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

4.8
stars
18,282 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

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!

XZ

Jan 3, 2020

Very great course to start designing. It helped me become bolder in creating contrasts in my work. Great for anyone interested in graphic design, or anything like bullet journalling, cooking, etc.

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2651 - 2675 of 4,673 Reviews for Fundamentals of Graphic Design

By Mahnoor N

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Sep 9, 2020

Great course ,I really enjoyed during the course

By naief p

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Aug 27, 2020

thank you so much, Coursera. its helped me a lot

By Md. S

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Aug 24, 2020

Really! I have learned the design ideas. Thanks!

By Ananya P

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Jul 23, 2020

this was an amazing course! thanks a lot CALarts

By Shruti K

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Jun 19, 2020

it is a great platform for improving your skills

By Hailey

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May 31, 2020

Great knowledge of Graphic Design for beginners.

By Karla B

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Apr 29, 2020

Very complete and best for creativity to emerge.

By Savannah S

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Mar 5, 2020

I've learned so much from this class. Thank you!

By Jose A G R

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Jun 25, 2019

Great course, clearly explained...learned a lot.

By Evangelos

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Aug 23, 2017

Great course with a lot of knowledge to soak up!

By Ana M S

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Aug 7, 2017

Great content, very detailed and easy to follow.

By Natalia P

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Mar 28, 2017

Excellent material, very interesting activities.

By Daragh F

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Jun 11, 2016

Really creative, insightful and fun; five stars!

By Saba A

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May 29, 2016

Best Graphic designing course for the beginners.

By Shuchen T

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Jan 26, 2016

The course is clear, simple and easy to hand on!

By Ricardo G

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Jan 25, 2016

Great course! Amazing teachers and good content!

By Iso a

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Aug 2, 2025

I really enjoyed this course and it was useful.

By Syed A A R

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Feb 19, 2024

This Course is Exceptional. Highly Recommended!

By Isis D R D T

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Jul 5, 2022

A very practical and well done course, loved it

By Gihan T

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Sep 8, 2021

Got huge knowledge about fundamentals of design

By Stacey N

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Jun 18, 2021

I'm just beginning...onward to more learning!!!

By Sarahana N

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May 22, 2021

Its challenging and suits a beginner just well.

By David U S

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Nov 2, 2020

Excelente ayuda con las bases de Diseño Grafico

By Zhanna A

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Sep 2, 2020

Thank You!! Grate course and really interesting

By Rachel H

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Jul 5, 2020

Wonderful , Inspiring, and highly professional.