Chevron Left
Back to Fundamentals of Graphic Design

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

4.8
stars
17,124 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.

Filter by:

976 - 1000 of 4,419 Reviews for Fundamentals of Graphic Design

By Pedro B V

Aug 22, 2020

Muy buen curso. Probé otros cursos de diseño en Coursera pero éste fue el mejor. Te hacen aplicar lo aprendido, y los ejemplos de clases son buenos.

By Ranela n

Jul 17, 2020

This course is a must for someone like me whose just starting out on the process of learning graphic design. This really helped me a lot! I love it!

By Nazifa T L

Apr 21, 2020

Love how it's designed to give one an overview of the important topics of graphics designing. Loved both the teaching method and overall experience.

By Anand P

Feb 19, 2018

A really amazing course which teaches you the basics of Design in general with a graphic design flavor. Really enjoyed the lectures and assignments.

By Agnes K

Feb 16, 2016

Inspiring assignments! THe instructor has a warm encouraging aura around him that made me want to listen to him. Also, he is very clear and thorough

By muriel r

Feb 15, 2016

I loved this course so much I would suggest to anyone who is interested in graphic design. The videos are clear and the assignments very motivating.

By Thaís B G

Jan 30, 2016

Great not only for the beginners, but also for professional graphic designers who whant to revisit the basics. The typography classes are excellent!

By Kay K W

Aug 26, 2021

The guidelines were clear as well as the examples on what the assignment should exactly be about. I really enjoyed learning this course. thank you.

By BEDOLLA D R J

May 16, 2021

As a student of graphic design, this course really helped me a lot. to understand all the visual elements and how to create a balanced composition.

By Nariya B

Sep 16, 2020

This is a great course for all beginners! I have learned a lot about graphic design and especially learning about Typography was super interesting.

By Kartikay B

May 8, 2020

Beautifully Structured Course, with gradual growth in topics and covering all aspects with good enough amount of assignments. Happy to complete it.

By Nutdhrakorn V

Apr 19, 2020

Recommended course.

You will learn important element in Graphic design.That's so good.

I've learnt a lot from this course.

Thank you so much CAL ART.

By Matheus S

Jan 16, 2020

Amazing course, encouraged me to compose and be creative, Michael Worthington is a great teacher, amazing didactics. Thanks Coursera and CalArts :)

By Kamila M

Oct 28, 2019

I found this cours very useful for me. It was my first experience in studying design. Now I have a strong wish to continue. Thank you all for that!

By Zenkov E

Dec 25, 2016

Very steep path from proffesionalov. I learned a lot, the information understandable and memorable. Thanks to the authors of an interesting course.

By Joao C N

Sep 28, 2016

Just loved the course and recomend to all who appreciate and love graphic design and those want to know the process of creating a brand first hand.

By Markus R

Mar 10, 2016

Lectures are short but cover the fundamentals thoroughly enough.

The peer grading worked very well, too. I got some nice and really helpful reviews.

By tahrim f

May 28, 2023

It was very good. Course was explained in detailed and was understandable. I learned new patterns new ways of images that I never imagined before.

By SHURUQ.M.M

Jul 3, 2021

Amazing ,i really learn a lots from Mr.Michael .In this course you will expand your knowledge about the fundamental of graphic designs and more

By JUAN C G D

Sep 20, 2020

it's amazing how in the week 4, at the very end, you can use all you leaerned and create something expectacular. i love the curse! is very useful!

By Rupal S

Aug 28, 2020

THIS COURSE HAS GROWN A LITTLE ENTHUSIASM IN ABOUT DIGITAL GRAPHIC DESIGN AND MADE ME RELEASE THE BETTER ME HOW TO BECOME THE BEST.

THANK YOU TEAM

By Tamima A

Jul 21, 2020

Well I've always wanted to have an academic qualification regarding Graphics Design all my life. This course made my dream come true. Appreciated.

By Ella H

Apr 7, 2020

Really enjoyed this course. A good amount of practical experimentation (by hand and digitally). I also liked giving the optional assignments a go.

By Cinthia

Jun 24, 2019

I understand the gist of Graphic Design without the dependence of software. These lessons are the true building blocks of how to think and design.