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Learner Reviews & Feedback for Fundamentals of Graphic Design by California Institute of the Arts

4.8
stars
17,882 ratings

About the Course

Graphic Design is all around us! Words and pictures—the building blocks of graphic design—are the elements that carry the majority of the content in both the digital world and the printed world. As graphic design becomes more visible and prevalent in our lives, graphic design as a practice becomes more important in our culture. Through visual examples, this course will teach you the fundamental principles of graphic design: imagemaking, typography, composition, working with color and shape... foundational skills that are common in all areas of graphic design practice. I don't just want you to watch a video of someone talking about design, I want you to MAKE design! If you want to be a designer you have to be a maker and a communicator, so this course will offer you lots of opportunities to get your hands dirty with exercises and with more practical projects. At the end of this course you will have learned how to explore and investigate visual representation through a range of image-making techniques; understand basic principles of working with shape, color and pattern; been exposed to the language and skills of typography; and understand and have applied the principles of composition and visual contrast. If you complete the course, along with its optional (but highly recommended) briefs, you will have a core set of graphic design skills that you can apply to your own projects, or to more deeply investigate a specialized area of graphic design. To succeed in this course you will need access to a computer. You can complete this course without one but it will be tougher. Access to, and a beginner's level knowledge of Adobe Creative Suite programs, such as Illustrator, Photoshop and InDesign will help you, especially if you want to complete the optional briefs....

Top reviews

AR

Apr 17, 2016

very good introductory course. i enjoyed the assignments, they are not overwhelming, easy to start, and the optional ones offer great opportunity to dig little deeper into graphic design fundamentals.

GA

Aug 20, 2018

Very interesting, I liked the format. Easy to follow, nice excercises. It's actually good to cover the basics of design, even if you are not an absolute beginner, and especially if you are self taught

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2601 - 2625 of 4,586 Reviews for Fundamentals of Graphic Design

By IENAS A

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Apr 5, 2021

fantastic course i wish there were more of these

By Yui S

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Feb 7, 2021

I really enjoyed this course. Thank you so much!

By Pinar S

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Jan 18, 2021

This course gives me a graphical thinking angle.

By Tarunika R

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Nov 23, 2020

Helps lay strong foundations and fun assignments

By NURGUL K

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Sep 26, 2020

excellent foundation for Graphic Design learners

By Mahnoor N

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Sep 9, 2020

Great course ,I really enjoyed during the course

By naief p

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Aug 26, 2020

thank you so much, Coursera. its helped me a lot

By Md. S

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Aug 23, 2020

Really! I have learned the design ideas. Thanks!

By Ananya P

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Jul 23, 2020

this was an amazing course! thanks a lot CALarts

By Shruti K

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Jun 19, 2020

it is a great platform for improving your skills

By Hailey

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May 31, 2020

Great knowledge of Graphic Design for beginners.

By Karla B

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Apr 28, 2020

Very complete and best for creativity to emerge.

By Savannah S

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Mar 5, 2020

I've learned so much from this class. Thank you!

By Jose A G R

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Jun 24, 2019

Great course, clearly explained...learned a lot.

By Evangelos

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Aug 23, 2017

Great course with a lot of knowledge to soak up!

By Ana M S

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Aug 6, 2017

Great content, very detailed and easy to follow.

By Natalia P

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Mar 27, 2017

Excellent material, very interesting activities.

By Daragh F

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Jun 10, 2016

Really creative, insightful and fun; five stars!

By Saba A

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May 29, 2016

Best Graphic designing course for the beginners.

By Shuchen T

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Jan 26, 2016

The course is clear, simple and easy to hand on!

By Ricardo G

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Jan 24, 2016

Great course! Amazing teachers and good content!

By Syed A A R

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Feb 18, 2024

This Course is Exceptional. Highly Recommended!

By Isis D R D T

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Jul 4, 2022

A very practical and well done course, loved it

By Gihan T

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Sep 7, 2021

Got huge knowledge about fundamentals of design

By Stacey N

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Jun 17, 2021

I'm just beginning...onward to more learning!!!