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
17,463 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

Invalid date

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!

MB

Invalid date

This course is awesome and I recommend it to anybody who is interested in making design.

I learned so many thing and I'm ready to jump through the next course.

Thank you Calarts and Coursera.

Filter by:

526 - 550 of 4,505 Reviews for Fundamentals of Graphic Design

By Alberto A

Feb 12, 2020

For me, a non professional in design, but a lover, it was an exciting experience. Now I have more clarity with the main concepts, so I am grateful for the simplicity and enriching course. I also had much fun with the briefs!

By Eusebio S

Sep 23, 2019

This course was a great introduction to design that I can take and share with my students. I think it is great for beginners as it is easy to understand and well thought out. The activities are meaningful and worth the time.

By Charlie R

Apr 9, 2018

Greetings from Saipan, Northern Mariana Island. I am graphic designer by profession and I want to continue improving my skills. This is online course surely help me attained that goal. I intend to finish the rest of courses.

By Tatyana S

Dec 2, 2015

This is a great course to start learning graphic design. Though I expected to find a bit more profound information, I still recommend it to those who has never had any experience (or conscious experience) designing something

By Zhanna D

Nov 13, 2015

I like this course. It is great.

It is not the easiest course ever, but it gives a lot of important information.

I do like it has theoretical and practical assignments. So you will have Fun and Challenge :)

Highly recommended.

By Bethany T

Sep 13, 2022

I am brand new to this subject and this is the very first course I have taken regarding Graphic Design. I have learned so much and my understanding of the basics has increased dramatically! I highly recommend this program!

By Molly L

Apr 3, 2022

I really enjoyed this course. I had seen some comments in general forum about this being kind of basic, but for those who are just being introduced to core concepts, it is very valuable! I enjoyed the homework. Thank you!

By JOSEPH R M C

Apr 15, 2020

The course was greatly structured. I had great fun watching the videos and doing all the assignments. I think this is an amazing course for beginners. The strongest point of this course, in my opinion, were the assignments.

By Leonel I C

Jul 16, 2021

Es un excelente curso, pero lamentablemente no es para mí (Me interesa más la rama del IT) Sin embargo, no niego qué aprendí muchas cosas nuevas qué desconocía totalmente y me motivó a aprender más sobre el Graphic Design!

By Emanuel A

May 17, 2020

The course was a watershed in my career, because I didn't have design techniques in my head and of course practice outside the computer. This has improved the quality of my work and I am more motivated to create new things

By Akshid R

Dec 12, 2016

Great instructor and lessons. I love the organisation of the course and it really provides a great basis for looking deeper into aspects of graphic design! Looking forward to doing the other courses in this specialisation.

By Marina T

May 4, 2022

That's a complete course about Graphic Design. An amazing experience, during this course I was able to learn the theory and practice of the Design concepts. Though experimentation, I could discover and try new techniques.

By Wejdan H

Mar 8, 2021

I like the quality of the information. I like the tasks and I should participate even in the optional tasks. I like the instructor approach on emphasizing information. This a very needed course to begin in graphic design.

By Regine A

Oct 18, 2020

Thankful to have at least a month of taking a graphic design course in our homes, this course helped me improve my knowledge in making designs. Looking forward to more in-depth learning on other aspects of graphic design.

By Dung N

Nov 8, 2019

As the name of the course prompted, this course is very hardcore & fundamental. This is a stepping stone for those who are looking to dive deep into the field of arts or graphic design. Highly recommended it for everyone.

By Erica M

Apr 21, 2016

Great course on graphic design. Explain graphic design in more detail than most college classes I have taken. Would recommend this class to others wanting to understand or explore graphic design as a possible career move.

By Muhammad A

Jul 13, 2023

The instruction was really clear, and this has given me the assurance to continue improving in my career. The entire Team is appreciated. I am grateful that the university chose me as a recipient of their financial help.

By Liezl S

Jul 9, 2021

I learned a lot from this online course and the chat support was very responsive. Thank you a million folds Coursera more power. You helped a lot of students by providing them the tools needed for improving their career.

By Eleonora D L

Jun 11, 2020

Great course, it gave me a lot of inspiration and it made me reflect. Also, amazing teacher. Sometimes I forget why I love this field, but this teacher was able to remind me what made me fall in love with graphic design.

By PANKAJ K

Feb 7, 2020

A special thanks to the coursera who given me opportunity to learn a new skill by granting me aid for this course. The skill i earned in this course will definitely gonna help me to reach my future goals.

Thousand Thanks.

By Prakriti G

Jul 22, 2018

With the brilliant optional assignments and research prompts told in every video, this course lets you experience actual graphic design by many hands-on activities and make you to love graphic design! Love the course!!!!

By Анастасия А

Nov 27, 2017

Fundamentals of Graphic Design is very interesting course. I really enjoy the education time. It was full of theory and useful practical part. Do not doubt if you would like to begin study. Just start! You will love it!

By Diana S

Jul 9, 2016

I have been working in the field for a couple of years now, but this course gave me some key fundamental bits of knowledge. Recommended for those who are self-taught or simply those who want to brush up on some concepts.

By Abdulrahman A

Dec 18, 2022

very academic and sufficient , informative and precise .

I enjoyed the course so much, easy to grasp the concepts .

big thanks for the remarkable teacher Michael Worthington, and for the staff who are fast and accurate.

s

By Ana C

Jan 28, 2017

I'm a journalism student and some knowledge of design is a requirement for most internships, and honestly this coursed helped me a lot with undestanding basic concepts. It's very interesting, fun and easy to understand.