About this course: Visual communication is as critical to professional success as written or oral communication. Graphic design skills will help you ensure that your visual business assets convey a clear and compelling message - and learning the essentials of good design is surprisingly easy. This course introduces you to a straightforward design process that emphasizes planning, clarity, and focus. You’ll learn to use contrast, repetition, proximity, and tension to create design that is both credible and visually appealing, and you’ll emulate best practices as you work with examples from a wide range of media. When you complete the course, you’ll have the skills you need to design clear and compelling presentation slides, professional reports, business websites, and more. All of the course assignments can be completed with basic presentation software such as Microsoft PowerPoint or Apple Keynote. You’ll have opportunities to work with and explore more sophisticated tools, such as Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign, as well.
Created by: University of Colorado Boulder
Taught by: David Underwood, Design and Media Teaching Consultant
PhET Interactive Simulations, Department of Physics, University of Colorado Boulder
| Basic Info | Course 2 of 4 in the Effective Communication: Writing, Design, and Presentation Specialization |
| Level | Beginner |
| Language | English, Subtitles: Italian |
| Hardware Req | You'll need some presentation software, such as Microsoft PowerPoint or Apple's Keynote. |
| How To Pass | Pass all graded assignments to complete the course. |
| User Ratings |
Syllabus
WEEK 1
Module 1: Getting Started
This module introduces you to the importance of recognizing good design as the starting place for creating professional, attractive work of your own.
We will look to the ubiquitous world of graphic design to establish a vocabulary of successful design and to find inspiration for our own projects.
We will also discuss course prerequisites and review a basic digital design glossary that will help you navigate your chosen application.
12 videos, 4 readings
- Video: What's So Great About The Capstone? (For New Learners)
- Video: From Writing to Design; the Handoff
- Video: The Importance of Designing Well
- Video: Course Overview
- Video: Course Prerequisites
- 阅读: A Few Important Points About This Course
- Video: Glossary of Design Terms
- 阅读: A Glossary of Design Terms
- Video: Professionalism in Design
- Video: Designing with a Critical Eye
- Video: Developing a Design Vocabulary
- 阅读: Developing a Design Vocabulary
- 阅读: Why Designers Use Templates
- Video: The Importance of Inspiration
- Video: Unexpected Places Yield Unexpected Results
Graded: Glossary Quiz
Graded: Seeking Inspiration
WEEK 2
Module 2: The Blank Canvas
This module will look at the blank canvas – the untouched rectangle that will become our design project. We’ll discuss the importance of working with a grid, understanding negative space, and using appropriate margins. This module will also explore the palette of elements which, when chosen and used wisely, ensure that the finished design project is successful. We’ll cover type, color, images, and graphic elements such as borders, bars, and backgrounds.
15 videos, 4 readings
- Video: Introducing the Grid
- 阅读: Practicing Building Grids
- Video: The Grid and Audience Perception
- Video: The Power of Negative Space
- 阅读: Practicing Negative Space
- Video: Introducing the Palette
- Video: Type Is the Message
- 讨论提示: Choosing a Typeface
- Video: Type Anatomy
- Video: Type Families
- Video: Type Formatting
- Video: Creating with Type
- 阅读: Practicing Templates
- Video: Color and Its Meaning
- 讨论提示: Choosing Color
- Video: Color and the Natural World
- 讨论提示: Photographic Layout
- Video: Image Treatment
- Video: Creative Cropping
- Video: Graphic Elements
- 阅读: Practicing Cropping
Graded: Typeface Quiz
Graded: Seeing Design 'Tricks' in Action
WEEK 3
Module 3: Tricks of the Trade
It's time to start designing! In this module, we'll discuss the process of composition. We'll use the palette items covered in Module 2, and deploy common visual design “tricks” such as contrast, repetition, sublimation, tension, and more. To help see both the effect and the universality of these design approaches, we'll look at design examples from art history, film, and current media. We’ll also cover the strategy of composition. We'll see that providing an obvious target, maintaining a natural visual flow, and prioritizing information are all critical to clear visual communication.
12 videos, 4 readings
- Video: Designing with a Closed Set of Elements: The Clarity Guitars Ad
- 阅读: Using the Closed Set
- Video: Contrast
- 讨论提示: Practicing Contrast
- 阅读: Practicing Contrast 2
- Video: White Space
- 讨论提示: Practicing White Space
- Video: Repetition in writing, design, and presentation
- Video: Rhythm or Repetition
- 讨论提示: Practicing Repetition
- Video: Sublimation
- 讨论提示: Practicing Sublimation
- Video: Interlocking Elements
- Video: Introduction to Tension
- 阅读: Practicing Tension
- Video: Tension and Movement
- 阅读: Practicing Logos
- Video: Targets and Portals
- 讨论提示: Identifying Targets
- Video: Establishing Priorities
- 讨论提示: Designing a Cover
Graded: Design Critique
WEEK 4
Module 4: Revision and Distance
As we've said before, designers don't work in a vacuum. Our work will be judged by others, and, as good designers, we will learn to take that judgement constructively and in stride. In this module we’ll talk about what it means to be confident, yet open to criticism. We’ll explore the importance of revision as an ongoing component of design, as well as the need to enlist feedback and maintain distance in assessing our own work.
4 videos, 2 practice quizzes
- 讨论提示: Designing with Criticism
- Video: You Are Your Own Worst Critic
- 练习测验: Rubric Training Quiz 1
- 练习测验: Rubric Training Quiz 2
- Video: Looking Back at Best Practices
- Video: Moving Forward: Public Speaking
Graded: Poster Design
FAQs
How It Works
课程作业
每门课程都像是一本互动的教科书，具有预先录制的视频、测验和项目。
来自同学的帮助
与其他成千上万的学生相联系，对想法进行辩论，讨论课程材料，并寻求帮助来掌握概念。
证书
获得正式认证的作业，并与朋友、同事和雇主分享您的成功。
Creators
University of Colorado Boulder
CU-Boulder is a dynamic community of scholars and learners on one of the most spectacular college campuses in the country. As one of 34 U.S. public institutions in the prestigious Association of American Universities (AAU), we have a proud tradition of academic excellence, with five Nobel laureates and more than 50 members of prestigious academic academies.
Pricing
| Purchase Course | |
|---|---|
| Access to course materials | Available |
| Access to graded materials | Available |
| Receive a final grade | Available |
| Earn a shareable Course Certificate | Available |
Ratings and Reviews
Made me more aware of powerpoint features and design in general. I now have a new perspective of what's being advertised to me.
This course was great it help a lot since I am studying Public Relations and Marketing, I feel more confident when doing a poster, flyer, brochure....Thanks a lot to Dave!!
:)
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NJ
Though this course was completely new and unexplored for me but I learned a lot to look at things with different angle. I learned many professional skills required for effective design and making stuffs more commanding. Thanks a lot to the resource persons and classmates