Graphic Design Masterclass: Learn Graphic Design in Projects
What you'll learn
- Learn and apply graphic design principles to produce effective designs in Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign.
- Learn and apply color theory and practices to produce effective designs in Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign.
- Learn and apply effective typography to produce effective designs in Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign.
- Design an online ad, design an infographic with effective color, create a gig poster with type as a design component, create an illustrative postcard.
Requirements
- You will need a subscription to the Adobe Creative Cloud or have an older version of Photoshop, InDesign, and Illustrator if you want to participate in the activities to put what you learn intro practice. Note: You can also try a 30-day free trial of the Adobe Creative Cloud.
Description
Learn and apply graphic design principles, color, and typography for better designs! Are you frustrated with the quality of your graphic designs, or wonder how graphic designers create effective content? Or do you simply want to learn more about graphic design or get started as a graphic designer?
In this course, you will learn and then apply design principles to create various graphic designs, including an online advertisement, an effective infographic, a gig poster with type as a design element, and an illustrative postcard design. You will learn how color schemes can be created and applied in graphic designs. You will also learn how effective typography can improve your designs as well.
You will use the industry-standard software for photo and raster editing (Photoshop), illustration and vector art (Illustrator), and publication design (InDesign) in this course to apply what you learn.
Course Structure
In the first few sections, you will learn about the overarching benefits of this course and then learn about various design principles such as proximity, alignment, repetition, contrast, balance, negative space, and rhythm. You will apply these design principles right away so you more effectively learn them. This will also allow you to learn design techniques.
In the color section, you will learn about effective color and then how to create color schemes in Photoshop, InDesign, and Illustrator. You will create a color wheel using Illustrator.
In the typography section, you will learn type terminology in order to know how to apply effective type. You will also learn best practices in editing and applying type.
All support files are included for the follow-along exercises and projects on design principles, color, typography, and projects. Bonus files are also included, such as photo and Photoshop brushes.
Instructor Qualifications
I've worked in graphic design at newspapers, magazines, and an award-winning advertising design firm. I've been managing editor of two graphic design magazines and a freelance graphic designer. For the past eight years, I've also taught graphic design at the university level.
Let's get started learning and creating!
This course will enable you to be come a better graphic designer, whether you're new to graphic design or simply want to improve. I'll see you in the course!
Who this course is for:
- This course is for beginners who want to be introduced to graphic design principles and their applications or intermediate graphic designers who want to improve and learn even more.
- This course is not for people with MFAs in Graphic Design or graphic designers already very familiar with design principles, color, and typography and who are experts at the Adobe design products.
- This course is for anyone who wants to create awesome graphic designs in Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign.
Instructor
I love seeing students succeed in their designs, photos, productions, artistic work, and careers.
Do you want to learn become a better designer or communicator? Do you want to learn industry-standard editing and effects in Photoshop? Do you want to create logos for your brand or for clients? Do you want to learn new skills that are in demand in the new digital economy?
I'm passionate about communication, writing, art, and design education, and I'm currently a full-time professor of communication and digital media. I've developed curriculum and taught classes on design, photography, and writing for over a decade. My university students have become full-time, award-winning photographers, web designers, creative specialists, reporters, and layout designers. And now, you can learn from me as well!
Get started by enrolling in my courses, learning new skills and knowledge, and asking me questions in the courses and forums.
My Three-Part Qualifications to Teach You (Professional Experience, Education, and Experience Teaching):
By combining my professional in-the-field experience (both full-time and freelance), formal education, and experience teaching these topics, I've been able to produce top-notch courses that maximize learning and enable students to become better graphic designers, logo designers, photo editors, artists, and digital media producers.
Real World, Professional Experience:
I've worked as Webmaster and Advertising Designer at a regional newspaper (The News Chief), Internet Development Director at an award-winning advertising design firm, Technology Librarian at a city library system, and Managing Editor at two international graphic design magazines at Kelby Media Group. I've also written for print and online publications and designed websites and other promotional design work for clients on an on-going basis for the past 20 years.
Education:
Besides relevant marketplace experience, I also have a B.A. in Communication from Southeastern University, an M.A. in Journalism and Media Studies from the University of South Florida, St. Petersburg, and a Ph.D. in Communication from Regent University. My Ph.D. dissertation focuses on the mythic branding of Apple's Macintosh/Mac in their primary commercial campaigns (1984, Think Different, Switch/Real People, and Get a Mac). Example graduate courses such as Creative Approaches to Digital Media and Visual Storytelling have helped me when developing my own courses.
Experience Teaching:
Teaching these topics in the classroom and online has helped me figure out the best ways to explain concepts and guide students in the designs and productions. Besides being a full-time professor, I've developed curriculum and taught design, photography, and digital media courses for years at the university level for various schools in Florida, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, and Sorrento (Italy).
Courses:
I'm the founder of Good Creative Academy, the premiere online school for learning and creating. If you're looking to learn more about graphic design, photo retouching, visual art, Adobe software, and digital media production, you have arrived at the right place.
Fun tech-related facts about me:
I taught myself QBasic when I was 13, and later used that programming language to write a program that simulated the DOS prompt, to fool my high school graphic design teacher into thinking the computers had been hacked.
I used web banner advertising on my websites in high school and during my freshman year of college, which brought in about $750 a month in income.