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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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451 - 475 of 4,554 Reviews for Fundamentals of Graphic Design

By William S d O

May 18, 2020

Excelente curso para tanto para iniciantes quanto para quem já tem mais experiência e gostaria de revisar e ver uma nova perspectiva sobre os fundamentos do design gráfico. Excelente curva de aprendizagem através das quatro semanas de curso.

By Danyella S

Oct 12, 2020

Excellent oportunity of learning and growth! The clear explanations and descriptions of the concepts were fundamental for my learning. And receiving constructive criticism from my peers made me more self-conscious about my creative process.

By Joshua C

May 31, 2020

Professor Worthington does a great job of breaking down complex concepts into easy to understand lessons. Very glad to have taken the course and will continue with the Cal Arts Graphic Design courses as a result. Thanks for the great class!

By Andraea Z

May 29, 2020

This was an excellent course that gave me an insight into graphic design. I'm so glad I found this. I worked super hard, and as a result, I enjoyed it immensely. Thank you, Michael, for leading the class, and making such interesting videos.

By Yassin T

Jan 7, 2023

the course was very rich in terms of informations and visual assets which made it easy to understand especially for people who English isn't their native language , and it gave me a really good understanding of graphic design fundamentals

By Rosa L B

Nov 14, 2021

Este curso ha sido increíble para mí, he comprendido de manera sencilla conceptos básicos y necesarios que todo diseñador debe conocer, el profesor es un capo y estoy emocionada por seguir llevando el resto de cursos de la especialización.

By Ezee k

Jan 19, 2021

A wonderful overview of the process of graphic design. I thoroughly enjoyed this course and am inspired to continue my journey of design. I highly recommend if your looking to build a base or are curious about design principles. Enjoy!

By Juliette C

Nov 26, 2020

Learned a lot of theory and it was very interesting to go back to the basics and understand how crucial they are in making a design. I also really enjoyed the briefs we had to submit, as it gave me a way to apply the theory I had learned.

By Irene A

Oct 5, 2020

I found this course excellent for review or learn the basic concepts that are used in Graphic Design, but that are also used in other disciplines such as the Visual Arts, so it's a knowledge that can be apply to other activities as well.

By Carolina Q

Jun 15, 2016

Very good visual material accompanied by excellent written supplement that allowed us to follow the recorded portion of the course. Interesting exercises and great methodology that allow students to review and provide feedback to others.

By Miranda J

Mar 22, 2016

Great course! This is the first course I've taken through Coursera and I am so impressed, both with the content and the delivery.

It really influenced the way I look at design. I am really looking forward to completing this specialization.

By Mobina T

Aug 13, 2024

This course really helped me through giving life to my ideas and my imagination, at past I was not able to create the same thing that was in my mind, outside of it, but now after finishing this course I am able to bring my ideas to work.

By Humberto A V

Feb 1, 2023

I am very grateful to Coursera, I really did not think I would learn so much, the teachers are very good, the topics are very interesting and the jobs help a lot in the development of this career. Once again thank you very much Coursera.

By Katia C

Feb 3, 2021

I discovered and learned so many tools and techniques. The route is easy to follow and the explanations are clear. The instructor helps with videos and also teaches very well. I recommend this course to anyoninterested in Graphic Design

By Muhammad W A

Nov 19, 2020

The specialization is great. I have learned many new things here. My experience was very good and really enjoyed this course. The teachers and trainers are very well experienced. Thanks, God. Thanks my institution, Coursera, and CalArts.

By Gerasimova E A

May 31, 2020

I liked this course. It the first one that I`ve completed on Coursera. It has interesting videos with theoretical data and it has practical part. I hope the received expirience in this are helps me grow in my career as a graphic designer

By Stephanie B

May 4, 2020

Great course! I started designing as a hobby and learned to use a few graphic design Softwares, however, this is what I was lacking: basic and theory. The course structure is so easy to follow and instructions for assignments very clear.

By Euan M

Feb 9, 2016

An exceptionally good course. Hands-on, and—as the name suggests—all about learning the fundamentals of design, rather than what to click in a piece of software. Highly recommended as an antidote to all the Photoshop tutorials out there.

By yosi t

Sep 2, 2023

Materi Pembelajarannya sangat mudah diikuti. Saya senang mendapatkan bantuan finansial untuk memperkuat & menambah ilmu, juga meningkatkan keahlian Graphic Design saya (menciptakan tujuan komunikasi yang lebih efektif).  Terima Kasih !

By Elina P

Dec 9, 2022

This course is great for those who want to understand the basics of graphic design as well as for those who seek inspiration and new ways of doing things. The course is very informative and has a lot of practical tasks. Amazing course!

By Yana B

Apr 5, 2021

I really liked the first course! The information is very accessible and well presented, the teacher is excellent! And thanks to everyone who also participated in the course and evaluated the works, it helped a lot in passing the course.

By Eva H

Nov 8, 2017

Great course. Lessons are interesting and easy to follow. The tutor gives plenty of visual examples to help you understand the topics and encourage you to get your hands on design. You definitely gain the fundamentals of Graphic Design.

By Rafael G

Jun 6, 2024

For a fundamental course it is awesome. It covers a good amount of area in graphic design and points you into the right direction. It is invaluable to have such a course. If you, reader, want to take it ... do the optional assignments.

By Monica A N

Apr 11, 2020

Great course! I recommend it for those who are searching a starting point in the graphic design. All the projects contained in this course are well designed to help you understand the work process and apply your new acquired knowledge.