About this course: Visual communication is as critical to professional success as written or oral communication. Graphic design skills will help you ensure that your visual business assets convey a clear and compelling message - and learning the essentials of good design is surprisingly easy. This course introduces you to a straightforward design process that emphasizes planning, clarity, and focus. You’ll learn to use contrast, repetition, proximity, and tension to create design that is both credible and visually appealing, and you’ll emulate best practices as you work with examples from a wide range of media. When you complete the course, you’ll have the skills you need to design clear and compelling presentation slides, professional reports, business websites, and more. All of the course assignments can be completed with basic presentation software such as Microsoft PowerPoint or Apple Keynote. You’ll have opportunities to work with and explore more sophisticated tools, such as Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign, as well.
Created by: University of Colorado Boulder
Taught by: David Underwood, Design and Media Teaching Consultant
PhET Interactive Simulations, Department of Physics, University of Colorado Boulder
| Basic Info | Course 2 of 4 in the Effective Communication: Writing, Design, and Presentation Specialization |
| Level | Beginner |
| Language | English, Subtitles: Italian |
| Hardware Req | You'll need some presentation software, such as Microsoft PowerPoint or Apple's Keynote. |
| How To Pass | Pass all graded assignments to complete the course. |
| User Ratings |
Syllabus
WEEK 1
Module 1: Getting Started
This module 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.
12 videos, 4 readings
- Video: Introduction to the Specialization (For New Learners)
- Video: What's So Great About The Capstone? (For New Learners)
- Video: From Writing to Design; the Handoff
- Video: The Importance of Designing Well
- Video: Course Overview
- Video: Course Prerequisites
- Reading: A Few Important Points About This Course
- Video: Glossary of Design Terms
- Reading: A Glossary of Design Terms
- Video: Professionalism in Design
- Video: Designing with a Critical Eye
- Video: Developing a Design Vocabulary
- Reading: Developing a Design Vocabulary
- Reading: Why Designers Use Templates
- Discussion Prompt: Finding Great Design
- Video: The Importance of Inspiration
- Video: Unexpected Places Yield Unexpected Results
- Discussion Prompt: Finding Inspiration
Graded: Glossary Quiz
WEEK 2
Module 2: The Blank Canvas
This module 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 module 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.
15 videos, 4 readings
- Video: The Necessity of Structure
- Video: Introducing the Grid
- Reading: Practicing Building Grids
- Video: The Grid and Audience Perception
- Video: The Power of Negative Space
- Reading: Practicing Negative Space
- Video: Introducing the Palette
- Video: Type Is the Message
- Discussion Prompt: Choosing a Typeface
- Video: Type Anatomy
- Video: Type Families
- Video: Type Formatting
- Video: Creating with Type
- Reading: Practicing Templates
- Video: Color and Its Meaning
- Discussion Prompt: Choosing Color
- Video: Color and the Natural World
- Discussion Prompt: Photographic Layout
- Video: Image Treatment
- Video: Creative Cropping
- Video: Graphic Elements
- Reading: Practicing Cropping
Graded: Typeface Quiz
Graded: Seeing Design 'Tricks' in Action
WEEK 3
Module 3: Tricks of the Trade
It's time to start designing! In this module, we'll discuss the process of composition. We'll use the palette items covered in Module 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.
12 videos, 4 readings
- Video: Design "Tricks"
- Video: Designing with a Closed Set of Elements: The Clarity Guitars Ad
- Reading: Using the Closed Set
- Video: Contrast
- Discussion Prompt: Practicing Contrast
- Reading: Practicing Contrast 2
- Video: White Space
- Discussion Prompt: Practicing White Space
- Video: Repetition in writing, design, and presentation
- Video: Rhythm or Repetition
- Discussion Prompt: Practicing Repetition
- Video: Sublimation
- Discussion Prompt: Practicing Sublimation
- Video: Interlocking Elements
- Video: Introduction to Tension
- Reading: Practicing Tension
- Video: Tension and Movement
- Reading: Practicing Logos
- Video: Targets and Portals
- Discussion Prompt: Identifying Targets
- Video: Establishing Priorities
- Discussion Prompt: Designing a Cover
Graded: Design Critique
WEEK 4
Module 4: Revision and Distance
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 module 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.
4 videos, 2 practice quizzes
- Video: Your Work Is Not Precious; Your Ability Is
- Discussion Prompt: Designing with Criticism
- Video: You Are Your Own Worst Critic
- Practice Quiz: Rubric Training Quiz 1
- Practice Quiz: Rubric Training Quiz 2
- Video: Looking Back at Best Practices
- Video: Moving Forward: Public Speaking
Graded: Poster Design
FAQs
How It Works
Coursework
Each course is like an interactive textbook, featuring pre-recorded videos, quizzes and projects.
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Creators
University of Colorado Boulder
CU-Boulder is a dynamic community of scholars and learners on one of the most spectacular college campuses in the country. As one of 34 U.S. public institutions in the prestigious Association of American Universities (AAU), we have a proud tradition of academic excellence, with five Nobel laureates and more than 50 members of prestigious academic academies.
Pricing
| Purchase Course | Audit | |
|---|---|---|
| Access to course materials | Available | Available |
| Access to graded materials | Available | Not available |
| Receive a final grade | Available | Not available |
| Earn a shareable Course Certificate | Available | Not available |
Ratings and Reviews
excellent capacity course
This course is exactly what I was looking for as a beginner. Focuses on design principles and best practices with clear examples and useful project work. Dave is a great teacher. He knows how to drive the point home. I find myself looking at design around me with a more informed and critical eye. Now I feel confident enough to go master some software that will give me options for more polished work.
I learned so much from this course. Thank you!
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This course is very good for learning the basics of graphic design. It is very valuable for those who need to know and identify good design as part of their day to day work. I am a brand manager and I don't need to design any artworks. However, it is very important in my job to be able to brief design projects and give constructive feedback to designers for their work. This course is perfect for this purpose and I highly recommend it to all those who want to learn the basics of good graphic design.