Chevron Left
Back to Fundamentals of Graphic Design

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

4.8
stars
17,987 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 18, 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.

EJ

Sep 6, 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!

Filter by:

1901 - 1925 of 4,609 Reviews for Fundamentals of Graphic Design

By MARIA D L P O M

•

Jun 14, 2020

Excellent introduction to graphic design. It is a short course but very complete.

By Bisher A

•

Jun 2, 2020

I'm very glad I did this course, and I was thoroughly engrossed in the exercises.

By Noelia T G

•

May 9, 2020

it's a perfect course to start with design studies, complete and well sintetized.

By Giovanny V

•

Aug 25, 2019

Great introduction to graphic design... well explained, clear concise instruction

By Dominic R

•

Nov 26, 2018

Clear descriptions. Course starts with the basics and expands in a logical manner

By ana s

•

Oct 30, 2018

its wonderful. learners also get practical knowledge to use their graphic skills

By Andrew K K

•

May 10, 2018

I am really enjoying the course and am hoping more to come from this institution.

By Olena T

•

Jun 5, 2017

The course is quite subtle, but still very informative if you are a newbie to GD!

By Luke S

•

Oct 11, 2016

Excellent and well guided introduction to Graphic Design principles and thinking.

By Tomas M

•

Jan 11, 2016

I loved all themes of this course. Learned a lot and made my bases in art bigger.

By S. M

•

Feb 14, 2025

Very interesting subject that opens the mind to new ways of seeing and creating.

By GUEDRIA M

•

Aug 22, 2023

Excellent cours !! j'ai pu apprendre énormément de choses et avancer sereinement

By Anh P

•

Jul 18, 2023

The course is very well explained and easy to understand. Peer-review was great.

By Megan M

•

Jun 27, 2023

Good course to learn the basics or brush up on your knowledge of graphic design.

By Teodora D

•

Jan 28, 2023

I really like the course. I learned so much for graphic design from this course.

By Abdullah M

•

Dec 16, 2022

I have gained quite excellent grip over some basic skills as a graphic designer.

By Thamara O

•

Nov 5, 2022

I have learned a lot while completing this course. Thank you very much, Michael!

By van s

•

Sep 6, 2022

Excellent overview of the basics of image making. Assignments are well designed

By Regina B

•

Sep 26, 2020

A great challenging course that will open your eyes and change your imagination!

By Jason C

•

Aug 30, 2020

Excellent introductory course. Lessons were engaging and projects were exciting.

By Smruti A P

•

Jun 27, 2020

It was a wonderful course. Looking forward to do more courses from the institute

By Solrac P

•

Jun 14, 2019

En dos semanas de estudios ya se abrió para mi un gran panorama de conocimientos

By Sujay S

•

Feb 22, 2019

All basics covered. Hands on projects/assignments were cool and was fun to work.

By Nuria M F

•

Dec 8, 2018

It has been very pleasant and very useful. A fantastic base to continue learning