Fundamentals of Graphic Design
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Fundamentals of Graphic Design
This course is part of Xbox Graphic Designer Professional Certificate
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20 assignments
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There are 4 modules in this course
Unleash your creativity and design captivating visuals for the gaming world with the Xbox Graphic Designer Professional Certificate. Learn essential graphic design principles and Adobe Photoshop skills to create stunning promotional posters and marketing materials. Explore typography, color theory, image composition, and layout techniques, and apply them to real-world projects. Develop your design thinking, gain practical experience, and create a standout portfolio piece that showcases your talent.
By the end of this course, you'll be able to: • Identify and apply the principles of typography, imagery, color, and layout in graphic design. • Demonstrate basic skills in using Adobe Photoshop for creating graphic designs. • Create visually appealing compositions by selecting appropriate colors, typography, and imagery. • Complete a final project that demonstrates the application of fundamental graphic design principles in a promotional poster using Adobe Photoshop. This is an introduction course, intended for learners with a passion for art and design, or who are interested in the gaming industry and want to learn how to create visuals for games, or students considering a degree in graphic design or related field. To succeed in this course, you should have basic literacy, a genuine curiosity and enthusiasm for visual communication and design principles, and access to Adobe Photoshop.
This module discovers the creative potential of Adobe Photoshop for crafting impactful graphic designs. You'll discover fundamental tools and techniques, from image selection and manipulation to color theory and application.
What's included
30 videos13 readings6 assignments
30 videos•Total 101 minutes
- Welcome to Xbox graphic design professional certificate•4 minutes
- Welcome to Fundamentals of Graphic Design•2 minutes
- Exploring graphic design careers: Paths, projects and perks•4 minutes
- Day in the life: Esther Lin•5 minutes
- What is graphic design?•3 minutes
- Core principles of graphic design•5 minutes
- Welcome to Photoshop•3 minutes
- Creating documents in Photoshop•3 minutes
- Photoshop panels, toolbars, menu options, and workspace customization•4 minutes
- Photoshop workspace part two•3 minutes
- Create and use layer masks•3 minutes
- Layer visibility and organization•4 minutes
- Drag, resize, and rotate an image•4 minutes
- Selection tools in Photoshop and their importance in editing•3 minutes
- Marquee, lasso, magic wand, and quick selection tools in Photoshop•5 minutes
- Pen tool in Photoshop•4 minutes
- The role of imagery in design•3 minutes
- Types of images•4 minutes
- Choosing the right image•3 minutes
- Essential image editing tools•4 minutes
- Cropping and resizing images•3 minutes
- Photo retouching basics•3 minutes
- Refine selections in Photoshop•4 minutes
- The psychology of color•3 minutes
- The color wheel•3 minutes
- Using color adjustment tools•3 minutes
- Color in branding•2 minutes
- Color schemes in action•2 minutes
- Color accessibility•3 minutes
- Create and apply color palettes in Photoshop•3 minutes
13 readings•Total 130 minutes
- Welcome to Xbox graphic design professional certificate syllabus•10 minutes
- Meet Sunshine Harvest Eats•10 minutes
- Software subscriptions needed for this certificate•10 minutes
- Introducing layers and masks•10 minutes
- Layer mask examples•10 minutes
- Helpful tips for layers, masks, and dragging, resizing and rotating images•10 minutes
- Selection tools best practices, examples and tips•10 minutes
- Masking and blending•10 minutes
- Color theory basics•10 minutes
- Choosing the right color palette•10 minutes
- Color harmonies•10 minutes
- Color trends in design•10 minutes
- Color palette inspiration•10 minutes
6 assignments•Total 150 minutes
- Activity: Sunshine Harvest Eats: Start a fresh and vibrant smoothie poster•30 minutes
- Identify Photoshop fundamentals•15 minutes
- Recognize the selection tools in Photoshop•15 minutes
- Recognize selection tools in Photoshop and image basics•15 minutes
- Activity: Sunshine Harvest Eats: Ingredient spotlight•45 minutes
- Apply graphic design fundamentals in Photoshop•30 minutes
This module explores the fundamental concepts of typography, master essential formatting techniques, and teaches how to apply advanced typographic principles to create visually stunning and effective layouts.
What's included
17 videos9 readings5 assignments
17 videos•Total 57 minutes
- Introduction typography fundamentals•2 minutes
- Introduction to text and typography in Photoshop•3 minutes
- The power of fonts•4 minutes
- Navigate the type workspace•3 minutes
- Serif vs. Sans Serif•3 minutes
- Formatting type in Photoshop•3 minutes
- Essential font classifications•4 minutes
- The anatomy of a letter•3 minutes
- Hierarchy and legibility•5 minutes
- Typography tips and tricks in Photoshop•3 minutes
- Pairing fonts effectively•5 minutes
- Apply kerning and tracking in Photoshop•3 minutes
- Typography and layout•3 minutes
- Creating typographic layouts in Photoshop•4 minutes
- Apply hierarchy and legibility in Photoshop•3 minutes
- Typography trends•4 minutes
- Typography in different mediums•4 minutes
9 readings•Total 90 minutes
- Typography terms demystified•10 minutes
- Choosing the right font•10 minutes
- Font families and psychological effects of fonts•10 minutes
- Introduction to kerning and tracking•10 minutes
- Exemplar: Sunshine Harvest Eats: Juice label design•10 minutes
- Typography and branding and visual hierarchy•10 minutes
- Typography inspiration•10 minutes
- Common typography mistakes•10 minutes
- Exemplar: Sunshine Harvest Eats social media post•10 minutes
5 assignments•Total 150 minutes
- Recognize typography fundamentals•15 minutes
- Identify font fundamentals•15 minutes
- Activity: Sunshine Harvest Eats social media post•60 minutes
- Activity: Sunshine Harvest Eats: Juice label design•45 minutes
- Apply text formatting in Photoshop•15 minutes
This module explores how to create visually captivating and impactful designs in Photoshop by mastering the principles of composition and layout. Discover essential techniques like grid systems, balance, alignment, proximity, and Gestalt principles, and learn how to apply them effectively to guide the viewer's eye, create visual hierarchy,
What's included
20 videos8 readings6 assignments
20 videos•Total 64 minutes
- Foundations of visual communication•2 minutes
- Composition basics•4 minutes
- The power of composition•4 minutes
- Apply composition in Photoshop•3 minutes
- Composition in action•2 minutes
- The grid system•2 minutes
- Creating grids in Photoshop•2 minutes
- Balance, layout, alignment and proximity•5 minutes
- Apply balance, layout, alignment and proximity in Photoshop•4 minutes
- Visual hierarchy in practice•3 minutes
- The golden ratio in design•3 minutes
- The golden ratio in action•3 minutes
- Apply the golden ratio in Photoshop•3 minutes
- Contrast and emphasis•3 minutes
- Visual flow and movement•4 minutes
- Integrating typography and imagery•3 minutes
- Color and composition•4 minutes
- Compositional storytelling•4 minutes
- Critiquing design compositions•4 minutes
- Design critiques and feedback•4 minutes
8 readings•Total 80 minutes
- Grid systems for layout design•10 minutes
- Exemplar: Sunshine Harvest website banner•10 minutes
- Gestalt principles of perception and composition•10 minutes
- Layout trends•10 minutes
- Common layout mistakes•10 minutes
- Compositional techniques for different mediums•10 minutes
- Contemporary design trends•10 minutes
- Exemplar: Sunshine Harvest Eats website banner•10 minutes
6 assignments•Total 225 minutes
- Activity: Sunshine Harvest Eats website banner•60 minutes
- Identify the foundations of visual communication•15 minutes
- Recognize advanced layout principles and Gestalt principles•15 minutes
- Activity: Refine and balance Sunshine Harvest Eats website banner•45 minutes
- Activity: Sunshine Harvest Eats website banner design•60 minutes
- Identify Foundations of visual composition•30 minutes
This module discusses a range of tools and features, from basic image adjustments to creative filters and advanced techniques like smart objects and blending modes. Gain proficiency in managing and exporting your work in the most suitable file formats for different purposes.
What's included
9 videos2 readings3 assignments1 discussion prompt
9 videos•Total 35 minutes
- Introduction essential and advanced Photoshop techniques•3 minutes
- Introduction to filters in Photoshop•4 minutes
- Built-in filters and their applications in Photoshop•4 minutes
- Smart filters and their applications in Photoshop•4 minutes
- Introduction to advanced features in Photoshop•4 minutes
- Analyze designs•5 minutes
- Design thinking•5 minutes
- Saving and exporting: Common file formats•4 minutes
- Saving and exporting in Photoshop•3 minutes
2 readings•Total 20 minutes
- Exemplar: Sunshine Harvest Eats mini-menu design•10 minutes
- Fundamentals of Graphic Design Summary•10 minutes
3 assignments•Total 135 minutes
- Recognize filters in Photoshop and advanced features•15 minutes
- Activity: Sunshine Harvest Eats mini-menu design•90 minutes
- Identify Photoshop techniques and apply design principles•30 minutes
1 discussion prompt•Total 10 minutes
- Take a moment to share your key learnings in the Coursera Community. Include your success and/or challenges.•10 minutes
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Reviewed on Feb 17, 2025
Would like to see more visual examples when talking about design fundamentals. Not just animated versions but real-world examples.
Reviewed on Jan 1, 2025
although i work on photoshop everyday , i learned a lot of useful tricks to create a beautiful design
Reviewed on Jan 21, 2025
Do the assignments always! It was a really fun course I've learned a lot. It should've been 1 month for me if I've done the portfolio projects soon rather than later 10/10 recommend!
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