Name: Ideas from the History of Graphic Design
Brand: California Institute of the Arts
Availability: OnlineOnly
Rating: 4.7 (541 reviews)

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Learner Reviews & Feedback for Ideas from the History of Graphic Design by California Institute of the Arts

4.7

stars

2,535 ratings

About the Course

This condensed survey course focuses on four key periods or themes from the history of design in the West. Together we’ll trace the emergence of design as a recognized practice, why things look the way they do, and how designers approached specific design problems in their work. Students will develop an understanding of where the wide variety of today’s design practice comes from. By participating in this survey of the works of innovative groups and individuals, we outline the process by which graphic design moved from a purely instrumental practice, to becoming a demanding creative and hybridized field. Each week, a short quiz will test your knowledge of concepts, and a short reflective assignment will give you the opportunity to analyze the questions designers ask themselves today. This is an essential course for emerging designers entering the field, or for students interested in learning more about visual culture and analysis. No previous experience is required. A note about this course: This course is taught from the perspective of contemporary design, to connect ideas that helped formulate design practice from the 1850s through the 1960s to the ways that designers think today. The relationship of words and pictures in graphic design is looked at through the ever-changing social and cultural contexts, technologies, aesthetics, and politics of their eras. The definition and practice of graphic design includes all public visual communications, which is a global practice. It was the evolution of mass production and communication in the West that specifically redefined graphic design as a professional practice and is this course’s particular narrative. We hope students will consider how to connect the themes and ideas offered in this course to your own culture....

Top reviews

Dec 4, 2016

Loved it and all the examples the teachers put into it, as well as the organization and evolution of themes. Big thank you to the teacher ladies. I learned a lot and enjoyed the lessons very much.

Jul 19, 2020

I really enjoyed this course. The lectures were interesting and I have a better understanding of design styles and their influences. I enjoyed completing the assignments too. Thank you!

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526 - 541 of 541 Reviews for Ideas from the History of Graphic Design

By arshla j

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Sep 24, 2016

Informative and sometimes fascinating.

By nolan l

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Dec 11, 2024

this course is kinda boring tbh

By Gary D G

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Jun 7, 2020

To many videos and reading

By Erick A R A d l S

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Feb 24, 2018

The course is very light.

By Tarun V M

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May 1, 2020

purty gud

By Tamara S

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Mar 25, 2024

hard to follow. Often the main points were not made or clearly highlighted. Very western-centered history. Either adjust content or note that this is focused on American and European history rather than global/general history

By Mohammad M

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Sep 8, 2022

It was a good course, but it fell short of my expectations, I didn't expect that we wouldn't just study biographies or the history of graphic design.

By OSAMAH Z A M (

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Mar 4, 2025

Good

By Shahmeer A

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Apr 24, 2022

This course is worst about ideas from the history of graphic design and in the history of graphic designing courses. The videos were so long and boring I had to skip them and I just completed this because I wanted to complete the specialization but this course is the worse of all courses