Graphic Design

About this course: Visual communication is as critical to professional success as written or oral communication. Graphic design skills will help you ensure that your visual business assets convey a clear and compelling message - and learning the essentials of good design is surprisingly easy. This course introduces you to a straightforward design process that emphasizes planning, clarity, and focus. You’ll learn to use contrast, repetition, proximity, and tension to create design that is both credible and visually appealing, and you’ll emulate best practices as you work with examples from a wide range of media. When you complete the course, you’ll have the skills you need to design clear and compelling presentation slides, professional reports, business websites, and more. All of the course assignments can be completed with basic presentation software such as Microsoft PowerPoint or Apple Keynote. You’ll have opportunities to work with and explore more sophisticated tools, such as Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign, as well.

Created by:  University of Colorado Boulder

• Taught by:  David Underwood, Design and Media Teaching Consultant

  PhET Interactive Simulations, Department of Physics, University of Colorado Boulder

Basic Info Course 2 of 4 in the Effective Communication: Writing, Design, and Presentation Specialization Level Beginner Language English, Subtitles: Italian Hardware Req You'll need some presentation software, such as Microsoft PowerPoint or Apple's Keynote. How To Pass Pass all graded assignments to complete the course. User Ratings 4.7 stars Average User Rating 4.7See what learners said 课程作业

每门课程都像是一本互动的教科书，具有预先录制的视频、测验和项目。

来自同学的帮助

与其他成千上万的学生相联系，对想法进行辩论，讨论课程材料，并寻求帮助来掌握概念。

证书

获得正式认证的作业，并与朋友、同事和雇主分享您的成功。

University of Colorado Boulder CU-Boulder is a dynamic community of scholars and learners on one of the most spectacular college campuses in the country. As one of 34 U.S. public institutions in the prestigious Association of American Universities (AAU), we have a proud tradition of academic excellence, with five Nobel laureates and more than 50 members of prestigious academic academies.

Syllabus


WEEK 1


Module 1: Getting Started



This module introduces you to the importance of recognizing good design as the starting place for creating professional, attractive work of your own. We will look to the ubiquitous world of graphic design to establish a vocabulary of successful design and to find inspiration for our own projects. We will also discuss course prerequisites and review a basic digital design glossary that will help you navigate your chosen application.


12 videos, 4 readings expand

1. Video: Introduction to the Specialization (For New Learners)
2. Video: What's So Great About The Capstone? (For New Learners)
3. Video: From Writing to Design; the Handoff
4. Video: The Importance of Designing Well
5. Video: Course Overview
6. Video: Course Prerequisites
7. 阅读: A Few Important Points About This Course
8. Video: Glossary of Design Terms
9. 阅读: A Glossary of Design Terms
10. Video: Professionalism in Design
11. Video: Designing with a Critical Eye
12. Video: Developing a Design Vocabulary
13. 阅读: Developing a Design Vocabulary
14. 阅读: Why Designers Use Templates
15. 讨论提示: Finding Great Design
16. Video: The Importance of Inspiration
17. Video: Unexpected Places Yield Unexpected Results
18. 讨论提示: Finding Inspiration

Graded: Glossary Quiz

WEEK 2


Module 2: The Blank Canvas



This module will look at the blank canvas – the untouched rectangle that will become our design project. We’ll discuss the importance of working with a grid, understanding negative space, and using appropriate margins. This module will also explore the palette of elements which, when chosen and used wisely, ensure that the finished design project is successful. We’ll cover type, color, images, and graphic elements such as borders, bars, and backgrounds.


15 videos, 4 readings expand

1. Video: The Necessity of Structure
2. Video: Introducing the Grid
3. 阅读: Practicing Building Grids
4. Video: The Grid and Audience Perception
5. Video: The Power of Negative Space
6. 阅读: Practicing Negative Space
7. Video: Introducing the Palette
8. Video: Type Is the Message
9. 讨论提示: Choosing a Typeface
10. Video: Type Anatomy
11. Video: Type Families
12. Video: Type Formatting
13. Video: Creating with Type
14. 阅读: Practicing Templates
15. Video: Color and Its Meaning
16. 讨论提示: Choosing Color
17. Video: Color and the Natural World
18. 讨论提示: Photographic Layout
19. Video: Image Treatment
20. Video: Creative Cropping
21. Video: Graphic Elements
22. 阅读: Practicing Cropping

Graded: Typeface Quiz
Graded: Seeing Design 'Tricks' in Action

WEEK 3


Module 3: Tricks of the Trade



It's time to start designing! In this module, we'll discuss the process of composition. We'll use the palette items covered in Module 2, and deploy common visual design “tricks” such as contrast, repetition, sublimation, tension, and more. To help see both the effect and the universality of these design approaches, we'll look at design examples from art history, film, and current media. We’ll also cover the strategy of composition. We'll see that providing an obvious target, maintaining a natural visual flow, and prioritizing information are all critical to clear visual communication.


12 videos, 4 readings expand

1. Video: Design "Tricks"
2. Video: Designing with a Closed Set of Elements: The Clarity Guitars Ad
3. 阅读: Using the Closed Set
4. Video: Contrast
5. 讨论提示: Practicing Contrast
6. 阅读: Practicing Contrast 2
7. Video: White Space
8. 讨论提示: Practicing White Space
9. Video: Repetition in writing, design, and presentation
10. Video: Rhythm or Repetition
11. 讨论提示: Practicing Repetition
12. Video: Sublimation
13. 讨论提示: Practicing Sublimation
14. Video: Interlocking Elements
15. Video: Introduction to Tension
16. 阅读: Practicing Tension
17. Video: Tension and Movement
18. 阅读: Practicing Logos
19. Video: Targets and Portals
20. 讨论提示: Identifying Targets
21. Video: Establishing Priorities
22. 讨论提示: Designing a Cover

Graded: Design Critique

WEEK 4


Module 4: Revision and Distance



As we've said before, designers don't work in a vacuum. Our work will be judged by others, and, as good designers, we will learn to take that judgement constructively and in stride. In this module we’ll talk about what it means to be confident, yet open to criticism. We’ll explore the importance of revision as an ongoing component of design, as well as the need to enlist feedback and maintain distance in assessing our own work.


4 videos, 2 practice quizzes expand

1. Video: Your Work Is Not Precious; Your Ability Is
2. 讨论提示: Designing with Criticism
3. Video: You Are Your Own Worst Critic
4. 练习测验: Rubric Training Quiz 1
5. 练习测验: Rubric Training Quiz 2
6. Video: Looking Back at Best Practices
7. Video: Moving Forward: Public Speaking

Graded: Poster Design