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Learner Reviews & Feedback for Fundamentals of Graphic Design by California Institute of the Arts

4.8
stars
18,396 ratings

About the Course

The Fundamentals of Graphic Design course offered by CalArts on Coursera provides a comprehensive introduction to the essential building blocks of visual communication. This practice-oriented program focuses on four primary pillars: imagemaking, typography, shape and color theory, and the principles of composition. Unlike software-specific tutorials, this curriculum emphasizes the act of making and the mastery of design principles. It encourages participants to transform abstract concepts into tangible design projects. Learners will explore diverse techniques for visual representation and gain a technical understanding of how to manipulate rhythm, pattern, and contrast to organize information effectively. Please note that this course focuses on conceptual and formal principles rather than technical software instruction. While projects may be completed using tools like Adobe Creative Suite, specific tutorials for Photoshop, Illustrator, or InDesign are not provided. The curriculum is designed to build foundational design proficiency that is applicable across any analog or digital toolset. By the end of the program, learners will have developed a core set of graphic design skills applicable to personal creative projects or further specialized study in professional design. This course serves as a critical first step for any aspiring communicator looking to master the universal visual language that shapes global culture and media....

Top reviews

EC

Feb 2, 2018

Great opportunity to practice. Encouraged to make. First time using vector design program Abode Illustrator. Was hard to listen to all Contrast Section. It would be great if there was more diversity.

XZ

Jan 3, 2020

Very great course to start designing. It helped me become bolder in creating contrasts in my work. Great for anyone interested in graphic design, or anything like bullet journalling, cooking, etc.

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376 - 400 of 4,687 Reviews for Fundamentals of Graphic Design

By Julie W

Mar 24, 2020

I appreciated the bite-sized video lengths, which made it easy to pop in and out of the content to handle life. Excellent audio and production, and fun, engaging assignments and I look forward to working through the remaining courses in this specialization. Would recommend!

By Temitayo O

Sep 13, 2019

I was so surprised at how much I didn't know. I really appreciate the design process. I always looked forward to learning new things and also loved rating people's assignments too. It was indeed eye opening. Looking forward to what the next course has to offer. Thanks guys.

By zairi s

Mar 24, 2023

I'm very proud of myself for obtaining my first design certificate. Coursera is a fantastic self-learning resource; I had a great time taking the course and found it to be beneficial. I'm excited to complete the remaining four courses in the Graphic Design Specialization.

By Rhea R

May 5, 2020

This course was excellent. The instructor presented the information in a way that was accessible to both novices and experienced designers. Each project built upon the previous one, and by the end of the course I felt that I had retained knowledge and developed new skills.

By azmina a

Jul 26, 2020

I have enjoyed this course and learned various aspects of graphic design. I look forward to the next course. This was an amazing course and I would recommend it to all who would like to pursue a career in this field and as well those who have an interest in arts as I do.

By Uzair A

Nov 3, 2020

To start with graphic designing this is one of the best course. I have learned from various platforms but this course is the best for beginners. The best part of this course is the exercises given which help you understand better by practically doing everything yourself.

By Simran K

Jul 15, 2018

I absolutely loved this course! With the use of examples, quizzes and assignments I was able to understand and practice what I learnt. This course taught me a lot about how you can employ simple, small tactics to make a piece of art more sound and aesthetically pleasing.

By Bria C M

Feb 22, 2016

Very clear and not too complicated! I really appreciate how Michael Worthington gave us the history behind each term to give us an in depth understanding of how it functions. This lesson was very thorough and I will definitely apply everything I've learned to my designs.

By Norman K

Jun 22, 2020

The instructors are very clear in their communication. The use of videos, quizzes, and assignments goes a long way in ensuring that the message gets home. The practicality of the course makes it exciting in a good way and every lesson is always one to look forward to.

By leny j r

Apr 10, 2021

its such an exceptional learning for a newbie like me. Thank you so much for helping learners like us to easily catch up on the subject we take. I always felt excited to do activities in this field because I wanted to pursue my dream on being a graphic artist someday.

By Wadhah Y

Jan 26, 2021

I always relied in my design choices on my outlook and some personal skills in it, but after this course I understood the scientific basis for these options and how design becomes more acceptable when looking at it when these basics are taken into during installation.

By Claudia M L T C

Sep 20, 2020

This course helps you visualize clearly the primary concepts you need to control to be a designer. Best part is that, since it's just the fundamentals, you can apply these basic concepts to any type of creative work you might want to give a better look and appeal to.

By RICARDO R

Aug 30, 2020

Very good course. All of the fundamentals are explained thoroughly and with examples. Being a practical course makes it also much better than others I watched. This course makes us think activelly about design and create pieces, exploring our creativity. I loved it!

By Rose G

Jun 28, 2019

Watching the videos helped a lot to understand the fundamentals of graphic design, I really enjoyed doing all the assignments. I recommend to do the optional assignments as well. Looking forward to the next course! Great program to learn the very basics, thank you :)

By Rossy G

Dec 29, 2015

Love the course and the teacher was awesome, I am college graduate in Advertising and Graphic Design and happy to say I learned new things, as well as new ways to see composition and every other aspect of graphic design. Thank you a lot for this and keep them coming!

By Jarrod S

Jan 23, 2022

Very educational. Especially helpful if you have a good artistic ability and need to learn how to use that in the real world. Also very helpful if you don't have any artistic talent but maybe need to learn how to format marketing materials or other things like that.

By Ludwig L

Jun 7, 2019

Awesome course to gather the basics of design. I am so glad I learned these skills because it will help me to grow and change my actual situation: living in Venezuela. Calart Instute and Coursera gave me a chance to survive Socialism. For that, I am plenty thankful!

By Цыгунова М М

Apr 9, 2018

Very thorough, yet totally comprehensible. Discusses and explains the fundamentals step by step, opening a whole lot of possibilities for broadening the skills and gaining new ones. I'll definitely take up the other parts of Graphic Design specialisation by CALARTS!

By Nimmy C

Jul 4, 2020

The course... Yes it was a very informative and interesting session with wonderful drawing/hands on assignments..... I like this course. Being an electrical engineer it was a new experience and a new opportunity to learn this course. Thank you the coursera team. 👍

By David R

Jun 1, 2020

Perfect for those of us who need an introduction to the basic principles behind graphic design. I'm a writer and know next to nothing about how my work gets laid out and included in the composition of modern graphics. This course put it all into perspective for me.

By Druzhkov K

Mar 24, 2016

I enjoyed the course a lot! The information was well-structured and clear. There was great emphasis on practice that helped to understand the given material on a deeper level. Receiving feedback from students and analyzing the works of others was also wery helpful.

By Iqra M

May 18, 2025

Fundamental of Graphic Design is a very informative and useful source of gain knowledge about Graphic Design and i think the platform coursera DELSIE is only one of the most advance and cheap source of gain a higher knowledge about the things that you want to know

By Murtaza M

Feb 6, 2022

First of all, thanks for giving me the oppurtunity to study this course, it has helped me understand the design and the fundamentals that goes behind in making a good design! I would ask more people to enroll in this course and understand the basics of designing.

By Sandra B

May 30, 2020

I really enjoyed every week, and the different assignments. The professor, his instructions were clear, concise and easy to understand! I would love that the forums were more easy to participate and follow the comments, overall this class exceeded my expectations!