will definitely continue with rest of courses in Graphic Design Specialization!

By Kaori A

Nov 1, 2022

Well structured and full of practical lessons. Clear and informative lectures for each design elements. I highly recommend this course both for beginners and graphic designers with some experiences.

By Devdeep M

Nov 2, 2016

It's amazing how this course breaks down graphic design to fundamentals that we hardly even think of. It acquaints you with the building blocks, and creates a foundation that'll take you a long way!

By Anna S

Sep 18, 2022

Great course! I'm new to graphic design and this course has given me fundamental knowledge of it. The teachings are very easy to follow and the assigned work is in accordance with what are taught.

By Caroline V

Dec 30, 2021

Um curso básico com raízes profundas! Tudo parece ter sido pensado e elaborado para nos fazer se sentir parte. Senti-me presente e senti a presença e o acolhimento do professor e colegas. Obrigada!

By Stephanie E

Aug 1, 2020

This course was informational, fun, in depth, and very interesting. The professor did a great job of giving comprehensible lessons and the assignments always helped enforce the course's main ideas.

By Tatjana M

Jul 9, 2020

I loved the course, well explained, entertaining assignments.

Have to be ready for hard work ( at least I had to work hard;-)).

It s more than worth it!

No hesitations, take your breath and dive in!