Welcome to Graphic Design, the second course in the Effective Communications Specialization. Over 70 different companies have provided this specialization to their employees as a resource for internal professional development. Why? Because employers know that effective visual communication is the key to attracting an audience, building a relationship, and closing the sale.
Graphic Design
Graphic Design
This course is part of Effective Communication: Writing, Design, and Presentation Specialization
Instructor: David Underwood
Sponsored by Coursera Learning Team
154,504 already enrolled
Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.
4.8
(3,287 reviews)
Beginner level
Recommended experience
Flexible schedule
Approx. 29 hours
Learn at your own pace
98%
Most learners liked this course
What you'll learn
Apply inspired design ideas to your own work.
Skills you'll gain
Details to know
Shareable certificate
Add to your LinkedIn profile
Assessments
5 assignments
Taught in English
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This course is part of the Effective Communication: Writing, Design, and Presentation Specialization
When you enroll in this course, you'll also be enrolled in this Specialization.
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There are 4 modules in this course
This week introduces you to the importance of recognizing good design as the starting place for creating professional, attractive work of your own. We will look to the ubiquitous world of graphic design to establish a vocabulary of successful design and to find inspiration for our own projects. We will also discuss course prerequisites and review a basic digital design glossary that will help you navigate your chosen application.
What's included
12 videos6 readings1 assignment1 peer review
This week will look at the blank canvas – the untouched rectangle that will become our design project. We’ll discuss the importance of working with a grid, understanding negative space, and using appropriate margins. This week will also explore the palette of elements which, when chosen and used wisely, ensure that the finished design project is successful. We’ll cover type, color, images, and graphic elements such as borders, bars, and backgrounds.
What's included
15 videos5 readings2 assignments3 discussion prompts
It's time to start designing! In this week, we'll discuss the process of composition. We'll use the palette items covered in week 2, and deploy common visual design “tricks” such as contrast, repetition, sublimation, tension, and more. To help see both the effect and the universality of these design approaches, we'll look at design examples from art history, film, and current media. We’ll also cover the strategy of composition. We'll see that providing an obvious target, maintaining a natural visual flow, and prioritizing information are all critical to clear visual communication.
What's included
12 videos4 readings1 peer review6 discussion prompts
As we've said before, designers don't work in a vacuum. Our work will be judged by others, and, as good designers, we will learn to take that judgement constructively and in stride. In this week we’ll talk about what it means to be confident, yet open to criticism. We’ll explore the importance of revision as an ongoing component of design, as well as the need to enlist feedback and maintain distance in assessing our own work.
What's included
4 videos2 assignments1 peer review1 discussion prompt
Instructor
Instructor ratings
4.8 (866 ratings)Offered by
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Learner reviews
4.8
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Showing 3 of 3287
JL
5
Reviewed on Jun 7, 2019
Very easy to follow and understand whilst also following a more difficult and challenging theme.Highly recommend this course but it may be worthwhile to do this one quickly or as a beginning course.
HL
5
Reviewed on Feb 26, 2023
I am truly grateful and appreciative of the faculty members at the University of Colorado Boulder, as well as Coursera, for giving me the opportunity to study and hone my skills.Thank you so much!
JC
5
Reviewed on Apr 22, 2021
Hello my name is Jemima Clarke , I took a few of these courses that you all have to offer and Graphic Design was one of the . I appreciate the knowledge I obtained. Thanks you guys
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