Graphic Design for Beginners

Graphic design is made up of several key concepts that anyone interested in pursuing this art form needs to know. Silvia Ferpal, graphic designer, visual artist, and winner of the 2019 Spanish National Design Award, teaches you the traditional principles of design that will help you take on any project that comes your way.

In this course, learn the four cornerstones of graphic design: shape, typography, color, and composition. Discover how to mold your ideas around these key concepts and create a visual universe based on your imagination, creativity, and graphic resources that you can use for your final project.

And if you want to learn how to develop your ideas and bring them to life, check out Silvia's course Techniques for Developing your Creativity.

Begin the course by getting to know Silvia Fernández, who tells you about her career, her work, and her personal approach to design. She also shows you her biggest influences and shares some of her favorite books.

Jump into the theory and see how to create an image based on its concept while exploring the ideas of literalism and subjectivity. Continue studying design through the lens of geometry and express a set of concepts using basic shapes. Then, review the laws of perception and start working on your final project.

Move on to the second cornerstone of design and immerse yourself in the world of typography. Look at the different kinds of letters that exist and practice creating some simple designs with a series of exercises. Silvia gives you some tips on how to use letters properly to create a visually appealing group of text and explains some of the most common mistakes to avoid in your designs. Consolidate what you've learned and develop a typography palette for your project.

Next, discover how we perceive color and how to create visual harmony before applying these concepts through a variety of practice exercises. Learn about different color modes and how to use efficient formulas to create attractive color palettes that are strongly associated with what you want to convey in your design. Tie everything together by developing your own color scheme.

Now it's time to focus on composition and learn how to combine shapes, typography, and color within a defined space. Experiment with different techniques and ways to adapt your designs to any format following Silvia's advice. Wrap up the course by arranging your designs on a grid and sharing your final project on Instagram.

Design a series of images that express your visual universe in template form for Instagram.

Anyone who wants to get started in the art of graphic design or enhance their own designs, from client presentations to university projects. This course is also perfect for entrepreneurs interested in learning a new skill set to better express their ideas.

Basic notions of Photoshop, Illustrator, Sketch, or Figma are recommended, but not necessary.

The only materials you need are a pencil, paper, your cell phone camera, and a design program. In this course, your teacher uses the free design program Figma.