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

4.8
stars
17,701 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

EJ

Sep 5, 2021

I had a lot of fun in this course. I learnt some extra bits of information related to graphic design and I think it's a great start for beginners as well as good practice for intermediate and experts!

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.

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4026 - 4050 of 4,540 Reviews for Fundamentals of Graphic Design

By Daniel A

Apr 15, 2022

O que define o design gráfico é a sua forma de pensamento até a composição da sua arte, nada melhor que este curso teórico e prático para demostrar isso.

By Kit C

Jan 9, 2019

The lessons were clear and full of examples, very easy to comprehend. The assignments were perfect for beginners and were really helpful for improvement.

By Shawn G

Jun 26, 2017

Really good course. Only critique is it could have been a little longer to flesh out some more creative concepts, but it's a good, balanced intro course.

By Dekim K

Mar 21, 2022

It has clear explanation and gives great understanding about graphic design. I am not entirely sure about the peerreviews but the assigments help a lot.

By André W S M

Dec 15, 2015

The course is being great so far and very well taught/instructed by Professor Michael. I hope it will be an important asset to my future career in Arts.

By Paul R

Nov 17, 2020

Well designed course that is encouraging beginners to explore. The sound could be better though, it's a bit tiring to listen for a long period of time.

By Wink K M

Aug 6, 2020

It is a really good course for beginners who wishes to understand the magic behind visual arts The videos are short and sweet with very clear contents.

By Kurt L

Dec 23, 2018

Helpful, even interesting. it covers broad area of graphic design in somewhat meaningful depth, and yet it's still intriguing enough to make people try

By Nicole S

Mar 25, 2018

The teacher is compelling and the lessons are the perfect amount of time and info. The instructions for the assignments are sometimes a little unclear.

By Nilesh M V

Sep 23, 2022

This course really giving a great insight all about fundamental of design.

Explained well with examples.

For beginner its a MUST GO

Happy Learning

By Vidhya S

Apr 20, 2020

It is a very awesome course and I would like to add a suggestion that which software to use and basics of that software can be included in this course

By hossam h

Apr 19, 2016

simple and easy to complete it, powerful information covering multi topics of graphic design ....

but still need more declaration of tasks . thanks

By Nguyễn C T

May 5, 2023

By fundamentals, I hoped this course would have provided more details about design principles but I'm happy with what I have learned in this course.

By Jamie

Jan 28, 2019

I just wished that it wasn't just people viewing because I feel sometimes others misunderstand the meaning of the assignment and may give bad grade.

By Sandra P

Oct 26, 2020

great course, easy to understand. minus from me, because you don't get a feedback from teacher for your work. don't have communication with teacher

By Ayola B

Apr 12, 2020

Really great course for those wanting to understand the theory behind graphic design. A very hands-on and practical courses. Thoroughly enjoyed it!

By RAPHAEL O

Jan 20, 2020

I can boldly say i have gain the fundamental skills needed to be a good graphic designer and not a decorator. How to be the best critic of my job.

By Nora V

Jul 21, 2024

I learned so much. I suggest making more assignments required rather then optional ensure practice and more opportunity to see the work of others.

By Deleted A

Jan 7, 2016

this course taught me a lot about graphic design. i was so astonished about all the meanings from composition, shape and color. nice for beginners

By Abel M

Feb 2, 2020

This course has helped me engage with my work more! It helps understand the what and why of design, I enjoyed every minute of my learning curves.

By Ali A M

Aug 9, 2020

The course is great but peer graded assignments are not so reliable, peers just want to finish the assignment so they do not give good feedback

By Peach O

Jul 17, 2024

Interesting information, examples, and ease of access. However, instructions for assignments are often ambiguous in contrast to their syllabi.

By Tú Đ M

Sep 5, 2021

This course does exactly what its name suggests. I understood the foundation of graphic design, how to be creative. I really like this course!

By Sevval B

Jan 26, 2021

Liked it a lot! It was very interesting, it is useful for everyone that has interest in graphic design and would like to start from somewhere!

By Deleted A

Apr 16, 2020

Coursera has not only helped me to understand the basics or fundamentals of Graphic Design, but also how to put them in practical application.