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

4.8
stars
17,684 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

EJ

Sep 5, 2021

I had a lot of fun in this course. I learnt some extra bits of information related to graphic design and I think it's a great start for beginners as well as good practice for intermediate and experts!

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.

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1101 - 1125 of 4,537 Reviews for Fundamentals of Graphic Design

By William F

Nov 14, 2019

Wonderful professor! He's teaching was clear and effective. I learned much and I understand the value of graphic design. Thank you Sire!

By Ellie R

Sep 14, 2018

Provides a good amount of information with concise explanation and compelling examples for those wanting to start out in graphic design.

By Jennifer J

May 16, 2016

In my third week and I'm loving this course so far. I'm already thinking about the learning points I gain each week in my everyday life!

By Kecia R

Mar 12, 2016

I enjoyed the combination of hands on creative exercises and quizzes. I will forever remember " You learn to be a designer by designing"

By Samantha S

Jan 27, 2016

This course was great and the instructor was very helpful. Peer comments also helped me to improve my techniques throughout the course.

By Fernando B d O

Aug 20, 2023

Just follow through with the exercises and try to do your best, exploring the content as much as you can. It's a great course to start!

By Francisco (

Jul 30, 2023

Great course, really teaches a lot about design and how to view and use it. You definitely need to make the effort to do more and more!

By Dinithi w

Jan 31, 2021

This is one of the best courses I enrolled in and I learned a lot of things about Graphic Design from this course. Thank you very much!

By Maria A C

Sep 16, 2020

I'm feeling very happy right now. The corse works really nice (teacher, fellow students, tasks). I'm going to continue my studies here!

By Sadia J D

Aug 26, 2020

This is a very resourceful and informative course. I have learned so many interesting things and gained knowledge about graphic design.

By Ana L F

Jul 31, 2020

Great course! Simple and objective. All about art and the creation process. Much more important than just to know how to use softwares.

By A. N

Jun 26, 2020

i had really fun time learning this course . The course are easy and simple and basic to understand the fundementals of graphic designs

By Fabian N A

Jun 18, 2020

The instructor is the best person for the job. His knowledge in the subject is just overwhelming. Thank you for sharing your knowledge.

By Adeen J Q

May 22, 2020

each and every concept was well-taught, and the exercises gave the hands on experience that helped a lot in understanding the concepts.

By Sogathur B

May 7, 2020

Amazing experience, it was elaborated in detail and at the same time was put very simply in a way everybody or anybody could understand

By Yin K A M

Oct 7, 2019

It a good entry course for non-design background students to learn graphic design. It's happy to keep trying different graphic designs.

By Swati R

Apr 2, 2019

It was a very nice course and the video lectures was so helpful and thanks coursera for approving my financial aid.

I loved this course.

By Erica G T

Mar 5, 2018

Ótimo curso! As aulas são rápidas e objetivas. Os exercícios são simples mas abordam efetivamente os fundamentos da composição gráfica.

By Григорий К

Apr 4, 2024

Я рад тому, что можно получить образование по той или иной специальности и от любого вуза, просто зарегистрировавшись на данном сайте!

By Dalina E M C

Jun 9, 2022

I loved this course, I appreciated every piece of information, I look forward to continue acquiring knowledge and improving my skills.

By Tóbiás L

Dec 3, 2020

It is a a great overview of graphic design. Easy to follow, a good opportunity to start with something new, and understand the basics.

By Christopher G

Jul 3, 2020

Very Good! If you are a complete beginner it is ideal if you already know the basics I would suggest something a little more advanced.

By Joanna C

Oct 12, 2019

I really enjoyed this course. I can definitely see that I have learned something. The assignments were challenging and fun. Thank you!

By Marina W

Sep 18, 2019

I loved this course, it is as useful and entertaining.I love the idea of reviewing others work, really it was perfect. Thank you !!!!!

By Jane T

Sep 7, 2019

Great fundamentals. Really gives you a taste of what's to come as well as setting you in the right mind frame to be a better designer.