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

4.8
stars
17,754 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

MN

May 18, 2022

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.

CS

May 9, 2018

An ok course for beginners. A bit too basic for someone who has already had experience in design, but is great anyway cause it breaks things back down to the simplest parts to help you remember roots.

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326 - 350 of 4,554 Reviews for Fundamentals of Graphic Design

By Ahmed H K

Jul 20, 2020

To know the basic in graphic design is very important. Because a designer has not just remember but as well as think inside the box as well as outside the box. This course offer the basic idea that will give any student an understanding that will help to create a strong foundation in them.

By Valentina T

Mar 20, 2016

The course was exactly what I expected. Professor Worthington made the videos quite interesting and was always to the point. The assignments were also interesting and not too much time-consuming. I'm happy I took the specialisation and I hope that the rest of the courses are as satisfying.

By Abigail P

May 31, 2022

The material was extremly comprehensive! I was never confused as to what my requirements are or what was expected of me throughout the course. I also enjoyed the visuals presented within the video, and felt that the information was shared in a creative manner that was pleasing to the eye.

By vithika J

Mar 6, 2022

The course was great, it helped me in understanding the basic principles of Graphic design, the course was very informative and very helpful for an aspiring designers like me. It also helped me understand how to view or understand when I receive feedback. I highly recommend this course.

By FATTEEN B B 2 (

Nov 28, 2021

Fundamentals of Graphic Design is very intersting course. I learned alot of new things there. But it remained stuck to full basics things. CALarts need to improve this course. Moreover, important assignments were putted as optional. You need to make assinments required as much as you can.

By Tomas W

Feb 26, 2020

A super interesting and engaging entrance into the world of graphic design. I took this at the same time as the Shaw Academy Graphic Design program. Comparing this to Shaw Academy was night and day. This course did everything right, and I dropped out of Shaw Academy. Highly recommend.

By Thiago A L

Jul 3, 2019

The course Fundamentals of Graphic Design is excellent! I learned a lot and practiced a lot with the exercises. It is an excellent base for anyone who is starting out in professional design and for professionals who already work in this market and need to recycle their knowledge. Thank´s!

By Tereza M

May 9, 2018

The course is very well constructed. The videos are great, the assignments push you to experience what you learn, and peers reviews give you the feedback. It teaches me a lot, and especially it makes me look at common things as a graphic designer and boost my creativity. All I wished for.

By Tea G

Feb 9, 2016

It is a really good course, but it is designed for complete beginers. I took it as a review of fundamentals and didn't learn nothing new, but I didn't have those expectations. I just wanted a pure review of things I already know. It was fun and maybe a bit too easy - even for beginers. :)

By Darshita K

Jul 17, 2020

This course was enriching for not only the concepts covered but also due to the manner in which it was presented. It is evident that all professors and personnel involved in curating this course have done an exceptional job in ensuring that the fundamentals are explained in great detail.

By Ada F

Nov 26, 2019

I believe this was a great course. I think as with many classes, you get out of it what you put into it. If you practice and complete even the optional assignments you will have a great foundation or jumping off point for your education in graphic design. I really enjoyed this course.

By Pallab B

Jul 19, 2020

A great course! The instructor really knows how to illustrate his ideas and knowings among learners. This course gives one basic idea of what are the factors that a graphic designers has to go through when creating his works. The instructor has been really helpful throughout the course.

By Cynthia A

Jul 5, 2020

It would be nice to receive feedback from a teacher or moderator of the course as well, especially in the assignments that are required. Because most times the feedback given by other students was non-constructive and did not provide any insight. Comments like good work, yes, effective.

By Jillian P

Jul 20, 2023

This was a great introduction to graphic design. I feel like I developed a great foundation for taking more advanced courses, as well as producing a number of graphic design products that I can one day use in a portfolio. I am looking forward to the rest of the courses in this program!

By Stephanie M

Dec 13, 2020

Very thankful for this course. For years I have been interested in graphic design but haven't known where to begin. This course not only helped me get started but truly made me more confident in my skill level and in continuing to learn more.

Thank you for making this!

-Stephanie Mason

By Jessalyn M B

Oct 11, 2020

The concepts were explained clearly through various examples so it's easy to not get lost. The activities are exciting and made me have fun while learning. The outputs from these can also be useful in making a portfolio, if one decides to do so. Educational, straightforward, and fun.

By Sara H

May 16, 2020

It was great to find this course, I am really grateful for your efforts and contribution to learning me how to design. It was always my life dream and I was really surprised with all of the content and the course system, assignments, quizzes and how I have developed

Thank you so much

By valerie a

Nov 13, 2021

This was a good start to getting back into school and learning the subject. I enjoyed the projects a lot and took them seriously. I'm already working through the other courses in the specialization and have now enrolled in a graphic design program in my city that starts in 2 months.

By Kateryna

Apr 15, 2020

Thank you for a course! It is really useful for beginners, the only thing I felt was missing in the course was technical part- which tools to use and how to use them, but the structure and material were very interesting. I would really recommend this course. Thank you one more time!

By Antonio P A

Sep 24, 2016

Very good basic course on graphic design. I've learned a lot about typography, composition, image making and shapes and colours. The course is very well structured with good videos and practical examples. It's a must do course for everyone that is wanting to learn more about design,

By Kalpesh B

Jun 18, 2018

Well structured course with in-depth video tutorials which are easy to understand. the peer-graded assignments is a very effective way to test your knowledge as well as understanding different thought processes of your peers. Overall it is really helpful course. Highly recommended.

By Ali E

Jan 11, 2021

The course was really good! It teaches you the most important fundamentals and is applied in the moment so you can better visualize the theory. You do have to keep in mind that these are the bare bones of Graphic Design, now, it is up you to follow up on the research and practice.

By Walid B A

Mar 12, 2020

It’s good to go back to basics even if you are already a graphic designer. These fundamentals are forgettable with time due it enters automatically in the design process, without really noticing them.

For beginners, I highly recommended this course because it’s simple and detailed.

By Margarita d L

Feb 2, 2021

It's a great class, very informative and easily digestible. The assignments are simple but encourage you to think creatively. The instructor is also very knowledgeable and presents the material well. This is a great course to take even if you are working full time, very flexible!

By Maike W

Oct 4, 2016

Great course, well thought out, well presented and lovely lecturer. After having done all 4 publicly available courses in this specialisation, this really was the most fundamental and gave a great summary of what Graphic design is about and which disciplines it involves. 5 stars!