University of Colorado Boulder

Graphic Design

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University of Colorado Boulder

Graphic Design

This course is part of Effective Communication: Writing, Design, and Presentation Specialization

David Underwood

Instructor: David Underwood

166,726 already enrolled

Included with Coursera Plus

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.
Beginner level

Recommended experience

3 weeks to complete
at 10 hours a week
Flexible schedule
Learn at your own pace
Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.
Beginner level

Recommended experience

3 weeks to complete
at 10 hours a week
Flexible schedule
Learn at your own pace

What you'll learn

  • Apply inspired design ideas to your own work.

Skills you'll gain

  • Category: Graphic and Visual Design Software
  • Category: Design Elements And Principles
  • Category: Visual Design
  • Category: Design Strategies
  • Category: Design
  • Category: Editing
  • Category: Design Reviews
  • Category: Typography
  • Category: Creative Design
  • Category: Graphic Design
  • Category: Color Theory
  • Category: Graphic and Visual Design
  • Category: Layout Design

Tools you'll learn

  • Category: Adobe Photoshop
  • Category: Graphics Software
  • Category: Design Software
  • Category: Graphical Tools
  • Category: Adobe Creative Cloud

Details to know

Shareable certificate

Add to your LinkedIn profile

Assessments

5 assignments¹

AI Graded see disclaimer
Taught in English

Build your subject-matter expertise

This course is part of the Effective Communication: Writing, Design, and Presentation Specialization
When you enroll in this course, you'll also be enrolled in this Specialization.
  • Learn new concepts from industry experts
  • Gain a foundational understanding of a subject or tool
  • Develop job-relevant skills with hands-on projects
  • Earn a shareable career certificate

There are 4 modules in this course

This week 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.

What's included

12 videos7 readings1 assignment1 peer review

This week 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 week 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.

What's included

15 videos5 readings2 assignments3 discussion prompts

It's time to start designing! In this week, we'll discuss the process of composition. We'll use the palette items covered in week 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.

What's included

12 videos4 readings1 peer review6 discussion prompts

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 week 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.

What's included

4 videos2 assignments1 peer review1 discussion prompt

Earn a career certificate

Add this credential to your LinkedIn profile, resume, or CV. Share it on social media and in your performance review.

Instructor

David Underwood
David Underwood
University of Colorado Boulder
5 Courses192,163 learners

Offered by

University of Colorado Boulder

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Frequently asked questions

¹ Some assignments in this course are AI-graded. For these assignments, your data will be used in accordance with Coursera's Privacy Notice.