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Learner Reviews & Feedback for Introduction to Imagemaking by California Institute of the Arts

4.5
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2,892 ratings

About the Course

This course for serious makers, and for students new to imagemaking. Imagemaking is a fluid and exciting area of graphic design that comes out of practice and process: experimenting fearlessly, showing and sharing ideas, and giving and receiving knowledgeable and constructive input. For the sake of this online platform, we have applied some structure to our investigations, but for the most part imagemaking is loose and unstructured. If we must adopt a rule in this course it is only this: you will not become a graphic designer by watching videos alone. Or, don't just make stuff just in your head. So here, the focus here is on making, and you are expected to devote serious time and intellectual energy to that activity in this course. Specifically, you will: - experiment with a range of materials and techniques to make images for graphic design - expand your visual vocabulary both in terms of making and talking about work, in order to discuss your work and work of others - learn how to make, manipulate and arrange images to create compositions, eventually culminating in the design and production of an-image-based book. The first half of the course is an opportunity to experiment and explore imagemaking in order to expand your visual vocabulary. You will create pieces that are expressive, meditative, or 'design-y' to instigate, evoke, experiment, record, explain, or try out a media. In the second two weeks, we’ll invite the images to deliberately and intentionally carry meaning and communication through relational moves like juxtaposition, composition, and context. We’ll look at developing and expanding the range of approaches for putting things together by composing page spreads with your images. Since nothing exists without context, we look at how to intentionally drive the image’s connotations, meanings, and associations generated through elements of composition and “visual contrasts.” Ultimately, we will take the images that you create and make a book from them. The results of your assignments (and experiments) may generate something completely unknowable now or in the future—and that's the goal....

Top reviews

LC

Oct 8, 2017

I'm so happy i did this course. Gail, you're amazing and you made my imagination go wild with just your words. I can see you love your craft and that's very inspiring. Enjoyed this course all the way!

TA

May 22, 2023

In fact i am very much glad for this because before taking this course, i know nothing about Indesign but i can now use it and more, Thank you for this financial aid opportunities, Blessings coursera

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476 - 500 of 647 Reviews for Introduction to Imagemaking

By Stephanie N

May 3, 2016

Much of the course seemed to cover what was previously discussed. About the only thing this course did for me was to introduce me to In Design. The teacher was OK, but she seemed to lack enthusiasm, particularly when she was demonstrating the book-binding.

By Fred R

Mar 30, 2017

Very challenging and very rewarding to learn to "see" an object, to start owning it and to realize a booklet out of it. It was hard work and lots of trials and errors, but I really enjoyed it, and I'm sure that I've learnt a lot for my next projects.

By Tina L O Z

Jan 28, 2019

I felt this was a very challenging and stimulating course. It relies like many great courses in this series on peer reviews. I think the course is designed extremely well, I just wish there was more interaction/feedback from the teaching staff.

By Leroy S

May 24, 2016

Gail Swanlund is awesome. Her voice is amazing and fun to listen to. She explains things in a very creative way. So far, this has been my favorite among the Graphic Design Specialization courses. Still have two more courses to go yet!

By Pilar F

Apr 8, 2018

ESTUVO SUPER BUENO. PARA MI SOLO FALTÓ QUE EXISTIERA UNA INSTANCIA DE EVALUACIÓN/COMENTARIOS POR PARTE DE LOS DOCENTES.

IT WAS GREAT. THE ONLY THING I MISSED WAS THE CHANCE TO BE EVALUATED OR TO RECEIVE COMMENTS BY THE TEACHERS.

By Anca E

Oct 6, 2018

Course could do with a bit more content and putting some more theory behind the examples, explaining better different currents and schools of thought. It also had too much overlap with the first course in the specialization

By Jai C

Jun 26, 2017

This course has really guided me through making my own images. I can now research any subject and abstract images from a lot of different techniques. It has also made me realize my strengths are the areas for improvement.

By Charlene S

Mar 11, 2021

I enjoyed the course, but I really think the assignments need better instructions. I relied on the discussion forums to get a better understanding of what was expected. Week 3 especially needs more/better instructions.

By Penny L

Oct 26, 2019

Good assignments. Really learned something from this course. However, I found the requirement of some assignments might be a bit misleading and I often see other students work not following requirements.

By Huyen T N

Jul 5, 2020

The voice and lecture is quite sleepy, I had to take extra coffee for the course. And the assignment is still confusing. But in overall, the content and the knowledge has provided me a lot. Thank you!

By Jose M G E

Nov 22, 2017

I really like the course, I learn a lot of things

I think that some instructios for the assigments are not fully explained

and also I think the voice of the theacher in the videos is low monotonous

By Darren A

Aug 26, 2024

It was a goo course though I think that it would be beneficial to have more instructor participation in the videos. The assignments were great as usual but a little more wouldn't hurt.

By Lidya S

Sep 24, 2019

The assignments are really fun and put the videos into practice very efficiently! The only thing that troubles me is sometimes the "design language" is too unfamiliar for beginners.

By Sharon w

Apr 20, 2020

Awesome course, great content! I wish there were more videos to learn about compositions and the third assignment was a bit hard to follow. Overall I learned a great deal. Thanks!

By Yana B

Apr 18, 2021

Thanks for the course! It's good, I learned how to create images and arrange them in accordance with compositional principles. Unfortunately, the theory was not enough for me.

By Melanie J

Jul 3, 2017

I found this course to be much more experimentation then anything else. I definitely learned some about composition, but I wish it would've been more focused on layout.

By E. C C

Jan 29, 2017

Nice class introducing the ideas of scale, composition and use of white/negative space. A must for people who always want to fill the page. Sometimes less is more.

By Mark H

Sep 8, 2020

This course really got my creative juices flowing. The assignments, however, lacked structure or a certain level of technical proficiency that I was expecting.

By Maya R

May 24, 2019

Really liked the course, because it is very oriented to practical work. It would be great if there was more substantial exchange with other learners though.

By Samuele R

Sep 2, 2017

Quite engaging, I improved my knowledge of Illustrator thanks to the assignments, but I think a few lesson videos are too few/short, especially in the end.

By Kelly J

Dec 5, 2016

This course was a fun one that encouraged experimentation and making a lot of images. I would say the assignments could have been more challenging though.

By Anastasia O

Jun 17, 2018

I learned a lot about imagemaking but I wasn't sure what the point was about making a book. It was fun but I felt "bookmaking" should be another class.

By Levi O

Nov 23, 2021

Wished the assignments had more emphasis on style, reviewing the assignments was begrudging trying to find kind constructive feedback on bare minimum.

By Fergus N

Jun 14, 2016

Very enjoyable and encouraging course - I haven't used watercolours since I was a child and this course prompted me to go back out and try them again!

By J-Man

Mar 25, 2019

Quite a free and open guide which kind of minimises it as a tutorial. However it shows how iteration and alternative methods can help with creation.