HZ Upskill: Elevate Your Creativity With These 5 Free Online Graphic Design Courses

Launching your career in graphic design in 2024 is now more achievable than ever. No need to invest in tuition fees or dedicate extensive years to a design school. Learning graphic design is no longer a costly endeavour, and you can master it at your own pace, thanks to several high-quality, free online courses. Below, we've compiled a list of options for you to explore, whether you're starting your graphic design journey or looking to enhance your existing skills.

1. Canva Design School: Graphic Design Basics

Acquire an understanding of graphic design swiftly with Canva's concise and comprehensive course. The ‘Graphic Design Basics’ class by Canva consists of twelve succinct lessons, each delving into a fundamental aspect of graphic design. Accompanied by practical activities, these lessons cover essential elements, such as defining your message, creating mood boards, understanding the colour wheel, mastering typography essentials, and more. This course is an ideal choice if you have limited time for skill acquisition or simply want to explore the basics and adopt the mindset of graphic designers.

2. Kadenze’s Introduction To Graphic Design History

Embark on your graphic design education right where it originated with Kadenze's ‘Introduction to Graphic Design History.’ This crash course immerses you in the intricate connections between design and various aspects of our lives, spanning society, politics, and ideologies.

Adapted from the Maryland Institute College of Art's equivalent class, this history of graphic design programme offers a profound exploration of design evolution, styles, and groundbreaking techniques. Delve into the rich tapestry of design history to develop a comprehensive understanding of how graphic design shapes our world. By the end, you'll possess a solid grasp of the elements that define successful graphic design and gain a fresh perspective on the profession as a whole.

3. Adobe Illustrator Crash Course By Envato Tuts

Master the essentials of graphic design by honing both principles and practical skills. Envato Tuts presents a three-hour ‘Adobe Illustrator crash course, guided by instructor Dan Scott. Learn to bring your ideas to life by navigating Adobe Illustrator, a software choice for many designers. This comprehensive course covers custom shape, line, and brush design, text manipulation, and creating logos and icons. Discover secrets for crafting vibrant colour palettes, gradients, and patterns. Essential tasks like saving and exporting for print and web are also explored. With hands-on exercises, apply your newfound knowledge immediately and elevate your graphic design capabilities.

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4. Udemy: Introduction to Graphic Design

Udemy operates as a competitive marketplace for independent instructors offering courses at varying prices based on experience, subject, and course duration. Acting like a classroom Yelp, courses are rated, highlighting their quality. Frequent sales on Udemy present opportunities for discounted classes.

Covering the design process, basic elements, and the five main principles, it aims to provide a foundational understanding without the need for specific software or prior design knowledge. Udemy offers a diverse array of other free graphic design courses, spanning software guides, project tips, and in-depth tutorials (no makeup tutorials).

5. Creative Pro

Creative Pro stands as a valuable online design magazine with an excellent ‘How-To’ section catering to graphic design learners. Tailored for experienced designers, the articles address common challenges, offering professional tips to overcome them. Notably, there's guidance on moving vector graphics across Adobe Illustrator, InDesign, and Photoshop.

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Overall, Creative Pro serves as an invaluable free resource for graphic design enthusiasts. Beginners can complement these specialised how-to articles with other resources for a comprehensive self-directed education in graphic design.

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Credits: Freepik