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Learner Reviews & Feedback for Introduction to Typography by California Institute of the Arts

4.8
stars
5,698 ratings

About the Course

Typography is the art of manipulating the visual form of language to enrich and control its meaning. It’s an essential area of skill and knowledge for graphic designers. Typography predates modern graphic design by around 500 years; it is rich in rules, conventions, and esoteric terminology—but it remains an exciting space for invention and expression. In this rigorous introductory course, we will study, name, and measure the characteristics of letterforms. We’ll consider the pragmatic concerns involved in selecting and combining type. We’ll peek into the 
rich historical, cultural, and aesthetic histories of familiar typefaces. We’ll discuss time-tested conventions and best practices in setting type, as governed by principles of hierarchy and spatial organization. And we’ll explore the expressive, meaning-making potential of type. Informative lectures will be complemented by a series of three peer-assessed assignments, culminating 
in an opportunity to design a full-scale typographic poster. Please note that this is not a software course; a basic working knowledge of Adobe InDesign or other 
page layout software will be assumed. You will need access to a computer and page layout software, such as InDesign, to complete the assignments....

Top reviews

MB

Jul 25, 2020

The course is very interesting and well presented, the assignments are really helpful for the learning process. I would recommend to anyone interested in design, art, web design or just for curiosity.

BG

Aug 3, 2020

I thought the assignments worked really cohesively with one another. It helped to keep terms and skills in mind from one assignment to the next. The lecture videos were great, short, and to the point.

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101 - 125 of 1,231 Reviews for Introduction to Typography

By Camila V T

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Nov 6, 2016

Muy buen curso, cumple con todo lo necesario para ser una excelente manera de introducirse a la tipografía. Cada unidad es muy sencilla de seguir y cualquier puede aprender y realizar los ejercicios. Además, las presentaciones y material visual son de alta calidad.

By Lori N ( C U

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Apr 16, 2023

The CalArts Graphic Design Certificate program is excellent. It has reinvigorated my love for graphic design and graphic art. I am seeking to transition to consulting work and want to refine my graphic design skills and produce portfolio pieces that I can use.

By Jekaterina K

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Jan 31, 2021

This course helped me to understand how to decorate or present text in the right way and suitable for the meaning behind it. I am sure that these skills will be developed in future projects in this area and will help me improve my skills and knowledge even more.

By Maria A C

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Oct 7, 2020

With the Introduction to Typography course, I learned a little about the specific vocabulary, the origin of some typographic families and that there is a huge potential in relation to texts that can be explored at any time, in any type of piece. Really enjoyed.

By SHERLY N G

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Nov 23, 2016

The typography is well- explained. The important typeface history also covered. It will be very useful to those who will become a typographer. it suits for beginner well. thanks, sir. i learned about the typography well. Your assignments are very helpful to me.

By Daniel P

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Aug 9, 2016

Claro, conciso. Cualquier persona a quien le guste la tipografía aprendería de este curso. Esta introducción permite agudizar la apreciación de la tipografía como el lenguaje no verbal de la escritura, y explorar el potencial estético y expresivo de las letras.

By Awais B

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Aug 19, 2023

my journey into typography has been an enriching experience that has deepened my appreciation for the subtleties and intricacies of design. I'm eager to continue this exploration and see how my newfound knowledge transforms my approach to design in the future.

By Erik M

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May 3, 2017

Great courses for pretty much everyone. I'm a marketer, not a designer but I still found it very useful, as sometimes I still have to work with typgraphy a bit. This is a great introduction to typography for designers, copywriters, marketers and everyone else!

By Laura S

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Mar 4, 2024

I really enjoyed this class! As a writer, I never thought much about typefaces (other than knowing I dislike sans-serifs 99% of the time), but I look at them in a whole new way now. I feel like my writing and formatting is much better since taking this class.

By Doug W

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Apr 29, 2019

This is a fantastic course! The video lectures were exceptionally concise and always compelling. The assignments were very effective in providing opportunities to explore and apply the ideas learned in the lectures. A wonderful learning experience all around!

By Roman P

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Aug 25, 2023

Great course with in-depth knowledge and terminology, however, there are evaluator comments in the assignments that are inaccurate, and the tasks end up being poorly graded. There is no segment for a second review or appeal, which impacts the final grades.

By Muhammad G

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Dec 25, 2020

This course gives you the primary knowledge to dive into the ocean of typography. It is quite helpful. Only thing I find intimidating is that instructors do not grade your assignments. Overall I find it quite helpful. The Teacher has a very relaxing voice.

By Mubashir Z

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Dec 18, 2020

The course was well designed, it has covered all parameters regarding typography, I was already a graphic designer, but the terminologies used was never before, this really enhance my knowledge about typography...Thanks to Cal arts and specially instructor

By Karlem S

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Apr 25, 2017

Great course. The videos are jam-packed with information which makes it really worth your money and your time. I am a self-taught designer and truly appreciated all the very specific tips and rules that are not as obvious when you start out on your own.

By Joshua O

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May 9, 2020

This introductory course has definitely kindled my love for Typography. Thanks a lot to Calarts and the instructor Anther Kiley. I gained a lot from this class and if I ever become a successful graphics designer, you will be part of my success story!

By Guthrie A

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Apr 15, 2019

This course was great! The assignments were challenging and so helpful for me to go through. I learned a tremendous amount of information and feel much more confident in my skills as a designer and gained a deep appreciation for type and typesetting.

By Eunice W

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Dec 2, 2018

Great course that provided my an overview of the history of type/typefaces. Fed me with interesting general knowledge on the differences between roman type, egyptian type etc.

Would highly recommend if you are interesting in picking up something new.

By Amrita S

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Aug 6, 2023

I really like this app. We can study any course from here from top institute. For people who can't afford money they can also study by applying financial aid. I had learned many course from coursera and I had a exciting experience learning from it.

By Md. A R S

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Jun 27, 2020

It was really an wonderful experienceduring this course. The way they present metarials was so easy and simple that helped me to learn so fast. This course is really enriched and the assignments were fun-doing. I am really happy to be a part of it.

By NGUYEN T B Y

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Sep 17, 2021

More than amazing! I've learned a lot through this course. "Introduction to Typography" improves my design and knowledge about the typo, compositions, and layouts. I love every minute of this course. Thanks all the teachers, peers, and Coursera.

By guy k

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May 12, 2019

Very good. The course gave me knowledge about typography and terms. the assignments can be improved, the last assignment shouldn't be based on the previous one in my opinion. in general the last week of the course can consist a bit more content.

By Marie-Noëlle W

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Apr 20, 2016

This was a quite technical course which allowed me to learn a lot about typography and how it works. I found the video material very interesting and liked how all the assignments were linked to one other by building off each other. Great course!

By Egle H

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Nov 8, 2019

Loved it! I thought the assignments were really meaningful for the future in design :) Enjoyed this course very much. There was a bit of repetition from the Fundamentals course, but I think it was necessary. Continuing with the other courses.

By Savanna B

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May 3, 2023

I really enjoyed this course! It forces you to think critically about how to use typography to compliment your design and convey your message. It provides the history of typefaces to help you make better selections in your work. Great course!

By saloni d

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Apr 23, 2018

i really liked the course it encourages me to perform more better in the assignments and the classmates suggestions and very helpful to me. the instructor is well communicative and helps me in better understanding of the topics. nice course.