Top 10 Graphic Design Courses Online in 2021 (Free & Paid)
Whether you’re starting a new career, or just need to polish up your skills, here’s the list of top graphic design courses available online.
Having some solid graphic design skills is crucial in today’s digital world and therefore good designers are in high demand.
It’s a rapidly growing industry — think about it — basically, every business needs some graphic design work.
Whether it be a logo design, branding, website design (UX/UI), editorial design, etc. — businesses hire creatives to get things designed.
So whether you want to make a career change or just need to polish up your skills — it's important to take the right steps.
The easiest way to master graphic design is by enrolling in an online course to be able to learn straight from experts.
Why? — Because learning from professionals will get you there much faster than if you had to figure it all out on your own.
However, with so many courses that are available online, it can become pretty intimidating, because you don’t know what courses are worth your time.
That’s why in this article I’ve rounded up the absolute 10 best graphics design courses that you can find on some of the leading learning platforms for creatives such as Skillshare, Coursera, Udemy, MasterClass, and more.
10 Best Graphic Design Courses Online (Free & Paid):
- Graphic Design Fundamentals — $19 or $13/mo
- Core Principles for Visual Design — FREE with trial
- Graphic Design Basics — Totally FREE
- Basics of Adobe CC — $19 or $13/mo
- Graphic Design Course — $15/mo
- Customizing Type — FREE with trial
- Graphic Design Specialization — FREE (paid certificate)
- Fundamentals of Graphic Design — FREE (paid certificate)
- Graphic Design for Beginners — FREE with trial
- Graphic Design Masterclass — $21.99
Depending on your goals and interests, these courses cover the basics of graphic design in general, such as typography, composition, color, etc. to more advanced stuff and industry tips and tricks.
How To Learn Graphic Design?
The reality is that getting into the graphic design space isn’t as easy as you might think — there is a lot of competition out there.
These days everyone with some basic knowledge of Photoshop or Illustrator claims to be a graphic designer.
However, being a good graphic designer is much more than just having some basic knowledge of Adobe software.
Graphic design is the process of communicating things visually — so first and foremost, you need to become a good communicator.
In order to become a good communicator, your must first understand graphic design history and where it comes from.
Then you need to learn how to use different elements of visual language to communicate things effectively.
Add to it creativity and your own expression — and you will end up with what makes a successful graphic designer.
Here are the five basic steps to help you get the most out of your learning curve:
- Research graphic design history — Knowing the history and the current state of the graphic design industry will give you the confidence you need to be able to become a successful designer.
- Understand core design principles — As a designer, you’ll need to understand the core design principles to make your designs more creative and impactful.
- Master graphic design process — Having a structured process to follow will help you be more efficient and effective when working with your graphic design clients.
- Follow great designers — You need to surround yourself with great designers, follow them, and mimic their work to polish up your skills and get more creative.
- Build a portfolio and get hired — If you want to get hired and land big projects, you will need to develop your own style as clients hire designers based on their past work.
Similar to most disciplines, you’ll need to get acquainted with the basics before you can master more advanced stuff.
Ready? Let’s get started — Check out my list of top courses to help you master graphic design in 2021.
1. Graphic Design Fundamentals
The most unique thing about Timothy Samara’s course is his demonstration of how design theory manifests in actual projects (PS. I also interviewed Timothy on my podcast)
Dive into the world of how real designers work and think.
With an extensive career behind him, Timothy’s design services have spanned from web design to print media, to interface design, and to building brand identity.
Timothy Samara is a New York-based graphic designer and educator whose twenty-five years career has so far focused on visual identity and branding, communication design, and typography.
By walking through Timothy’s creative process, you not only see how design elements impact an overall product, but you also get a rare view of the problem that designers solve and how they solve them.
In this course, you’ll learn to:
- Identify and apply fundamental graphic design elements.
- Add essential design skills to your toolkit.
- Approach and manage the creative process through varied projects
This class is designed for beginners and intermediate graphic designers as well as more experienced ones who are looking for a brush-up on the principles.
One of the most popular courses (best reviews) about graphic design that you can find on Skillshare.
2. Core Principles for Visual Design
Renowned designers Ellen Lupton and Jennifer Cole Phillips present this fantastic beginner course covering the core elements of graphic design.
Learn the fundamental principles of graphic design.
Whether you’re a beginner or looking for a refresher, Ellen and Jennifer will teach you how to assess your designs for balance and effectiveness.
This 36-minute online class provides real-world examples that you can use right away in your design projects.
I was fortunate enough to host Ellen Lupton in my podcast, where we discussed how to use storytelling in graphic design work.
Overall, this course is excellent for graphic design students and creatives who want to build a solid foundation in graphic design.
The course also includes a practical project that you can use to build your portfolio to sell and market yourself as a graphic designer.
Basically, you will understand everything graphic design — from fonts and letterforms to posters and brands.
The class is available for free on Skillshare if you enroll in the 30-day free trial (premium membership $20/mo).
3. Graphic Design Basics
The second course on my list covers the basics as well, but in a more practical way — a quick and easy course brought to you by Canva.
Get a quick yet very practical overview of the basics.
This course comprises 12 lessons, each covering the primary elements of graphic design along with an assignment that puts your knowledge into practice.
Graphic Design Basics by Canva
You’ll get a feel for how designers work every step of them: from mood boards, typography essentials, color theory, and everything in between.
Overall, this course comes with resources that can assist beginners and intermediates to help them hone their skills.
If you just want to dip your toes in the water to get a clear understanding of how designers think, this course is right for you.
The course is totally free of charge and available publicly — no need to sign up, just click and start learning.
4. Basics of Adobe CC
Adobe CC is a robust set of tools for designers, but it may seem confusing to new users when to use what program — this course teaches you the basics of Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign.
Understand & Use The Design Power Of Creative Cloud.
Jason Hoppe is an Adobe Certified Expert and trusted CreativeLive instructor that will help you dive into each of the three most commonly used apps in the graphic design world.
Basics of Adobe CC — Jason Hoppe
This is a very practical course that costs only $39 to enroll and you get over 5 hrs of videos with great expert tips and tricks.
Jason will teach you how to integrate Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign into a more streamlined and easy-to-follow workflow.
While other courses on my list don’t focus on tools specifically — this class goes into the nitty gritty of how to actually execute your idea on a computer.
Learning how to use Adobe CC straight for the expert can empower you with pragmatic knowledge that will help you get the work done more efficiently.
In this course, you’ll learn to:
- When and why to use Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign
- How to create shapes and lines in Illustrator
- Basic color corrections in Photoshop
- Build multiple pages and layouts in Indesign
Don’t have Adobe Creative Cloud yet? — Check out my other blog post where I feature some of the best Adobe CC discounts.
5. Graphic Design Course
Since you already have an understanding of the graphic design process — In this course, an award-winning graphic designer David Carson teaches you how to challenge predictable design.
Learn intuitive approach to creating work that makes an impact.
This course goes beyond the basics and talks more about creativity itself, as David introduces you to some of his guiding principles — relying on intuition and pushing yourself to take risks.
Graphic Design with David Carson
In this course, David’s aim is to help you develop a mentality that keeps you attuned to unpredictable moments that can make your work better.
David shows you how he uses innovative typography to reinforce the message he wants to send.
He shares why he believes that every decision about font choice, spacing, color, and layout has the potential to deepen the impression your work can make on people.
David is best known for his typography, but his bold photography treatments are essential to his designs as well.
In this course you’ll learn:
- What makes logos successful and how do iterate on different logo directions?
- Using the color in your work and creating a design that reflects the true essence of a brand.
- How to work with clients, starting from the brief through collaborating with clients to achieving the most compelling results possible.
Overall, going through this course, David offers big-picture advice for designers, ranging from where to base yourself to the merits of working for free.
David also shares a simple yet powerful exercise to inspire you to think about your future, what you want to accomplish as a graphic designer, and what you are doing to make that happen.
Clap if you liked it. 👏
