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

4.8
stars
17,084 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

AR

Apr 17, 2016

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.

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1176 - 1200 of 4,411 Reviews for Fundamentals of Graphic Design

By Nicole P

Oct 16, 2015

Love this class on Graphic Design learned different types of imagemaking never new the different types or what they were called

By Jane L

Jul 27, 2022

Course was informative and easy to follow! It is a great introduction to basic components required in creating digital images.

By essam f

Aug 31, 2021

The course have very valuable information, which will be a great turning point in the artistic career if it is taken seriously

By Randy M

Apr 21, 2021

Great course. Instructor was very well spoken and thorough. Had fun and was able to add a few finished pieces to my portfolio!

By María L R L

Apr 15, 2021

Un curso básico para comenzar el camino de diseño gráfico o bien para refrescar los conocimientos ya adquiridos. Lo recomiendo

By Pallika L

Mar 27, 2021

I've developed the needing skills for graphic designing in this course . All assignments were fun and interesting to complete.

By Dyani A

Jan 26, 2021

I recommend it to everyone who want to pursue in graphic design. CalArts is a fantastic art college for anyone who’s into art.

By Alejandro V

Jul 21, 2020

Va directo al grano mostrándote las bases desde las que posteriormente se puede construir de manera sencilla más conocimiento.

By Ryan A C R

Jul 19, 2018

I had fun! The instructor are great and all the assignments helped me developed and improved my creativity. Thank you so much!

By Yordanskya G T

Mar 12, 2018

Lovely! A comprehensive overview of concepts and techniques. A nice mixture of praxis and theory. Interesting and interactive.

By Salma A

Nov 7, 2016

it's my first time to complete online course , really i found it very helpful and attract me by new knowledge and information.

By Jennifer T

Apr 7, 2016

Such a fantastic course! Accessible resources, hints and tips, and useful and challenging assignments. I've really enjoyed it.

By Chris B

Dec 21, 2015

Really a lot of fun. It would be great if discussions were more active, but overall a good introductory graphic design course.

By ivan “ a

May 30, 2022

If by Fundamentals means a thorough, clear, and concise explanation of the basic in graphic design then this course nailed it

By Deleted A

Sep 24, 2021

This course is really interesting : you will learn a lot about imagemaking, contrasts, and about fundamentals of typography.

By Nikolai A

Jul 6, 2021

I happy to have this course. It was a great opportunity for me to be acquainted with such knowledge! Thank you, it was GREAT!

By 08_K.Harika

Nov 24, 2020

It is very good start to take up this course , in regard to know about all basic knowledge in fundamentals of graphic design

By Martin T

Oct 8, 2020

It's great. Be prepared to be experimental from the beginning and just let go of being wrong. You'll get it right eventually.

By Mashiat L K

Sep 19, 2020

This course really piqued my interest in graphic design, loved how different the approaches were for the different sub topics

By Aaishiki S

Jul 13, 2020

I personally had a lot of fun learning graphic designing. It was a great journey. The course was really thorough and helpful.

By Egwuogu C

Jun 29, 2020

Bite-sized, understandable lectures with practical assignments. It's very good for something that's just teaching the basics.

By Anne K V

Jun 23, 2020

Learned so much about design fundamentals that inspired me to learn more graphic design and excites me to do more. Thank you.

By Singare S S

Jun 20, 2020

This is an amazing course for fundamentals of graphics .Techniques about graphics explained so well and easy to understand..!

By Rajab A

Jun 8, 2020

This course is very usefull i have learned many things of basic graphic designing.Every beginer should do this course thanks.

By Sema D

May 31, 2020

This course made me gain new perspectives when I was at home. A perfect start for those interested in graphic design. Thanks.