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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.

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1001 - 1025 of 4,419 Reviews for Fundamentals of Graphic Design

By Wei-Ru L

Sep 4, 2016

Very great basic but detailed concepts for graphic design.

Easily understand. The exercise made me think through the whole idea of graphic design.

By Kyle L

Apr 9, 2016

Great content, presented in a clear and direct manner and then applied with assignments that are accessible to all skill levels. Highly recommend.

By Kuhoo R

Oct 26, 2022

Great course - really lays out the foundations of design and is a good reminder for all visual artists of how to create a meaningful composition

By Dyana V L

Jun 15, 2022

It is exactly about the fundamentals of graphic design, and a motivator. I'm definitely continuing with the other courses of the specialization.

By dagilimous

May 6, 2022

In my opinion, this course is the best choice for anyone who is trying to start a journey in graphic design. topics are well chosen and prepared.

By Arnel R D

Aug 28, 2020

The course is very informative and the videos are engaging. It teaches all the basics of graphic design which is very useful for the application.

By Sergio G F

Jul 9, 2020

Very good for someone without any graphic design background. It makes you think about all the world behind the pictures we see in media everyday.

By Liezl A B

Jun 19, 2020

Very good for a beginner. I have learned more about the things I thought I'm good at already. Must need to enhance knowledge in creating designs.

By Evgenii D

Oct 26, 2015

Very interesting and helpful course. I hope than professor will make course about painting on a computer with teoretical background and practice.

By Muhammad A k

Feb 6, 2021

Awesome course great mentors. This course helped me see graphic design at its core and ,in a new and fun way thank you for this fantastic course

By Yara S

Nov 30, 2020

Amazing video course! The teacher does such a good job at explaining and visualizing different ideas and theories. Highly recommend this course!

By Irene B

Nov 12, 2020

The course is a very interesting first step into Graphic Design. It's simple and direct but full of inspiring concepts and overall a good start!

By Marcano V L

Aug 29, 2020

This is a FUNDAMENTAL course for beginners. It's quite interesting and practicing for who is looking for deepen in graphic design progressively.

By zahra 9

Aug 24, 2020

I absolutely loved and highly recommend this course for anyone who is interested in Graphic designing. Easy lecture videos, and informative too.

By Zain

Jun 16, 2020

Best Teacher to learn course with.He explain every thing in a simple way that i fall in love with this course.

Well Done Sir Michael Worthington.

By Shehzil A

Apr 27, 2020

I had a lot to learn from this course, this course was certainly a fun experience for me. I will practice these skills to keep my self inspired.

By Stella L

Apr 20, 2020

I like the course was made in a way that the context was very concentrated and explained in a way that was very easy to understand! Great class!

By Munish M

Aug 26, 2019

It's a good introduction for beginners. Good exercsies to test yourself. I recommend this for anyone who is just starting out in Graphic Design!

By Elena S

Jul 8, 2019

Professional, interesting and inspiring. The lecturer explains complex and important things in stages and with examples, from simple to complex.

By Rhonda B

Jul 5, 2017

This course gave me the basics of graphic design just as it proposed it would. I feel confident now using these principles in my artistic works.

By Christopher G

Jan 3, 2016

Concepts were all clearly presented and discussed, and seeing others' work was very helpful in broadening my understanding of the possibilities.

By Eldiardo d l P

Feb 6, 2023

This is a great course for those who want to explore some fundamental techniques in graphic design. The exercises are interesting and engaging!

By Grecia I P G

May 16, 2021

Gracias por enseñarme las pautas básicas para el diseño, estoy emocionada porque podré aplicarlo en mi día a día como estudiante universitaria!

By Lisa T

Jul 22, 2020

It was great! I can practice the material and have a great feedback from the peer assignment. Slowly building up my self-confidence. Thank you!

By Ahmad B

Sep 28, 2018

I've Started Learning Some Useful Fundamentals From The Beginning Of This Course. Loved It, And Thanks For Making It Such An Excellent Course.