Graphic design is one of the most lucrative careers you could choose nowadays. It pays well, you can work from home, and you get to exercise your creative spirit and unique perspectives. Luckily, you can also learn graphic design from home. How, you ask? Well, with some online graphic design courses, of course. You can find an online course for almost anything that crosses your mind, and graphic design is no exception. However, since there are so many options out there, it can get quite confusing sometimes when it comes to choosing the best one. That is why, today, we’re going to explore a list of the best online graphic design courses that you should keep in mind. Let’s start!
Online Graphic Design Courses
1. Visual and Graphic Design Course from Alison
If you are interested in the design process and want to learn more about graphic and industrial design, we highly recommend this course from Alison. It doesn’t matter if you are already studying design or if you are just a beginner, this course can accommodate you either way. You will learn about the elements that make up graphic design, such as texture, form, shape, and about the main principles of design, like contrast, composition, balance, and so on. If you complete all the modules of this course, you will get a certificate attesting your knowledge. You can take the course for free and it doesn’t take that much time to complete. Overall, it is a great option if you want to learn the basics of graphic design.
2. Graphic Design Fundamentals Overview for Beginners from Creative Live
The guys at Creative Live have one of the best selections of online graphic design courses that you could wish for. One of them is this great course for beginners that you only have to pay $49 for. You will get 18 video lessons, access to all the course materials anytime and anywhere, the possibility to download the files you need, and the option to access the course from your smartphone or tablet. The course is taught by Timothy Samara who already has 25 years of practicing graphic design under his belt. So if you want to learn about color theory, typography, space and form, composition, layout, and more from an expert in the field, consider signing up for this class.
3. Foundations of Typography: Color, Contrast, and Scale from Lynda
This graphic design course will teach you everything you need to know about how to use contrast, color, and scale. It will focus on using these tools in order to make your designs stand out and get clients to trust and appreciate your work. If you choose to sign up for this class, you will be taught how to choose color, size, and typeface, and create a perfect balance with the rest of the elements of your design. You will also be studying some great examples of designs so that you can understand what makes them so special and how they are created.
4. Photoshop CS6 for Web Designers from Tuts+
Since graphic design is nothing without Photoshop, if you want to learn this skill, you have to take a course that focuses on Photoshop as well. We recommend this one coming from Tuts+, where Craig Campbell will introduce to you an extensive lesson on everything you have to know about Photoshop CS6. This course is made up of 6 levels, each of them focusing on a distinct skill. From Photoshop basics, to tools and techniques, and interface elements, you won’t need any other Photoshop course if you decide to take this one.
5. Introduction to Illustrator CS6 from ed2go
Apart from Adobe Photoshop, you should also learn Adobe Illustrator if you want a career in graphic design. That is why you should take a look at this course coming from ed2go. It will teach you how to draw things and use all the tools Illustrator CS6 has to offer to make your designs amazing. You will learn about interesting techniques, vector graphics, special effects, and how to combine this program with Photoshop to get the best of both worlds. If you want to enroll in this class, you will have to pay $149.00, after which you will get multiple lessons that include assignments where you will be asked to get creative and practice your skill. The instructor, Sherry London is a well-known Illustrator expert with a lot of experience, so you know you will get your money’s worth.
6. InDesign CC Essentials from Tuts+
We continue our list of online graphic design courses with another great one from Tuts+. This one is focused on Adobe InDesign and it is targeted to beginners, with the goal of developing their skill until they become intermediate. The course comes in the shape of video lessons which are divided into two sessions. The first session provides you with basic knowledge of InDesign, such as color, graphics, elements, and text. The second one goes more in depth and looks at tables, format, layers, text wrapping, libraries, and so on.
7. Learning Adobe Acrobat XI Training Video from O’Reilly
If you want to learn more about another essential program for a career in graphic design, then we suggest you check out this course on Adobe Acrobat from O’Reilly. As the title of the course explicitly states, this is going to be based on video tutorials. You can watch the videos whenever you like, so there is no time pressure, and they are simple and easy to follow. However, they go in a really in depth training, so you will learn complex and relevant things that will make you an Adobe Acrobat expert. For the price of $99.95 you get 58 videos covering everything you ever wanted to know about this program.
8. HTML & CSS Course from Codecademy
Finally, no graphic design experience would be complete without a HTML and CSS course. To that purpose, we recommend this one coming from Codecademy. It is made out of 15 projects, 6 quizzes, and one final project, and it will teach you absolutely everything there is to know about both CSS and HTML. If you have a knack for design and want to learn how to bring your creations to life, this is definitely the course for you. If you decide to sign up for this class, you will be able to create your own webpage from scratch in a final interactive lesson, which we believe is really interesting and useful for your future career.
Summing It All Up
We hope we have managed to convince you that whatever skill you might be looking to develop related to graphic design, you can find it readily available to you as an online graphic design course. The world of graphic design might seem scary for a beginner, because you don’t only need talent and creativity. However, today’s online graphic design courses are created so as to help you overcome any difficulty that may arise in the process of you learning this skill. So don’t worry if it takes you a while until you become a professional graphic designer. All that matters is to make sure and cover everything you should know, from basic design principles, to working with Photoshop, Illustrator, Acrobat, InDesign, and HTML and CSS.
Follow
Leave a Reply