Todd Sumamno
Imagine wielding the power to transform your ideas into captivating visual narratives. That’s the realm of graphic design—an essential arsenal in any creative professional’s toolkit.
Whether you’re a fashion photographer, an illustrator, or an artist, knowledge of Photoshop and the fundamentals of graphic design can enhance your work, making it stand out in the crowd.
And here’s the best part—you don’t need to go back to college to level up your skills. The internet is teeming with online graphic design courses ready to take your craft to new heights. On top of that, some courses even give you free online certifications that you can late show off to your clients or potential employers.
Graphic Design
The American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA) describes graphic design as “the art and practice of planning and projecting ideas and experiences with visual and textual content.”
Simply put, it’s like being a visual chef, blending graphical and textual ingredients to cook up meaningful visuals primarily through digital means. These designs serve a purpose, like enticing ads, or sometimes, just express the artist’s creativity. The graphic designers’ main goal is to connect with the viewer by delivering a clear message and inviting them to engage with the provided content.
Why is Graphic Design Skill Crucial in This Day and Age?
You may wonder, why should I care about graphic design skills? Look at the statistics: The US Bureau of Labor Statistics pegged the median annual wage for graphic designers at $50,710 in May 2021.
The Bureau expects employment in this field to grow by 3 percent up to 2031, translating to roughly 24,800 graphic design job openings annually over the next decade. Although print media is experiencing a downtrend, the digital realm’s graphic design needs are surging.
The 2021 Forbes article highlights the increasing integration of AI in the graphic design industry, suggesting that technology is rendering sophisticated design tools to replicate human work for more efficiency. However, it is crucial to remember that AI cannot substitute the human touch. As long as we harness technology correctly, graphic designers’ demand will persist in the market.
Thus, if you are eager to take your graphic design skills to the next level, let’s buckle up and dive into some of the top online courses.
The Most Useful Graphic Design Courses Online
Udemy
Udemy offers a comprehensive Introduction to Graphic Design course, which is an excellent springboard into the world of design.
Independent instructors helm Udemy’s courses, offering classes on diverse subjects and varying lengths. The platform operates as a competitive classroom marketplace, where classes undergo ratings, highlighting their quality.
The Introduction to Graphic Design covers the design process, basic elements, and key design principles while teaching what real designers do and the essence of good design.
There’s no requirement for specific software or prior design knowledge to enroll in the course. It is worth noting that once you’ve grasped the basics, Udemy presents a plethora of other online graphic design courses for free.
Alison Online
Alison Online, a self-proclaimed “new world of free certified learning,” aims to make studying any subject possible, from anywhere, for free.
While they offer premium subscription plans for extra features, the platform is teeming with various courses leading to a test-based certificate—a valuable addition to your resume.
Alison’s graphic design course offerings cater to all skill levels, with courses focusing on basic terms and principles, the application of these principles, and specific classes to help learn the necessary tools and software for graphic design.
Creative Pro
Creative Pro, an online design magazine, boasts a “How-To” section loaded with articles and videos to help overcome common design challenges. Regardless of whether you are an amateur in the graphic design realm or an experienced graphic design wolf, Creative Pro offers information about the essential tools, including Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, or InDesign.
Paired with other resources, these articles can provide a well-rounded, self-taught education in graphic design.
Skillshare
Moving on to Skillshare, this online learning platform offers a myriad of courses from marketing to videography, with both free and premium plans.
One of its standout courses is Ellen Lupton’s ‘Demystifying Graphic Design: How Posters Work,’ where students explore the narrative behind each graphic design and learn to create impactful posters.
What is great about this course is that it is a short one-hour-long course filled with the most essential information out there. During the course, students analyze various posters, from simple movie posters to attention-grabbing political propaganda materials. Moreover, learners will have a chance to learn how to create impactful visual materials.
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
Last but not least, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) offers an OpenCourseWare (OCW), a free online resource with courses taught by professors globally.
Most graphic design classes are part of a broader course, like web development, but they focus on practical applications rather than mere theories. One of the courses focuses on interface design, allowing students to learn different graphic design concepts and techniques.
Conclusions
The creative universe of graphic design is expanding and evolving, offering countless opportunities to learn and grow. By embracing online learning resources, students can take their skills to the next level, driving innovation and making a meaningful impact through their work. So let’s step into this realm of boundless creativity and see where your designs can take you.
Brittany
