The ability to create eye-catching designs is a natural gift for some people, but it’s also a skill that can be developed and refined with practice.
The good news is that there are many design courses available online, with many free options available. If you are interested in graphic design but not sure yet if you should pursue it as a career, trying out free courses is a great way to get your feet wet. Or, if you are already in the design field, brushing up on the basics is always helpful.
Free Online Design Courses
Check out these free online graphic design courses you can take to improve your skills:
Graphic Design: Visual and Graphic Design Revised
Available via: Alison Online
Price: Free
This free course will teach you all you need to know to get started with graphic design. It starts with the foundational principles of design, such as composition, balance, hierarchy, and contrast. You’ll also learn about important design elements such as textures, shapes, lines, and forms.
Design Principles
Available via: Alison Online
Price: Free
This course will teach you design principles and their practical applications. Graphic design today covers print and digital media, far exceeding simple logo creation.
Photoshop Essential Tools
Available via: Alison Online
Price: Free
This Photoshop course will teach you the basic techniques for photo-editing. It can help you improve your photo editing skills to turn any ordinary shot into an eye-catching, possibly award-winning piece.
Intelligent Web Design
Available via: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Price: Free
This web design PDF covers the basics of what you need to know about web design, including concepts of graphic design that will help you improve the look of your projects. It also explores the design process and what makes up “intelligent” design.
Teach Yourself Graphic Design: A Self-Study Course Outline
Available via: EnvatoTuts+
Price: Free
This complete graphic design self-study course outline teaches the fundamental theories of graphic design, and will help you internalize the process of graphic design and conceptualize solutions. It also includes links where you can go deeper on specific subtopics.
Veerle’s Graphic Design Blog
Available via: veerle.duoh.com
Price: Free
This graphic design blog by Belgium-based designer Veerle Peters includes tutorials, walk-throughs of the design process for her own projects, resources for web design, and her own curated collection of graphics to inspire you. Her vast experience in design can bring value for graphic designers of all levels.
Graphic Design Basics
Available via: Canva Design School
Price: Free
The popular graphic design website Canva offers this course to help budding graphic designers learn the fundamentals of graphic design. The course is a series of short videos that make it very easy to connect with the instructors.
Graphic Design Specialization
Available via: Coursera
Price: Free for 7 days, $49/month after free trial period
This graphic design course will teach you the skills you’ll need to become a graphic designer, such as how to communicate through typography and images. The course also includes a capstone project that you can add to your own professional portfolio.
Branding Your Business
Available via: Canva Design School
Price: Free
This branding course will help you define the purpose of your branding so you can make it shine by designing your own logo. Through a series of videos, you will learn the importance of a brand voice and what differentiates it from tone.
Beginner’s Guide to Graphic Design
Available on: YouTube
Price: Free
This course takes you through 45 lessons on the basics of graphic design, each lesson being about 6 to 13 minutes in length, making them easy to insert in your daily activities.
Beginning Graphic Design: Fundamentals
Available on: YouTube
Price: Free
This lesson will teach you the most fundamental things you need to know about graphic design, in a short but concise and engaging video.
Graphic Design Tutorial for Beginners
Available on: YouTube
Price: Free
This comprehensive video will take you through the basic premises of graphic design, including identifying your objectives and an overview of Adobe Photoshop, almost every graphic designer’s best friend!
Paid Online Design Courses
Other than the free options, you may also opt for some of the paid courses in graphic design. The following are good places to get started:
Graphic Design Masterclass: Learn Great Design
Available via: Udemy
Price: $12.99
This graphic design course will give you a detailed understanding of color theory, layout, typography, blocking, and many other skills and theories in design. You’ll also learn the basic tools of Adobe Photoshop, InDesign, and Illustrator, so you can create whole branding packages for your future clients.
The Ultimate Digital Painting Course: Beginner to Advanced
Available via: Udemy
Price: $12.99
This bestselling course on Udemy will teach you everything you need to know about drawing and even train you in professional digital painting techniques. You’ll also learn how to create your own concept art and produce photo-realistic paintings.
Graphic Design Bootcamp: Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign
Available on: Udemy
Price: $12.99
This graphic design course will give you a clear understanding on working with web and print projects in Adobe Photoshop, InDesign, and Illustrator. It will also equip you with the skills you need to create graphic design projects, including logo design, color usage, and typography, which gives you an edge in the employment field.
The Complete Graphic Design Theory for Beginners Course
Available on: Udemy
Price: $18.99
This graphic design course offers intermediate to master level training in theories of graphic design through an overview of the best practices and the rationale behind them. The best part is, the course includes real-world projects that you can use for practice.
Photoshop CC 2020 MasterClass
Available on: Udemy
Price: $13.99
Through this Photoshop course, learn techniques for selection and master the masking function for combining images in a seamless way. You will also learn the differences between the various image file formats, as well as how to use time-saving keyboard shortcuts.
Ultimate Photoshop Training: From Beginner to Pro
Available on: Udemy
Price: $12.99
This Photoshop course will take you from absolute beginner to professional editor on Adobe Photoshop. You’ll learn how to retouch photographs, design attractive text styles, and remove objects or people from photos.
Online Graphic Design Courses
Brushing up on your graphic design skills is always a good idea, as you will continuously improve, regardless of whether you’re pursuing the field as a career choice.
If you are in the graphic design field, taking additional courses will help you offer greater value to your clients or employer, so take the plunge now!
Did you find this post helpful? Let us know in the comments below!
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Yen Cabag is the Blog Writer of TCK Publishing. She is also a homeschooling mom, family coach, and speaker for the Charlotte Mason method, an educational philosophy that places great emphasis on classic literature and the masterpieces in art and music. She has also written several books, both fiction and nonfiction. Her passion is to see the next generation of children become lovers of reading and learning in the midst of short attention spans.
