This course serves as the capstone of the Graphic Design Certificate Program, which means it's designed for students who already have working knowledge of Photoshop, InDesign, and Illustrator. Throughout the course, you'll deepen your understanding of graphic design concepts and processes, both formal and conceptual, while building out a portfolio of work you're genuinely proud to share. You'll learn about the elements of design, develop your ability to discuss your work clearly, and practice incorporating and evaluating critiques to strengthen your designs. When you're ready to share your work with the world, you'll upload everything to Adobe Portfolio, which comes included with your Creative Cloud membership, giving you a polished portfolio website to show potential employers or clients.
If you still need to learn Photoshop, InDesign, or Illustrator before enrolling, the full Graphic Design Certificate has you covered. It bundles all four courses together at a 25% discount and includes one-on-one mentoring with a professional design expert, making it a smart option for beginners who want a structured, supported path from the ground up all the way through to a completed portfolio.
What You Will Learn
- Learn about the elements of design
- Develop and expand your graphic design portfolio
- Learn how to discuss your work and incorporate and evaluate critiques
- Broaden your understanding of graphic design concepts and processes, both formal and conceptual
- Upload your work to Adobe Portfolio (included with your Creative Cloud membership) to create your portfolio website
Course Outline
Section 1
What is Graphic Design?
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Brief overview and discussion
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Elements of design
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Gestalt Principles
Word Work
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Letterform Anatomy
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Type Classifications
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Speed design with limited source material!
Design Assignment: Logo Design
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Brief slide show on what makes a good logo
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Design assignment: Choice of logo redesign for an existing company or create your own personal logo design.
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Create two distinct design options for your logo.
Section 2
Design Process
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Explore ideation and the creative design process
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Logo exploration (Ritos del Sol, Vaya)
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Learn logo drafting using the template feature in Illustrator
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Introduction of Photoshop mock-ups
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Sketching exercise. Learn to work quickly and creatively within fixed parameters.
Color Interaction
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What do colors mean?
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How do designers use colors effectively
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Color palettes: we will explore how to choose appropriate color palettes for different assignments
Design Assignment: Identity System
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Finalize your logo to design an identity system using a "color study" and complementary typeface. Use this visual system to either create a stationery design or social media graphics.
Section 3
Typography
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Typographic Overview
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Type Selection
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Type Pairing
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Foundry Overview
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Optical Spacing
Design Assignment: Book/eBook Cover Redesign
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Create either a book or eBook cover design for a re-issue of a famous piece of fiction. Use type and imagery to create a visually appealing cover that will entice a reader.
Section 4
Historical Design Movements
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Arts & Crafts
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Art Nouveau
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Dada
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De Stijl
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Constructivism
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Bauhaus
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Swiss International
Design Assignment: Album Art Cover/Spotify Graphic
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Create cover art for a band to be used for online purchases of music or streaming music services. Use a mixture of typography, imagery, and basic graphic elements, with consideration for different screen sizes and resolutions.
Section 5
Information Hierarchy
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What goes first? Second? Last? And why?
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Are there rules? How can we be creative within these rules?
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We explore the who, what, where, when, and why of laying out information.
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Learn about grid systems.
Design Assignment: Event Poster or Email Announcement
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Students will design a poster or email announcement for an event. Designs should convey a concept relating to the subject, and use a clearly identifiable visual hierarchy.
Section 6
Design Hero Slide Show
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The instructor will show a brief slide show of past and present design visionaries
Portfolio Criteria & Revision
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Ten points to consider when developing a professional Graphic Design portfolio.
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Recommended book list
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Revision, completion and collection of any final revised exercises or projects.
