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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

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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

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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.

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1001 - 1025 of 4,507 Reviews for Fundamentals of Graphic Design

By Zenkov E

Dec 25, 2016

Very steep path from proffesionalov. I learned a lot, the information understandable and memorable. Thanks to the authors of an interesting course.

By Joao C N

Sep 28, 2016

Just loved the course and recomend to all who appreciate and love graphic design and those want to know the process of creating a brand first hand.

By Markus R

Mar 10, 2016

Lectures are short but cover the fundamentals thoroughly enough.

The peer grading worked very well, too. I got some nice and really helpful reviews.

By tahrim f

May 28, 2023

It was very good. Course was explained in detailed and was understandable. I learned new patterns new ways of images that I never imagined before.

By SHURUQ.M.M

Jul 2, 2021

Amazing ,i really learn a lots from Mr.Michael .In this course you will expand your knowledge about the fundamental of graphic designs and more

By JUAN C G D

Sep 20, 2020

it's amazing how in the week 4, at the very end, you can use all you leaerned and create something expectacular. i love the curse! is very useful!

By Rupal S

Aug 28, 2020

THIS COURSE HAS GROWN A LITTLE ENTHUSIASM IN ABOUT DIGITAL GRAPHIC DESIGN AND MADE ME RELEASE THE BETTER ME HOW TO BECOME THE BEST.

THANK YOU TEAM

By Tamima A

Jul 21, 2020

Well I've always wanted to have an academic qualification regarding Graphics Design all my life. This course made my dream come true. Appreciated.

By Ella H

Apr 7, 2020

Really enjoyed this course. A good amount of practical experimentation (by hand and digitally). I also liked giving the optional assignments a go.

By Cinthia

Jun 24, 2019

I understand the gist of Graphic Design without the dependence of software. These lessons are the true building blocks of how to think and design.

By Wei-Ru L

Sep 4, 2016

Very great basic but detailed concepts for graphic design.

Easily understand. The exercise made me think through the whole idea of graphic design.

By Kyle L

Apr 9, 2016

Great content, presented in a clear and direct manner and then applied with assignments that are accessible to all skill levels. Highly recommend.

By Kuhoo R

Oct 26, 2022

Great course - really lays out the foundations of design and is a good reminder for all visual artists of how to create a meaningful composition

By Dyana V L

Jun 15, 2022

It is exactly about the fundamentals of graphic design, and a motivator. I'm definitely continuing with the other courses of the specialization.

By dagilimous

May 6, 2022

In my opinion, this course is the best choice for anyone who is trying to start a journey in graphic design. topics are well chosen and prepared.

By Arnel R D

Aug 28, 2020

The course is very informative and the videos are engaging. It teaches all the basics of graphic design which is very useful for the application.

By Sergio G F

Jul 9, 2020

Very good for someone without any graphic design background. It makes you think about all the world behind the pictures we see in media everyday.

By Liezl A B

Jun 19, 2020

Very good for a beginner. I have learned more about the things I thought I'm good at already. Must need to enhance knowledge in creating designs.

By Evgenii D

Oct 26, 2015

Very interesting and helpful course. I hope than professor will make course about painting on a computer with teoretical background and practice.

By Muhammad A k

Feb 6, 2021

Awesome course great mentors. This course helped me see graphic design at its core and ,in a new and fun way thank you for this fantastic course

By Yara S

Nov 30, 2020

Amazing video course! The teacher does such a good job at explaining and visualizing different ideas and theories. Highly recommend this course!

By Irene B

Nov 12, 2020

The course is a very interesting first step into Graphic Design. It's simple and direct but full of inspiring concepts and overall a good start!

By Marcano V L

Aug 29, 2020

This is a FUNDAMENTAL course for beginners. It's quite interesting and practicing for who is looking for deepen in graphic design progressively.

By zahra 9

Aug 24, 2020

I absolutely loved and highly recommend this course for anyone who is interested in Graphic designing. Easy lecture videos, and informative too.