California Institute of the Arts
Graphic Design Specialization

Give your career the gift of Coursera Plus with $160 off, billed annually. Save today.

California Institute of the Arts

Graphic Design Specialization

Make Compelling Design. Learn and apply the principles of graphic design towards a comprehensive branding project.

Anther Kiley
Michael Worthington
Gail Swanlund

Instructors: Anther Kiley

393,959 already enrolled

Included with Coursera Plus

Get in-depth knowledge of a subject
4.7

(16,964 reviews)

Beginner level
No prior experience required
2 months
at 10 hours a week
Flexible schedule
Learn at your own pace
Get in-depth knowledge of a subject
4.7

(16,964 reviews)

Beginner level
No prior experience required
2 months
at 10 hours a week
Flexible schedule
Learn at your own pace

What you'll learn

  • Gain the fundamental skills needed to be a graphic designer

  • Communicate through image-making and typography

  • Complete a capstone project to add to your professional portfolio

  • Learn everything you need to know to work in interface design, motion graphics, and editorial design

Details to know

Shareable certificate

Add to your LinkedIn profile

Taught in English

See how employees at top companies are mastering in-demand skills

Placeholder

Advance your subject-matter expertise

  • Learn in-demand skills from university and industry experts
  • Master a subject or tool with hands-on projects
  • Develop a deep understanding of key concepts
  • Earn a career certificate from California Institute of the Arts
Placeholder
Placeholder

Earn a career certificate

Add this credential to your LinkedIn profile, resume, or CV

Share it on social media and in your performance review

Placeholder

Specialization - 5 course series

Fundamentals of Graphic Design

Course 115 hours4.8 (17,754 ratings)

What you'll learn

  • Implement the fundamentals of color: visual, rhythm, and pattern in design

  • Use scale, weight, direction, texture, and space in a composition

  • Typeset text and experiment with letter forms

  • Create your own series of images using different image making techniques

Skills you'll gain

Category: Adobe Photoshop
Category: Adobe Indesign
Category: Graphics
Category: Color Theory

Introduction to Typography

Course 28 hours4.8 (5,698 ratings)

What you'll learn

  • Review the terminology and measuring system used to describe type

  • Explore how typefaces tell stories and understand the historic evolution

  • Conduct a peer-reviewed typesetting exercise

  • Design of a full-scale typographic poster

Skills you'll gain

Category: Adobe Illustrator
Category: Adobe Indesign
Category: History
Category: Creativity
Category: Graphics

Introduction to Imagemaking

Course 311 hours4.5 (2,876 ratings)

What you'll learn

  • Make informed design choices using image-based research

  • Create ranges of representation using images

  • Compose spreads for your own book

  • Design a book with your own images

Skills you'll gain

Category: Art History
Category: History
Category: Graphic Arts
Category: Graphic Design

Ideas from the History of Graphic Design

Course 410 hours4.7 (2,480 ratings)

What you'll learn

  • Learn about the history of graphic design

  • Understand the emergence of design as a recognized practice

  • Learn about graphic design radicalism in late 1950s to early 1970s

  • Make informed design choices

Skills you'll gain

Category: Adobe Indesign
Category: Art
Category: Creativity
Category: Graphics

Brand New Brand

Course 524 hours4.9 (1,251 ratings)

What you'll learn

  • Synthesize typography, imagemaking, composition and systematic thinking skills through ideation, invention, and conceptualization

  • Demonstrate visual research and development skills through the creation of a Brand Development Guide

  • Expand a brand identity's palette through the inclusion of graphic marks or icons, color, secondary typefaces, and/or images

Skills you'll gain

Category: Creativity
Category: Graphics
Category: Design Theory
Category: Color Theory

Instructors

Anther Kiley
1 Course175,141 learners
Michael Worthington
8 Courses1,083,223 learners

Offered by

Why people choose Coursera for their career

Felipe M.
Learner since 2018
"To be able to take courses at my own pace and rhythm has been an amazing experience. I can learn whenever it fits my schedule and mood."
Jennifer J.
Learner since 2020
"I directly applied the concepts and skills I learned from my courses to an exciting new project at work."
Larry W.
Learner since 2021
"When I need courses on topics that my university doesn't offer, Coursera is one of the best places to go."
Chaitanya A.
"Learning isn't just about being better at your job: it's so much more than that. Coursera allows me to learn without limits."
Placeholder

Open new doors with Coursera Plus

Unlimited access to 7,000+ world-class courses, hands-on projects, and job-ready certificate programs - all included in your subscription

Advance your career with an online degree

Earn a degree from world-class universities - 100% online

Join over 3,400 global companies that choose Coursera for Business

Upskill your employees to excel in the digital economy

Frequently asked questions