5 Best Graphic Design Courses (2024)

One of the biggest challenges when running a business is establishing a brand identity. A brand identity refers to the visible elements that help consumers to identify and distinguish a business from its competitors. A strong brand identity is typically correlated with higher sales and customer retention rates. Therefore, it is extremely important to establish the correct brand identity for your business. 

Graphic design, the art of communicating through visual content, is the most important aspect of building a brand identity. Successful graphics can help you to stand out in today’s competitive marketplace. As a result, graphic designers are always in demand, as the right graphic designer can help take a business to the next level. 

In this article, we have gathered the best graphic design courses to take so far. Whether you are looking to break into the field as a graphic designer or are looking to set up your brand’s identity on your own, these courses are perfect to teach you the skills required to succeed in your design endeavors. 

For more like this, check out our other articles: Best Content Marketing Courses and Best Storytelling Courses.

Basic Elements of Design Principles and Software Overview

Basic Elements of Design Principles and Software Overview is an introduction to the art of using graphic design to tell a story. Rather than focusing solely on how to use software such as InDesign or Photoshop, this course teaches students how to provide more inviting and easily comprehensible content. This course aims to prove that graphic design entails more than “making things look pretty”.

This 3-week course is broken into the following sections:

  • What is Graphic Design?
  • Elements of Design
  • Basic Concepts of Design

This course is a part of the Graphic Design for Non-Designers specialization offered by the University of Colorado Boulder. It is taught by Lori Poole, a creative manager, with advertising, journalism, and design experience in the corporate and non-profit sectors. 

Fundamentals of Graphic Design

Fundamentals of Graphic Design is a course offered by the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts). Despite the online format, this course provides many hands-on learning opportunities through its project-based curriculum. This course teaches the following fundamental aspects of graphic design:

  • Imagemaking
  • Typography
  • Composition
  • Working with Color and Shape

Taught by Michael Worthington, a faculty member at CalArts, this course introduces students to the basic design principles. It also teaches them foundational skills in key graphic design software such as Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator. This course is also a part of the Graphic Design specialization offered by CalArts which aims to equip learners with transferable skills that can be applied to “creating and communicating” in the field of graphic design.

Create and Design Digital Products Using Canva

Offered by Coursera Project Network, Create and Design Digital Products Using Canva, is the perfect course to help you start a side hustle. In this course, Stacey Shanklin-Langford teaches students how to create professional digital products on Canva, a premier digital design software. She breaks down the process of creating templates for digital products that can be sold on online retailers such as Etsy. 

This course is broken down into five easy steps:

  1. Create a workbook template.
  2. Set up an ebook cover.
  3. Create a journal template.
  4. Protect your designs.
  5. Prepare your designs to sell using watermarks.

Upon completion of this course, students will be able to design aesthetically pleasing and sellable projects that incorporate a color scheme, images, and other design elements. This course will help you to showcase your design expertise and start a business without a large investment. 

Introduction to Adobe Photoshop – Volume 1

Arguably, the most commonly used graphic design software is Adobe Creative Suite. Knowledge of Adobe Photoshop, in particular, is essential for any potential graphic designer. However, like much advanced professional software, it can be daunting to try and learn all of the features on your own. 

However, with Introduction to Adobe Photoshop – Volume 1, learning how to utilize Photoshop will no longer seem like such a daunting task. Taught by Daniel Marshall, a professional layout designer with 10 years of experience working with the Adobe Creative Suite, this class walks you step by step through five of the most important Photoshop tools. 

Upon completion, students will gain a better understanding of the following:

  • Move Tool
  • Marquee Tool
  • Lasso Tool
  • Object Selection Tool
  • Crop Tool

Brand New Brand

Another course offered by CalArts is Brand New Brand. This course serves as the capstone for the CalArts Graphic Design Specialization, thus students must obtain completion certificates for the four prior courses in the specialization before enrolling in this class. 

This course takes students through the entire design process to build a brand and visual identity for a fictional start-up company. It guides students through developing a logotype and complimentary graphic palette for their fictional company and provides opportunities for students to see their designs at work. Taught by Michael Worthington, this 6-week course is an opportunity to gain practical experience in a “classroom” setting. Worthington walks students through a typical project for a graphic designer and provides them with tips and tricks to make their designs stand out.

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