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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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1076 - 1100 of 4,507 Reviews for Fundamentals of Graphic Design

By Masha M

May 24, 2018

Michael is such a brilliant teacher. He explains every detail in a concise and simple manner. This course is so valuable for me. Thank you!

By Victoria A

Apr 9, 2016

Great overview of Graphic Design! Thank you for so much for the basics. I would definitely recommend this free, 4-week course to friends.

By David G G

Dec 26, 2015

It's a quite simple course, yet it manages to give a few critical insights about graphic design. Really interesting for absolute beginners.

By maria e d

Jan 22, 2022

EXCELENTE CURSO, MUY COMPLETO E INTERESANTE. MUCHAS GRACIAS POR LA OPORTUNIDAD DE PODER PARTCIPAR Y APRENDER MAS SOBRE EL DISEÑO Y EL ARTE

By Barney S P A

Apr 22, 2020

Very good course: The instructor, the method, the process for evaluation, everything was good, fun and interesting. Thanks for sharing it!

By Maja L

Apr 3, 2019

This course was extremely informative and it encompassed numerous information which will be useful in my further professional development.

By Diana L M

Mar 22, 2016

I really liked the course, the content and flow of information not being too saturated, helps students to not lose interest on the course.

By Guilherme M

Mar 7, 2016

Its a great course. Even if it's a basic of the Graphic Design, it's pretty detailed and a good start to anyone interested in the subject.

By Yurshevich A O

Dec 5, 2020

Thanks! A really serious course worthy of attention. The course is taught by a person who loves his job, special thanks! Very motivating!

By Usman R

Aug 4, 2020

doing a graphic design course in coursera greatly improves my graphic designing skills and my understandings about see things differently

By Marica G

May 4, 2017

I really liked this course; super interesting. It requires though the knowledge of Adobe Creative Suite, as there is a lot to work on it!

By Muhammad T

Apr 3, 2016

Very good course for new learners and of course for old students. I personally recommend it to those who want to learn graphic designing.

By Emily E

Feb 4, 2016

This was very helpful. I learned a new vocabulary and improved my graphic skills. I'm looking forward to the next course in the series.

By Bianca P Z

Dec 18, 2015

I haven't applied for a certificate but I really enjoyed the lessons. The course is clearly structured and the videos are very well done.

By NICOL G L

Nov 1, 2021

me encanto el curso, está muy bien explicado y con las tareas creo que logramos comprender mas los diferentes temas vistos en las clases

By Koray K T

Jan 31, 2021

The course was prepared well and so clearly by the Instructors. I recommend this course to all peoples who want to begin graphic design.

By Dalía C d S

Sep 18, 2020

Maravilhoso! Adorei principalmente as atividades que forçam a nossa mente a ser criativa e pensar em inúmeras possibilidades. Recomendo!

By Aimen K

Aug 8, 2020

I have learned many this from it and it is much useful more me. the lectures, peers, and quiz are the best way to experience your course

By José P R U

Jul 1, 2020

Me gusto mucho la metodología utilizada, ya que como dicen dentro del curso "solo se aprende diseño, haciendo diseño" super recomendado.

By Poonam L A

May 10, 2020

The course is really good for beginners. Learn a lot about various requirements in designing. Will be continuing with the specialization

By Robert I

Apr 27, 2020

Very informative, I enjoyed watching the videos and working through the course assignments. Week 2 (typography) was my favorite lecture.

By William F

Nov 14, 2019

Wonderful professor! He's teaching was clear and effective. I learned much and I understand the value of graphic design. Thank you Sire!

By Ellie R

Sep 14, 2018

Provides a good amount of information with concise explanation and compelling examples for those wanting to start out in graphic design.

By Jennifer J

May 16, 2016

In my third week and I'm loving this course so far. I'm already thinking about the learning points I gain each week in my everyday life!

By Kecia R

Mar 12, 2016

I enjoyed the combination of hands on creative exercises and quizzes. I will forever remember " You learn to be a designer by designing"