Best Graphic Design Courses To Pursue Online

For a species that relies about 80% to 85% on sight out of all the other senses to perceive the world and learn from it, what we see literally defines what we think. To captivate one’s attention or reach out a certain message to people, visual cues are the most effective means. Brands, influencers, companies, and freelancers understand this importance and give dedicated attention to ensuring that their audience likes what they see. Designing, to no one’s surprise has thus, become one of the most crucial skills that goes behind developing anything worthwhile. In an extremely digitalized world, consequently, graphic design seems to be the biggest winners.

Graphic design requires skills and creativity. However, raw talent and a knack for making great designs is not enough. Methodology and a structured means of designing is also necessary. Researching into what people like to see is also a skill that a good graphic designer needs to know. These skills require time and learning. It is never too late though and as mentioned before, we live in the world of digitalization. One can learn almost anything from the internet, and high-end laptops nowadays are capable of running multiple design application at the same time when you are watching a tutorial on a browser. Applications such as Photoshop, Paintshop, Maya 3D and other 3D modeling software require the latest config to work smoothly. Since your personal computer or a laptop will be a starting stone in your journey, make sure to buy the best laptop for Maya 3D or all such applications. Graphic design courses are available on various platforms and some of them are even free.

If you are interested in pursuing a career in graphic design or you just want to learn it to buff up your skills, we have curated some of the best graphic design courses available online.

Graphic Design Masterclass by Udemy

One of the best courses available, it includes Adobe Photoshop, the staple of any good graphic design course, along with other tools such as Illustrator, and InDesign. The course consists of topics like logo design, branding, and design theory. For a one-time price, you get unlimited access to this course. With 19.5 hours of video material, 24 downloadable resources, and one article, the Masterclass is an all-rounder.

Things you will learn

1. Learn Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign.
2. Understand color theory, typography, layouts, blocking, and different techniques and theories.
3. Master tools such as the pen tool, brushes, shape builders, etc in Adobe Illustrator.
4. Also includes Affinity Designer and how it is different from Photoshop.
5. Learn about the up and coming trends in design.
6. Learn how to impress potential clients with amazing logos and designs.
7. Make complex vector illustrations.
8. Learn how to make graphics for ad campaigns.
9. Make magazine layouts and editorials in InDesign.

The Udemy Masterclass is a great place to start. You will get introduced to the basics of graphic design and also get a substantial peek into the more complex parts. Although the course might be a little pricey for some, you can get it at a discount price if you are lucky. The price tag is worth it for the amount of great content the course has though.

Professional Graphic Design Course by Shaw Academy

Free for the first four weeks, this course is wonderful for someone who is testing their prowess in the field of graphic design. You can even cancel the course anytime you want. The course is globally approved and more than 9 lakh people have benefitted from this course. The timings are also flexible and you can pause anytime. There is support from instructors and you can download the course material as well.

Things you will learn

1. Introduction to graphic design.
2. Learn the elements of graphic design and its principles.
3. Learn Adobe Illustrator and how to design logos using it.
4. Learn Adobe Photoshop especially photo manipulation.
5. Poster designs and creative ideas.
6. Learn the basics of InDesign
7. Learn how to make your text stand out by understanding Print and Pre-Press basics.

This course comprises 4 modules and lasts for 16 weeks and contains 32 educational videos. After the trial, you pay 69.99 USD per month.

Graphic Design Basics by Skillshare

Skillshare is one of the top online educational platforms with thousands of amazing courses and great packages that go with them. Graphic Design Basics introduces you to the baby steps of designing on a computer. It is just a 35 minute class that will walk you through the five basic design principles. Combine it with other design courses on Skillshare and you have an entire subject material of the finest quality.

Things you will learn

1. The five basic principles of graphic designing and how to recognize them.
2. Tapping into your creative force and finding inspiration for your works.
3. Understand how the five basic principles are applied in projects and how professionals use them to develop stunning designs.

Skillshare offers many other courses. The one described here is the first step to an entire new world.

Typography That Works by Skillshare

Typography is one of the most important aspects of digital graphic design. Typography is a means to arrange and write words and letters in such a way that they can be read easily and are visually appealing as well. Designs that have good typography do better on social media and promotional campaigns. Readers enjoy them and the message is delivered successfully.

Things You Will Learn

1. Explore the basics of designing with types.
2. Explore principles of typographic compositions.
3. Start with San Serif fonts and their alignments and grids.
4. Typographic refinements.
5. Customization of fonts and designs.
6. Understand how typography works and how it can be applied to business cards.

You can join SkillShare for free and explore more similar courses as well.

Visual and Graphic Design by Alison

Alison is one of the best platforms for getting access to certified courses. This particular course covers a wide range of topics in a small duration of time. You get a certification and the course content lasts for about 3 hours. Learn about graphic design basics, key design elements, and processes with this course. This course is entirely free. Your course performance will also be assessed by instructors. More than 42,000 students have already benefited from this course.

Things You Will Learn

1. Learn about the fundamentals of graphic design.
2. Learn about compositions, balance, contrast, and hierarchy.
3. Explore important design elements such as lines, shapes, forms, and textures.
4. Understand how professional designers operate and serve their clients.

Alison is definitely an amazing platform and this is not the first course by them on this list for sure!

UI Design and Implementation by MIT

Understand the importance of user interface and how it is implemented to lubricate human-computer communication via this curated course by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Undergraduate as well as graduates can take this course. The course covers human capabilities, evaluation techniques, prototyping and finally, implementing great UIs.

Things You Will Learn

1. How to design good user interfaces keeping in mind motivating human capabilities and techniques driven by design principles.
2. Understand techniques such as Wizard of Oz, low-fidelity prototypes, and input/output models.
3. Learn how to evaluate user interfaces and judge them on the basis of certain parameters. You will learn about measures such as UI usability and heuristic evaluation.
4. Conduct research on novel user interfaces.

The course is a sophisticated way to start your career in the field of digital design. Websites and web applications are a part of our near future and getting acquainted with how they work is extremely important.

Applying Design Principles by Alison

Learn about the practical applications of the theoretical design principles that you have learnt in more fundamental classes. With this course by Alison, you can explore the depths of design principles in a fun and engaging way. The course material is an average 3 hours. There is assessment of your performance and a certification is also included. To add to it all, the course is free; an amazing place for students and professionals alike.

Things You Will Learn

1. Learn about the disciplines that govern graphic design.
2. Modern graphic design is more than just designing logos and visiting cards. Lots of research and effort goes into it and you will learn just that with this course.
3. Explore the real-life issues that come with graphic design and how to tackle them.
4. Learn core design principles that will sharpen your skills.
5. LEarn how you can improve your quality of work via these disciplines and principles.

More than 46,000 students have already enrolled in this course. It is graded level 1 as a secondary academic course.

Personal Branding by Canva

Canva is one of the most popular photo editing online tools out there. The quality and the reliability radiates in this course as well. Coordinated by Dr.Talaya Waller, the course takes you through the journey of building a brand with creativity and finesse. Learn how to promote your brand and pitch it to potential customers and visitors. The course is free.

Things You Will Learn

1. Explore how branding is a personal experience.
2. Learn how to work with people.
3. Learn how to brainstorm and get inspiration.
4. Understand how to make your brand stand out in a crowd.

There are more courses by Canva that are helpful and easy to comprehend. ‘Creativity’ is one of them. Be sure to explore that as well.

Conclusion

Graphic design is an amazing journey and if you plan to undertake it, make sure you are well-prepared. These courses are curated keeping only the best in mind but the number of courses that can benefit you are enormous. There is no one right course for you. The well of knowledge is infinite. Drink from it as much as you can.