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	4.7 stars Average User Rating 4.7See what learners said

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...

12 videos, 4 readings

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...

15 videos, 4 readings

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...

12 videos, 4 readings

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 cri...

4 videos, 2 practice quizzes

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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Connect with thousands of other learners and debate ideas, discuss course material, and get help mastering concepts.

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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

	Audit	Purchase Course
Access to course materials	Available	Available
Access to graded materials	Not available	Available
Receive a final grade	Not available	Available
Earn a shareable Course Certificate	Not available	Available

Ratings and Reviews

Rated 4.7 out of 5 of 133 ratings

I love this course. It showed me the basics and fundamentals for graphic design. The professor is great, he knows how to explain each concept. Great experience overall. Thank you!