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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

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.

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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1426 - 1450 of 4,411 Reviews for Fundamentals of Graphic Design

By Sarah M E

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Nov 6, 2015

I learned a lot from this course. Thank you California Institute of the Arts for this wonderful experience.

By Sarah S

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Jun 1, 2021

I really enjoyed the course. I really think this has helped me rethink my strategy towards graphic design.

By Katherine r

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Mar 23, 2021

It is very good course to make.. It is gives you a main ideas about graphic design. Ideas you most know it

By Steven E P

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Mar 7, 2021

A great course, well explained, and constructed to introduce you to the building blocks of graphic design.

By Mary C

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Sep 6, 2020

This class was a really great overview of Graphic Design! I learned a lot and and inspired to keep going!

By Rachel L

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Jul 21, 2020

This was a very basic, easy intro to graphic design. I have no experience but enjoyed the course very much

By Itzel S C M

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Jun 20, 2020

It is a very complete and useful course to understand the bases of graphic design. I totally recommend it!

By Grecia M G G

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Mar 24, 2020

Es un curso muy completo, con actividades realmente importantes para el desarrollo de nuestra creatividad.

By Yuliia N

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Sep 7, 2018

Well explained basics which will make everyone interested to go deeper and learn more! Highly recommended!

By Lisa J

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Mar 2, 2018

I really appreciated Cal Arts' approach. This felt more from heart and organic vs. other typical courses.

By Alice Z

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Apr 12, 2017

It helped me to learn the fundamentals of graphic design,it likes a key which can open the door of design.

By Lara S

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Mar 10, 2016

It is truly a lot of fun to experiment and to find your own way of designing during this class. Thank you!

By Afnan A K

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Aug 8, 2023

Great Course , there is a lot of stuff for begainner gfx designers to understand the gf designing basics.

By Anne M

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May 28, 2023

Interesting lessons, and projects broke down the basics so nothing seemed overwhelming. Highly recommend.

By Roxy M

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Jan 23, 2023

Really fun course to get a grip on what graphic design is about. I'm looking forward to the next course!.

By Yisak M

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Aug 12, 2022

Thise course is amazing it helps me to creat a lot of desgines and i woulde like to thanke you for that.

By Sarah M

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Nov 15, 2021

Great overview of the basic building blocks of graphic design, with fun briefs to start applying skills!

By Massoomeh E

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Feb 20, 2021

It was very useful and comprehensive. The instructor was amazing and he had a very good teaching ability.

By Ebraheem M

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Jan 16, 2021

I think this course is the best one for those people who think about starting a career in graphic design.

By Carlota M

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Dec 19, 2020

Very instructive, easy to understand and follow. It opened my eyes into new perspectives of GD. Thank you

By Richard B

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Sep 23, 2020

The course is a good place to begin making graphic design choices to avoid clashing messages and signals.

By Mercedes P

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Aug 25, 2020

Thank you for let to learn all about this course!. it was very helpful and exciting! i want to lear more!

By Maria F

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Jul 20, 2020

Amazing introduction to Graphic Design. Highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in learning more!

By maaz m

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Jul 6, 2020

Wonderfull course, as a beginner was able to get more knowledge and know the basics of graphic designing.