- textual elements and manipulation
- Color Theory
- online design
- Graphic Design
- Print Design
- textual elements
Offered By
Graphic Design Elements for Non-Designers SpecializationUniversity of Colorado BoulderWhat you will learn
Appreciate the study of design layout and conceptual elements concerning design projects.
Analyze basic design concepts to apply in the professional setting, including typography, color theory, image selection, and layout best practices.
Design foundational creative projects, including business card, brochures, ads, websites and manuals.
Discover techniques for working and communicating with graphic designers and other creative professionals.
Skills you will gain
About this Specialization
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In this hands-on specialization, you will explore basic graphic design elements, color theory, images, publication design and techniques for creating effective layouts. You will also learn about typography, the creative process, the importance of brainstorming, and how to discuss and critique design in a professional setting. Page layout software and online sites will be used to incorporate and manipulate text, color, photographs and images.
If you are curious about the design process, work on a team with designers and need to speak some of their language, or want to empower the creatives on your team to be even better, this specialization is made for you.
Applied Learning Project
You will design a business card or one-sided flyer, an advertisement, a brochure and an outline for a website. In addition, this course will include optional discussions with fellow students and a peer review process for each assignment. We encourage you to take advantage of all of these opportunities, and immerse yourself in the design process!
Shareable Certificate
Earn a Certificate upon completion
100% online courses
Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.
Flexible Schedule
Set and maintain flexible deadlines.
Beginner Level
Students should have computer proficiency, desire to learn creative skills, & access to computer programs or online sites to work on design projects.
Approximately 4 months to complete
Suggested pace of 4 hours/week
English
Subtitles: English, Arabic, French, Portuguese (European), Italian, Vietnamese, German, Russian, Spanish
Shareable Certificate
Earn a Certificate upon completion
100% online courses
Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.
Flexible Schedule
Set and maintain flexible deadlines.
Beginner Level
Students should have computer proficiency, desire to learn creative skills, & access to computer programs or online sites to work on design projects.
Approximately 4 months to complete
Suggested pace of 4 hours/week
English
Subtitles: English, Arabic, French, Portuguese (European), Italian, Vietnamese, German, Russian, Spanish
How the Specialization Works
Take Courses
A Coursera Specialization is a series of courses that helps you master a skill. To begin, enroll in the Specialization directly, or review its courses and choose the one you'd like to start with. When you subscribe to a course that is part of a Specialization, you’re automatically subscribed to the full Specialization. It’s okay to complete just one course — you can pause your learning or end your subscription at any time. Visit your learner dashboard to track your course enrollments and your progress.
Hands-on Project
Every Specialization includes a hands-on project. You'll need to successfully finish the project(s) to complete the Specialization and earn your certificate. If the Specialization includes a separate course for the hands-on project, you'll need to finish each of the other courses before you can start it.
Earn a Certificate
When you finish every course and complete the hands-on project, you'll earn a Certificate that you can share with prospective employers and your professional network.
There are 4 Courses in this Specialization
Basic Elements of Design: Design Principles and Software Overview
815 ratings
Designing for an organization, while requiring technical skill, is not just about knowing how to use a pagination program such as InDesign or manipulate photos using Photoshop. A designer is a visual storyteller, a person who pairs words with images and typography to best convey information to an audience. Good design evokes emotion and presents the news of the day with clarity and the proper tone. A business card, brochure, or website that has good design provides content that is more inviting, more easily comprehensible and is faster to process. Design isn’t about “making it look pretty,” it’s also about content, layout and audience analysis.
Graphic Elements of Design: Color Theory and Image Formats
475 ratings
Examining and exploring the various types of images and graphic elements will be the focus of this course. We will start with color theory to distinguish between CMYK, Pantone and RGB color options and their usages. Then we will review the various types of images used in both print and digital design projects. Finally we will look at logo designs to determine what makes for the best images and graphic elements for corporate branding and imaging.
Textual Elements of Design: Fonts, Typography, and Spacing
217 ratings
Graphic design is telling a story by using both images and text. With that definition in mind, this course will focus on the textual elements of graphic design. From the history of typography, the difference between type, fonts and text as well as exposure to typography spacing, students will learn the value of selecting the best kind of type and combinations of fonts to get their message across in a visually pleasing manner.
Print and Digital Elements of Design: Branding and User Experience
231 ratings
Graphic design projects can be delivered in either a printed format or a digital format, or both. This course will look at how to work with creative professionals to get the ideal usage out of a design to use in print medium such as logos, brochures and larger printed projects that will also carry over as seamlessly as possible into the digital realm of websites and social media. We will also cover the user experience and how to keep the end result in mind when working on creative endeavors.
Offered by
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.
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