Best Graphic Design Courses Online & Certification (March 2024)

  • Post last modified:23 March 2023
  • Reading time:38 mins read
  • Post category:Best Online Course
Best Graphic Design Course
Best Graphic Design Course

Graphic designing has become an effective way to communicate the services offered by your business to the target market through an increased use of visuals. It is a crucial skill for every individual to learn and practice. Brands and organisations are paying so much more importance to graphics, especially after the surge of COVID-19, to market themselves and drive more customers.

Business coaches and content creators have also stressed on the significance of graphic designing. And, if you can master this art, there is indeed a lot of scope in this domain, as the industry was worth more than $45 billion in 2021 and is growing continuously.


Best Graphic Design Courses, Certification, Tutorials, Training, Classes Online

Graphic Design Certification by Calarts [Coursera]

This Coursera graphic design course is one of the most comprehensive courses on the internet to learn graphic designing. You’ll gain the fundamental skills needed to become a great graphic designer. It helps you master a list of qualities that are crucial for any artist learning graphics.

This free graphic design course is taught by Michael Worthington, Gail Swanlund, Lorraine Wild, Anther Kiley, and Louise Sandhaus, who are all faculty members at the California Institute of the Arts. CalArts is a leading college of visual and performing arts in the United States. It is one of the best interior design courses available on Coursera.

Key Highlights & USPs

  • Learn from the basics and acquire the necessary skills needed to be a graphic designer.

  • Complete package of expertise that can be added to your portfolio.

  • Learn to communicate through image-making and typography.

  • Completely understand the concepts of interface design, motion graphics, and editorial design.

  • Acquire the knowledge to work with adobe InDesign and illustrator.

  • Learn different skills like visual communication, branding communication, art history, design and colour theory, etc.

  • Set a flexible schedule and complete the course at your own pace. Receive a certificate of completion at the end.

Who is it for?

This graphic design tutorial is extremely beginner-friendly and allows you to pick concepts from scratch according to your own speed. It contains hands-on projects and assists you in mastering skills that are not just limited to designing. So anyone looking for a start and taking a tour of what things look like in this domain should invest their time in this one.

Rating: 4.7/5
Students Enrolled: 2,77,115
Duration: 72 hours

Coursera $200 Off
Valid Till: 31 Jan

Graphic Design Bootcamp Online [Udemy]

This udemy graphic design program will help you develop the skills and confidence needed to create common graphic design projects. You’ll be shown how to make some of the most popular projects in the industry like custom logos, business cards, flyers and much more along with shortcuts to increase productivity and maximise workflow.

This graphic design online course is offered by Derrik Mitchell and he’s been able to rank this boot camp as a bestseller, for more than a year. He’s worked with huge brands like MTV, Nintendo and Netflix and has been a creative director for many international organisations, recently making a career pivot to include online teaching on udemy.

Key Highlights & USPs

  • Tackle both print and web design projects. Lay out graphics, and texts and design an Ebook.

  • Learn in a project-based environment while practising everything you’re being taught. Get familiar with the usage of Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign.

  • Understand the basics of logo design, typography and colour usage. Refine selections and make composite images using Photoshop.

  • Efficiently pack and export files. Also, learn to export your portfolio projects from Adobe CC to Behance.

  • Get full lifetime access to 15.5 hours of on-demand video on TV and mobile, 1 article, 13 downloadable resources, assignments and a certificate of completion.

Who is it for?

This interior design certification is for beginners willing to start a new career in graphic design, freelancers or entrepreneurs starting their own business, and employees or employers in need of skills to be able to produce graphics and print materials for the company. It is for anyone that wants to channel their creativity and put it in digital format.

Rating: 4.5/5
Students Enrolled: 1,13,655
Duration: 15.5 hours

Udemy New Customer Deal
Valid till: 1st Feb

Illustrator CC 2022 MasterClass [Udemy]

This udemy graphic design class takes you through industry-leading vector graphic application as a creative professional. It focuses on teaching Illustrator from the very beginning and in a way used by professional experts. The content of this course has been carefully chosen and refined to offer the most efficient and knowledgeable experience to audiences of all levels.

This graphic design tutorial is presented by Martin Perhiniak, an Adobe Certified Instructor, who was also recently voted as one of the top 10 adobe instructors in the world. He has taught teams at Google, Ben&Jerry’s, House of Lords and Oxford University Press.

Key Highlights & USPs

  • Learn how to design logos, turn photos into vector artwork, and prepare graphics for web and print.

  • Create vector illustrations and infographics. Understand vectorizing and colourizing traced hand drawings.

  • Master using advanced Illustrator tools and techniques. Practice what you learnt with the exercises provided and then test your knowledge with quizzes at the end of each chapter.

  • Master drawing modes and tools like; pen tool, curvature tool, etc. and learn to manipulate paths.

  • Advanced techniques section which will introduce more complex features like symbols, graphs, gradient meshes, etc.

  • Get full lifetime access to 13.5 hours of on-demand video on TV and mobile, 2 articles, 8 downloadable resources and a certificate of completion.

Who is it for?

This graphic design program is for beginners that want to learn this skill from the very start to the most advanced features. It is for students looking forward to self-learning this skill, professionals can take their existing knowledge to a next level, and existing users of Illustrator might find hidden gems or secrets and can catch up with new features released in 2022. This class is for anyone looking to start or develop a career in this creative industry.

Rating: 4.5/5
Students Enrolled: 1,42,980
Duration: 13.5 hours

Free Graphic Design Courses [Udemy]

These udemy graphic design certifications cover a variety of topics to assist you in learning important graphic design techniques. You can learn a variety of things such as designing advertisements, logos, and letterheads and even learn to design without paid softwares.

These free graphic design courses are offered by some experts like Andrew Bohem, Juliann S, and Greg Gottfried along with others. They give you professional insights into the world of graphic design, that will assist you to kickstart your career.

Key Highlights & USPs

  • Learn fundamentals using illustrator and design. Create logos using hand-drawn images with the help of Adobe Illustrator.

  • Learn the use of basic tools, windows and key commands. Make designs and modify photos with ease.

  • Take your content marketing skills to a next level. Learn how to make creative designs as a beginner.

  • Understand the basics of graphic design like the use of colours, typography, etc.

Who is it for?

These free graphic design certifications are for anyone that wants to explore their interest without having to commit to a sum of money or long hours in the beginning. These programs will give you a tour of this domain and might be very helpful in deciding if this is something you’d want to invest your time in.

Rating: 4.5/5
Duration: Self-paced

Web Designing Certification by University of Michigan [Coursera]

This web design certification is an all-in-one course that helps you with the fundamentals of web development and its languages like HTML5, CSS3 and JavaScript. It will teach you how to design and create websites and build a responsive and accessible web portfolio.

The instructors of this course are Colleen Van Lent who is a lecturer at the School of Information and Charles Russell Severance who is a clinical professor at the School of Information. This free web design program is offered by the University of Michigan with a mission to serve people around the globe with knowledge.

Key Highlights & USPs

  • Learn how to add interactivity to web pages with JavaScript.
  • Use the Document Object Model to modify pages.
  • Understand the basics of Cascading Styles Sheets. 
  • Apply responsive designs to let users view the page on various devices.
  • Master technologies that will allow you to create high-quality websites. 

Who is it for?

This web design certification is for anyone looking to start learning web development and there is no requirement for prior knowledge. You can be a complete beginner with no experience that can cover all the basics or an already experienced individual that can polish their existing skills with this course.

Rating: 4.8/5
Students Enrolled: 2,51,338
Duration: 72 hours

Coursera $200 Off
Valid Till: 31 Jan

Adobe Illustrator: Mastering the Fundamentals [Udemy]

This udemy graphic design curriculum will help you master Adobe Illustrator from the very basics. It will teach you about the tools and techniques that you’ll actually use, and nothing else that will just consume your precious time, making it one of the best interior design courses available on udemy.

This graphic design training is offered by the School of Game Design, their main principles being: teaching only the latest technology and practising what they preach. The School of Game Design was created to provide in-depth, current industry education in the area of interactive arts. They provide real-world training from game design experts.

Key Highlights & USPs

  • Get introduced to this powerful vector image creation program, which is a staple for professional designers.

  • Become familiar with Illustrator’s user interface.

  • Learn step by step how to create complex vector shapes using these tools. Master digital painting and graphic design with new skills.

  • Get full lifetime access to 1.5 hours of on-demand video on TV and mobile along with a certificate of completion.

Who is it for?

This graphic design course is for existing graphic designers to polish their skills, aspiring graphic designers that are willing to set their foot in this industry, artists that want to learn or get better at designing and finally entrepreneurs looking to study graphics for better business marketing and more.

Rating: 4.7/5
Students Enrolled: 65,653
Duration: 1.5 hour

Online Graphic Design Courses [Skillshare]

These graphic design courses are some of the most extensive courses on the subject matter and will help you gather all the necessary knowledge. From designing monograms and logos to learning the 4 principles of typographic poster design, you have a wide variety of topics to choose from.

These top graphic design courses are taken by some great teachers as well as designers like Xhico, Shantanu Kumar, Keren MacFadgen, Sophia Yeshi and many more. So, from the overview section, you can not only figure out the best course for yourselves but the mentor too.

Key Highlights & USPs

  • Tips to design a good monogram. Choose, sketch letters and find inspiration for your monograms.

  • Class projects and materials to help you get thorough with concepts.

  • Cover everything in depth about Adobe Illustrator.

  • Learn how to use space efficiently.

  • Strengthen your narrative, diversify the motifs, hone your consistency and void predictable boundaries. 

  • Understand the concept of negative space, illustrator and inkspace negative space, etc. 

  • Learn about terms like typeface, hierarchy, alignment and much more. Brainstorm and research efficiently.

Who is it for?

These graphic design courses range from different expertise levels. The students must navigate through each course and understand the contents carefully before getting one for themselves. Check through the list of topics covered and the teachers covering them in order to finally make up your mind for one.

Rating: 4.6/5
Duration: Self-paced

Learn Professional 2D Game Graphic Design in Photoshop [Udemy]

This udemy graphic design tutorial is a specialised course focused on a specific branch under the umbrella term of graphic design. You’d be able to learn about how to create your own professional game graphics quickly in Photoshop. It mainly focuses on graphics used for gaming platforms.

This online graphic design course is taken by Jaysen Batchelor who stepped into the world of graphic designing at just 17 years of age through an internship. After which he was hired on to build backgrounds, and freelanced with networks. Now he works as a freelance illustrator and designer, managing his own schedule.

Key Highlights & USPs

  • 2D game background creation course that will show you how to create quick, high-quality and professional-looking backgrounds for games and animations.

  • Learn how to build professional stylized backgrounds from scratch in Photoshop and create your game graphics. 

  • Monetize your skills and add them to your portfolio.

  • Enhance your skills in the world of digital art creation.

  • Proves to turn you from a beginner to an expert within a span of one week.

  • Learn how to find jobs creating digital art that can be done from anywhere in this world.

  • Get full lifetime access to 6.5 hours of on-demand video on TV and mobile, 10 articles, 3 downloadable resources, and a certificate of completion.

Who is it for?

This interior design certification is for students looking to learn how to create a professional 2D game and animation backgrounds in Photoshop, students looking for in-depth knowledge about digital art creation and are willing to master these skills, and aspiring graphic designers.

Rating: 4.8/5
Students Enrolled: 62,537
Duration: 6.5 hours

Adobe After Effects: Complete Course from Novice to Expert [Udemy]

This is one of the best graphic design courses online for individuals interested in this particular area. It throws light on how to create stunning motion graphics, VFX Visual Effects and VFX composting with the help of Adobe After Effects CC.

This udemy graphic design course is presented by Louay Zambarakji who has been able to rank this among the highest-rated best seller list. Louay loves creating and teaching. He spills his top secrets on the subject that he has learned over the years combining experiences from every sphere of his life.

Key Highlights & USPs

  • Learn how to completely use Adobe After Effect CC and its tools in a dynamic and hands-on approach. 

  • 50+ Practice Activities and projects from simple to complex to boost your creativity. 

  • Step-by-step and easy-to-use method to create motion graphics and enhance your videos. 

  • Learn how to use specialized visual effects such as motion tracking, camera tracking, stabilizing and more. 

  • Work in 3D space with cameras, lights and shadows. Practice your new skills with 3D motion graphic projects. 

  • Master visual time effects on videos and motion graphics. Practice composite techniques that will help you achieve great video effects. 

  • Get full lifetime access to 34.5 hours of on-demand video on mobile and TV, 37 articles, 41 downloadable resources and a certificate of completion.

Who is it for?

This eight-course professional certificate

Rating: 4.7/5
Students Enrolled: 1,41,572
Duration: 34.5 months

FAQ

How can a beginner start graphic design?

If you are looking to start your passion or career in the field of graphic design it is assumed that you have already found your inspiration and motivation. After this, you can directly start learning.

Before investing in a dedicated paid course skim through the free ones and materials available online.

With this, you’ll have a clear picture of what it is like in this industry. Prepare a plan, invest in some good tutorials from the ones mentioned above and practice a lot to master this skill.

What is the best way to learn graphic designing?

The best way to start learning graphic design is to cover your basics first. Get familiar with the tools to be used, learn great techniques and shortcuts, and cover all the important principles to be confident with your fundamentals.

Then practice, practice and practice. A good artist is always a learner so keep learning and evolving. Get exercises and projects done to fully equip yourselves.

Can I learn graphic design myself?

Technically you do not need a degree or formal education to qualify as a graphic designer. It can be a self-taught art but courses like the ones we have covered above aid the process of reaching your goal and making you a master of this skill. You do need a structured program to get you acquainted with the basic and advanced techniques.

Which app is best for graphic design?

There are many apps that graphic designers use to create great designs, it all depends on your expertise and needs. The most popularly used apps in this domain are Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe InDesign, Canva, Coreldraw, etc.

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