Do want to learn graphic design and are looking for the best resources online, to begin with? This article contains a list of the top free online courses in graphics design with certificates in 2022.
Basically, graphic design is quite a broad profession and it can seem challenging to figure out where to begin sometimes. However, with this article, you are sure to understand your way around the field as well as where to begin.
Whether you are a beginner in the field or you already have prior knowledge of graphic design and are looking to acquire more advanced skills in the field, there are tons of resources available and helpful for you in this article.
Continue to read to learn more about the best free online courses in Graphics design with certificates in 2022.
Why Learn Graphics Design?
There are so many reasons t learn graphic design. Here are some of them:
1. There are many job opportunities
Graphic designing is an in-demand job. That is, graphic designers are always on job even in times of uncertainty for other career paths.
2. You get to work across multiple industries
Practically every industry in the world needs a graphic designer or a ton more to help to create designs to best convey their brand message to their customer or audience. There are always tons of opportunities for graphic designers across many industries.
3. Get paid for being creative
Being a graphic designer means getting paid to become a productive designer. Graphic designers tend to complete a lot of work in a short time and so, can make lots of money as the job comes.
4. You can become your own boss
There are lots of opportunities for graphic designers to work for themselves. This could include freelancing, setting up their own agency, or launching their commercial brands.
5. Graphic designers have fun
Graphic design is one of the career fields with so much fun. Imagine creating beauty from scratch: a blank screen, and then a blend of colors, images, and texts being turned into a beautiful story or a representation of a brand conveying the messages of the brands to their customers.
If you need a scholarship award to study design in an actual school, check out this Adobe Design Circle Scholarships for International Students in the USA
What are the Best Free Online Courses with Certificates?
We have carefully researched and compiled a list of the 10 top free online courses in Graphics design with certificates in 2022.
Although over 90% of the courses on our list come with certificates, you are sure to gain valuable skills and expertise from all of them and as well gain downloadable and shareable certificates from recognized universities.
Even better, you can take up to two different courses and more and as well earn more certificates and skills to further boost your CV and professional social networking profiles.
Now, let’s get right in!
1. Graphics Design Specialization
This course is offered by the California Institute of the Arts and is designed to expose learners to the essential skills required to make compelling graphic designs and communicate through image-making and typography.
It is one of the best free online courses in graphics design with certificates.
Basically, the main aim of the course is to help learners gain an array of skills to use a set of conceptual tools for making and communicating in graphic design. Also, the course sets you up for more advanced skills in interface design, motion graphics, and editorial design.
By the end of this course, learners would have:
- Gained the essential skills required to be a graphic designer
- Been able to communicate through image-making and typography
- Been able to complete a capstone project to add to your professional portfolio
- Learned all they need to know to work in interface design, motion graphics, and editorial design.
Course provider: Coursera
Duration: 6 months
Cost: Free
Certificate: Yes
2. Fundamentals of Graphics Design: Build your Logo Design
Offered by the Coursera Project Network, this course aims at teaching you how to create logos for brands, campaigns, and businesses using Inkscape.
In addition, you will learn how to add colors, texts as well as images that best reflect your brand identity as well as convey your brand message to your audience.
The course comprises a hands-on experience and during the training, you will need to practice the following:
Create a brand logo, use colors, texts, and images that best reflect your brand identity, and pass your message to your audience.
Create a simple and compelling logo using the Negative Space technique.
Identify the significance of color psychology in logo design and practice the essentials of Inkscape
Course provider: Coursera
Duration: 2 hours
Cost: Free
Certificate: No
3. Graphic Elements of Design: Color Theory and Image Formats
Offered by the University of Colorado Boulder, this is another one of the best free online courses in Graphics design with certificates.
This course explores the numerous types of images and graphic elements and illustrations.
The course begins with the color theory to differentiate between CMYK, Pantone, and RGB color options as well as usages.
In addition, it explores the different types of images used in print and graphic design projects.
By the end of this course, learners will have learned:
- How to distinguish between CMYK, Pantone, and RGB color options.
- How to classify the different kinds of image files and understand their usage.
- Also, how to identify the ideal blend of graphics and text in logo design.
Course provider: Coursera
Duration: 12 hours
Cost: Free
Certificate: Yes
4. Graphics Design
Also offered by the University of Colorado Boulder, this course equips you with the skills and tools to create professional PowerPoint, presentations, and resumes.
Also, it aims at teaching graphic design from scratch and it does this by breaking the classes down into easy-to-understand videos and quizzes for assessments.
In addition, the course comes with assignments that you will be required to submit using either of the following popular and more advanced presentation software, Microsoft PowerPoint, Google Slides, or Apple Keynote.
Furthermore, the course will provide you with the opportunities to explore and learn about more sophisticated tools for Graphic design, such as Adobe Photoshop, InDesign, and Illustrator.
By the end of this course, you would have learned how to apply inspired designs to your work.
Course provider: Coursera
Duration: 29 hours
Cost: Free
Certificate: Yes
5. Fundamentals of Graphics Design
This course is offered by the California Institute of the Arts, this course is aimed at exploring the essential principles of graphic design which include image-making, composition, typography, and working with color and shape.
In addition, you will learn to determine visual representation through an array of image-making techniques. This includes understanding the fundamentals of working with shapes, colors, and patterns.
Also, you will understand the principles of composition as well as visual contrast. Furthermore, this course will equip you with all the core graphic skills enough to apply to your projects or land graphic designing jobs.
By the end of this course, you would have learned:
- How to explore the fundamentals of color: visual, rhythm, and pattern in design
- How to employ scale, weight, direction, texture, and space in a composition
- The different types of set text and experiment with letterforms
- How to create a series of images by employing different image-making techniques.
Course provider: Coursera
Duration: 15 hours
Cost: Free
Certificate: Yes
6. Design and Make Infographics (Project-Centered Course)
Offered by Michigan State University, this course offers comprehensive training on infographics using Adobe illustrator.
The course comprises everything you need to know about infographics, why they are effective, the techniques to spot data in stories, online tools to make different kinds of infographics, and lots more.
By the end of this course, you will have learned how infographics work, what makes the best of them as well as how to best plan and design an infographic for maximum impact.
Course provider: Coursera
Duration: 9 hours
Costs: Free
Certificate: Yes
7. Introduction to Graphics Design
Offered by Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA), this course aims at teaching all you need to know about graphic design, where it comes from, and what the future holds for this career path.
This course is designed for learners at all levels and if you already have prior knowledge of Graphic design, then you may want to skip the basic to the advanced.
It comprises 7 sessions which session lasting about 6 hours each. This course is offered both in English, Castilian, Spanish, Chinese and Portuguese.
Course provider: Kadenze
Duration: 40 hours
Cost: Free
Certificate: Yes – for $20 per month.
8. Brand New Brand
Offered by the California Institute of the Arts, this course is designed to explore the complete design process. This ranges from ideation, creation, and presentation.
To help you practice as you learn, the course provides you with a visual identity of a fictitious start-up company and allows you to apply the design to quite a number of various applications.
By the end of the course, learners who have learned:
- How to synthesize typography, image-making, composition, and systematic thinking skills through ideation, invention, and conceptualization
- How to demonstrate visual research as well as development skills through the creation of a Brand Development Guide
- Also, how to expand a brand identity’s palette through the inclusion of graphic marks or icons, color, secondary typefaces, and/or images
Course provider: Coursera
Duration: 25 hours
Cost: Free
Certificate: Yes
9. Graphics Design Elements for Non-Designers Specialization
Offered by the University of Colorado Boulder, this course is designed to explore the essential graphic design elements, color theories, images, and publication designs a well as the techniques to create effective layouts.
In addition, you get to learn about typography, the creative process, the significance o brainstorming and the ways to professionally discuss as well as criticize designs.
By the end of this course, you will have learned:
- To understand and appreciate the study of design layout and conceptual elements concerning design projects.
- How to examine essential design concepts to apply in the professional setting. This includes typography, color theory, image selection, and layout best practices.
- To design foundational creative projects, including business cards, ads, manuals, brochures, and, websites.
- To discover techniques for working as well as communicating with graphic designers and other creative professionals.
Course provider: Coursera
Duration: 4 months
Cost: Free
Certificate: Yes
10. Graphics design: create simple customized patterns using Gimp
This course is offered by Coursera Project Network and is aimed at helping you get started with Gimp 2.10 editing tools as well as how to design customized patterns using the aforementioned software.
In addition, you will get to learn how to create various patterns either by directly drawing simple shapes on Gimp or by beginning from an already existing image.
Furthermore, in the course of the training, you will get the chance to practice what you have learned by carrying out the following tasks
- Set up a working file in GIMP
- Create a design for your pattern by drawing single shapes
- Create and export a pattern from your drawing
- Also, create and export two alternative patterns
- Insert and use your customized patterns in a new design.
Course provider: Coursera
Duration: 1 hour
Cost: Free
Certificate: No
What are the Skill Requirements to Become a Graphics Designer?
The following are the skills you need to learn to become a Graphics designer:
- Adobe After Effects
- Acrobat
- Art direction
- Adobe Creative Suite
- Adobe Dreamweaver
- CSS
- Adobe InDesign
- Illustrator
- Communication skills
- Photoshop
- Adobe Premiere
- Editing
FAQs Top 10 Free Online Courses in Graphics Design with Certificates in 2022
How long it takes to learn graphic design can vary depending on the individual and then on the length and duration of the course you are choosing to train with.
Also, it can depend on your experiences. If you do not have prior knowledge of graphic design, it may take a lot longer for you to learn graphic design. However, in most cases, it, takes between 6 hours to 6 months to learn graphic design.
Yes, it is possible to learn graphic design for free. There are tons of platforms to learn graphic designs and earn certificates, such as Coursera, Udemy, Alison, eDX, and many others.
According to Indeed.com, a graphic designer earns an average of $19.85 per hour.
Adobe After Effects
Acrobat
Art direction
Adobe Creative Suite
Adobe Dreamweaver
CSS
Adobe InDesign
Illustrator
Communication skills
Photoshop
Adobe Premiere
Editing
Conclusion
We hope you found this article interesting and the list of the top free online courses in Graphic design with certificates in 2022 is helpful.
Reference
- www.coursera.org – Graphics Design Courses
- www.kadenze.com – Graphics Design Courses
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