What is Illustrator, and why is it important to learn about?

Adobe Illustrator is a vector-based graphic design, editing, and drawing application program that has become the industry standard for graphic design professionals. The online era has made visual communication more important than ever, and Illustrator is an invaluable tool to help designers create compelling logos, posters, infographics, animations, and other design elements for the web as well as the real world. Illustrator has become the industry standard in part because of its longevity. Development of Adobe Illustrator began in 1985 on the original Apple Macintosh platform, and it has continually been improved and expanded to other platforms along with other Creative Suite and Creative Cloud applications such as Acrobat, Photoshop, and InDesign. Today, it is capable of quickly creating designs that work across print as well as the web and apps for both desktop and mobile devices. And, because its use is ubiquitous in the industry, working in Illustrator makes it easy to collaborate and share with other graphic designers. While Illustrator today has a wide range of powerful tools and use cases that were unimaginable when it was first released, successfully using this program requires the same skills that have been the hallmark of graphic designers in any era. Today’s top graphic design professionals bring together a talent for creativity in visual communication with a mastery of traditional principles regarding the use of space, color, and typography to convey information effectively with images and text. Illustrator is simply the tool that makes it possible to use these skills to reach the widest possible audience.

What kinds of careers can I have with a background in Illustrator?

A background in using Adobe Illustrator is increasingly essential for a career in graphic design. With the advent of the internet and e-commerce making visual aspects of brand communication and web design more important than ever, graphic designers that are able to work in digital formats using this industry-standard program have terrific opportunities to find work for their in-demand skills. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), graphic designers earned a median annual salary of $52,110 per year as of 2019. And, while most graphic designers have a bachelor’s degree in the field, those lacking a 4-year graphic design degree “may complete technical training in graphic design to meet most hiring qualifications” according to BLS.

Can I learn about Illustrator by taking online courses on Coursera?

Absolutely! Coursera offers a wide range of popular courses in web design, digital marketing, and graphic design, including courses that teach skills in Illustrator. You can learn these skills through individual courses as well as Specializations spanning multiple courses from top-ranked schools like California Institute of the Arts and University of Colorado Boulder. And, because learning online lets you view and complete course materials on a flexible schedule, pursuing your education in Illustrator with Coursera is a flexible option that can make sense for students as well as mid-career graphic design professionals seeking to refresh their skills for the digital age.

What are the benefits of taking an online Illustrator course?

Online Illustrator courses offer a convenient and flexible way to enhance your knowledge or learn new Illustrator skills. Choose from a wide range of Illustrator courses offered by top universities and industry leaders tailored to various skill levels.

What Illustrator courses are best for training and upskilling employees or the workforce?

When looking to enhance your workforce's skills in Illustrator, it's crucial to select a course that aligns with their current abilities and learning objectives. Our Skills Dashboard is an invaluable tool for identifying skill gaps and choosing the most appropriate course for effective upskilling. For a comprehensive understanding of how our courses can benefit your employees, explore the enterprise solutions we offer. Discover more about our tailored programs at Coursera for Business here .

Top Illustrator Courses - Learn Illustrator Online

University of Colorado Boulder

Print and Digital Elements of Design: Branding and User Experience

Skills you'll gain: Color Theory, Typography, Graphic and Visual Design, User Experience Design, Graphic and Visual Design Software, Digital Design, Design, Design Elements And Principles, Design Reviews, Web Content, Web Design and Development

Packt

Create Beautiful Imagery with Midjourney AI

Skills you'll gain: Generative AI, ChatGPT, Creativity, Content Creation, Design, Computer Graphic Techniques, Color Theory, Design Elements And Principles, Web Applications

Packt

Ultimate Graphic Design Course: Create 40 Practical Projects

Skills you'll gain: Graphic Design, Adobe Photoshop, Graphic and Visual Design, Visual Design, Design, Logo Design, Content Creation, Typography, Creativity, Color Theory, User Experience Design, Advertising

University of Colorado Boulder

AI for Course Design

Skills you'll gain: Generative AI, Artificial Intelligence, Data Ethics, Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, Instructional Design, Emerging Technologies

Status: Free

Coursera Project Network

OpenAI Assistant: Create a Code to UML-Diagram generator

Skills you'll gain: ChatGPT, Unified Modeling Language, OpenAI, Generative AI, Software Visualization, Artificial Intelligence, Software Design Documents, Technical Communication, User Story, Application Programming Interface (API), Software Development Tools, Natural Language Processing, Development Environment, Software Development

Coursera Project Network

Publish your corporate designs on Slack with Canva

Skills you'll gain: Slack (Software), Marketing Materials, Marketing Collateral, Content Creation, Marketing Design, Corporate Communications, Facebook, Social Media Content, Social Media, User Accounts, Multimedia

Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati

Foundations and Advanced Practices in UX Design

Skills you'll gain: User Research, UI/UX Research, User Experience, Competitive Analysis, User Interface (UI), User Experience Design, Information Architecture, Interaction Design, User Flows, Qualitative Research, User Interface (UI) Design, Experience Design, Wireframing, Human Computer Interaction, User Centered Design, Usability, Persona (User Experience), Conceptual Design, Research Methodologies, Interviewing Skills

Coursera Project Network

Design infographics with Prezi

Skills you'll gain: Infographics, Data Visualization, Graphic and Visual Design, Document Management

Scrimba

Learn UI Design

Skills you'll gain: Responsive Web Design, User Interface (UI) Design, Web Design, UI Components, Design Elements And Principles, Typography, Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), Usability, User Experience Design, Web Applications, Hypertext Markup Language (HTML), Color Theory, Creativity

Status: Free

Coursera Instructor Network

Legal Design: Crafting User-Centric Legal Solutions

Skills you'll gain: Design Thinking, Service Design, Human Centered Design, Visual Design, User Centered Design, Graphic and Visual Design, Developing Training Materials, Cross-Functional Collaboration

Packt

Advanced Asset Creation and Unreal Engine Integration

Skills you'll gain: 3D Modeling, Virtual Environment, Augmented and Virtual Reality (AR/VR), Computer Graphics, Visualization (Computer Graphics), User Interface (UI)

Status: Free

Coursera Project Network

3D Models with Adobe Photoshop: Design a Pickleball Paddle

Skills you'll gain: Typography, Adobe Photoshop, 3D Modeling, Graphic and Visual Design, Graphic Design, Design, Digital Design, Color Theory, Adobe Creative Cloud

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Explore the Illustrator Course Catalog

Print and Digital Elements of Design: Branding and User Experience

Create Beautiful Imagery with Midjourney AI

Ultimate Graphic Design Course: Create 40 Practical Projects

AI for Course Design

OpenAI Assistant: Create a Code to UML-Diagram generator

Publish your corporate designs on Slack with Canva

Foundations and Advanced Practices in UX Design

Design infographics with Prezi

Learn UI Design

Legal Design: Crafting User-Centric Legal Solutions

Advanced Asset Creation and Unreal Engine Integration

3D Models with Adobe Photoshop: Design a Pickleball Paddle

Illustrator learners also search

In summary, here are 10 of our most popular illustrator courses

Frequently Asked Questions about Illustrator

What is Illustrator, and why is it important to learn about?‎

What kinds of careers can I have with a background in Illustrator?‎

Can I learn about Illustrator by taking online courses on Coursera?‎

What are the benefits of taking an online Illustrator course?‎

What Illustrator courses are best for training and upskilling employees or the workforce?‎

Other topics to explore