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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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4251 - 4275 of 4,586 Reviews for Fundamentals of Graphic Design

By Arshad S

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Apr 30, 2017

Good for beginners. Do all assignments even if its optional.

By Nayari C

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Sep 7, 2016

IT IS A GOOD BASIC COURSE IN DESIGN, NICE FOR EXPERIMENTING.

By Jillian S

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Feb 19, 2024

Interesting, easy to use information in everyday activities

By Fizza P

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Aug 24, 2020

I think it was little quick but its ok. I like this course.

By Julianne W

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Jul 13, 2020

lacked clarity at times but nice overview of graphic design

By Xinyu L

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Nov 30, 2020

I hope there is more interaction, and more specific ideas.

By Kami A

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Oct 18, 2020

This program was easy to learn the activities were good :)

By Yabaha S M B

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Apr 16, 2020

It was a great time to learn what creativity means indeed.

By RAHUL S

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Apr 30, 2020

Course is pretty good. But I like it to be a bit advance.

By Anshika A

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Jun 8, 2019

Quite Interactive and cooperative.. Thank you Coursera...

By Camren B

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Oct 26, 2018

Very Useful Information. Finished in 24hrs. (Zombie Mode)

By Raul D

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Dec 17, 2019

It’s a really great beginning. It has great assignments.

By Kimberley P

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Apr 1, 2018

great intro to the fundamentals with enjoyable exercises

By Dana R S

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Oct 11, 2017

Good course and exercises to understand the foundations.

By Miranda F G

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Jul 20, 2020

Pretty good and well explained for learning the basics!

By Phillip G

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Mar 5, 2020

A fine exposure to relevant graphic design vocabulary.

By Maria A

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Jan 16, 2020

A lot of interesting information but little practice.

By Kalli M

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Feb 28, 2019

I liked the fundamentals of graphic design very much.

By Omega A

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Aug 29, 2020

It was very informational and I enjoyed every class!

By Michaela

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May 11, 2020

Enjoyed this course. Very practical and imaginative.

By Ignacio R G

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Sep 4, 2017

Great course to learn some basics of graphic design.

By Darla F

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Sep 5, 2016

Very basic information but a good beginner's course.

By Sergi S

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Nov 21, 2015

Very good to understand the basics of graphic design

By GRJLS

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Mar 29, 2020

Really gave me a first insight into graphic design.

By Kinan k

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Jan 21, 2025

I wish if there were more peer graded assignments.