What is digital design?

Digital design is the process of creating content and graphics that end-users will view on a screen rather than on paper or another physical medium. As we move further into a digital world, chances are you read and view items on a phone, tablet, or computer screen far more often than you do on paper. When you use digital design, you're putting the rules and guidelines of design into digital formats. Digital design is a field that's growing rapidly.

Why is it important to learn digital design?

Digital design is different from traditional graphic design, so even if you have experience designing a logo or graphic for a printed page, you need different skills and knowledge tools. Digital design items aren't just meant to be read—they're meant for people to use. Digital media is often interactive, so you need to know how to create interactive graphics and website elements. If you work in design or want to work in design, it's important to be able to design for digital media. The fact that digital design is everywhere these days means that it's helpful have some familiarity with its concepts and terminology even if you're not designing digitally yourself.

What are some careers that use digital design?

You can find a host of careers in the digital design field, and they include web designers, digital graphic designers, user experience (UX) and user interface (UI) specialists, and app designers. Digital design is crucial to many different sectors of the business world. You can find jobs as a digital designer working in a corporate environment, designing for a specific brand or project, or you can work for a company that specializes in digital design for various clients. You can also strike out on your own with your design business or consultancy.

How can online courses on Coursera help me learn digital design?

Whether you're looking to learn digital design as a springboard to a new career or to advance yourself in your current workplace, you can benefit from learning online. Our courses rely on instruction from some of the best minds and talents in the business, so you'll learn more than just the basics. You'll be able to take what you've learned and apply it where you work now or on your search for a new job.

What are the benefits of taking an online Digital Design course?

Online Digital Design courses offer a convenient and flexible way to enhance your knowledge or learn new Digital Design skills. Choose from a wide range of Digital Design courses offered by top universities and industry leaders tailored to various skill levels.

What Digital Design courses are best for training and upskilling employees or the workforce?

When looking to enhance your workforce's skills in Digital Design, it's crucial to select a course that aligns with their current abilities and learning objectives. Our Skills Dashboard is an invaluable tool for identifying skill gaps and choosing the most appropriate course for effective upskilling. For a comprehensive understanding of how our courses can benefit your employees, explore the enterprise solutions we offer. Discover more about our tailored programs at Coursera for Business here .

Top Digital Design Courses - Learn Digital Design Online

Explore the Digital Design Course Catalog

University of Michigan
Leading Teams
Skills you'll gain: Team Building, Teamwork, Team Management, Team Leadership, Conflict Management, Team Motivation, Collaboration, Relationship Building, Performance Management, Organizational Structure, Innovation, People Development, Industrial and Organizational Psychology, Diversity and Inclusion, Goal Setting, Decision Making
4.8
Rating, 4.8 out of 5 stars
2.3K reviews
Beginner · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks
University of California, Davis
Emotional and Social Intelligence
Skills you'll gain: Active Listening, Emotional Intelligence, Empathy, Relationship Building, Communication Strategies, Social Skills, Personal Development, Stress Management, Self-Awareness, Interpersonal Communications, Professional Development, Adaptability
4.7
Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
1.5K reviews
Beginner · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks
Microsoft
Building AI Cloud Apps with Microsoft Azure
Skills you'll gain: Cloud Development, Image Analysis, Anomaly Detection, Microsoft Azure, Cloud Storage, Data Storage, Cloud Applications, Computer Vision, Text Mining, Microsoft Development Tools, Unsupervised Learning, Data Storage Technologies, Natural Language Processing, Data Ethics, Continuous Deployment, Application Deployment, Virtual Machines, ASP.NET, GitHub, Generative AI
4.5
Rating, 4.5 out of 5 stars
427 reviews
Intermediate · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months
Scrimba
Frontend Development
Skills you'll gain: User Interface (UI) Design, Color Theory, Hypertext Markup Language (HTML), Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), HTML and CSS, Typography, User Interface and User Experience (UI/UX) Design, React.js, Web Development Tools, JSON, Design, Event-Driven Programming, Usability, Web Design, Javascript, Debugging, Web Development, Node.JS, Front-End Web Development
4.7
Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
446 reviews
Beginner · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months
University of Toronto
Gender Analytics: Gender Equity through Inclusive Design
Skills you'll gain: Human Centered Design, User Experience Design, Organizational Change, User Research, Design Thinking, Change Management, Design Research, Data Ethics, Data Collection, Quantitative Research, Influencing, Qualitative Research, Organizational Leadership, Business Leadership, Storytelling, Leadership, Diversity Awareness, Diversity and Inclusion, Gap Analysis, Innovation
4.8
Rating, 4.8 out of 5 stars
570 reviews
Beginner · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months
University of Colorado System
Fundamentals of Network Communication
Skills you'll gain: Digital Communications, OSI Models, Network Protocols, TCP/IP, Network Routing, Network Architecture, Network Planning And Design, General Networking, Computer Networking, System Programming, Data Integrity
4.6
Rating, 4.6 out of 5 stars
2.4K reviews
Intermediate · Course · 1 - 3 Months
Status: Free
NVIDIA
Introduction to Networking
Skills you'll gain: OSI Models, TCP/IP, Data Centers, Network Protocols, Network Infrastructure, Local Area Networks, General Networking, Network Architecture, Computer Networking, Network Planning And Design, Network Switches, System Requirements
4.6
Rating, 4.6 out of 5 stars
463 reviews
Beginner · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks
Johns Hopkins University
Patient Safety
Skills you'll gain: Patient Safety, Stakeholder Engagement, Change Management, Conflict Management, Systems Thinking, Solution Design, Health Systems, Data Analysis, Corrective and Preventive Action (CAPA), Risk Analysis, Data Presentation, Safety Assurance, Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI), Data Visualization Software, Risk Management, Quality Improvement, Patient Flow, Data-Driven Decision-Making, Safety Training, Collaboration
4.8
Rating, 4.8 out of 5 stars
1.8K reviews
Beginner · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months
Berklee
Songwriting: Writing the Lyrics
Skills you'll gain: Peer Review, Content Creation
4.8
Rating, 4.8 out of 5 stars
890 reviews
Beginner · Course · 1 - 3 Months
University of Colorado Boulder
Introduction to Data Analytics for Business
Skills you'll gain: Data Governance, Analytics, Business Analytics, Data Storage, Data Management, Big Data, Databases, Business Intelligence, Data Analysis, Relational Databases, Data Quality, SQL, Organizational Structure, Cloud Computing, Data Manipulation
4.7
Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
3.1K reviews
Beginner · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks
Status: Free
Commonwealth Education Trust
Writing for Young Readers: Opening the Treasure Chest
Skills you'll gain: Editing, Proofreading, Storytelling, Writing, Literacy, Content Creation, Digital Publishing, Cultural Responsiveness, Creativity, Diversity Awareness
4.7
Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
1.3K reviews
Mixed · Course · 1 - 3 Months
Board Infinity
Java FullStack Developer
Skills you'll gain: Angular, Web Applications, HTML and CSS, Web Development, Eclipse (Software), JavaScript Frameworks, Spring Boot, Object Oriented Programming (OOP), Restful API, Java Programming, Model View Controller, Object Oriented Design, Hypertext Markup Language (HTML), Front-End Web Development, Software Development Tools, Spring Framework, Java, Web Services, Javascript, Integrated Development Environments
4.3
Rating, 4.3 out of 5 stars
590 reviews
Intermediate · Specialization · 1 - 3 Months