Graphic Design can be learned for free from the top universities and experts from anywhere in the world through online video lessons or tutorials. Universities, virtual learning platforms, and Graphic Designers offer several free Graphic Design courses online.
Some of these free Graphic Design courses are certification programs that offer a sharable certificate after the course is completed. This helps in portfolio development and demonstrates the area of expertise. However, most platforms require students to buy the premium version to get a sharable certificate.
There are a number of free Graphic Design courses available online. The article contains the 10 best free Graphic Design courses that are meant for all types of students, whether they are novice Graphic Designers or have some experience in the Graphic Design field.
1. Coursera: Graphic Design Specialization by CalArts
Coursera offers free Graphic Design courses from various universities and companies. The California Institute of Arts has 5 free Graphic Design courses on the Coursera platform under the Graphic Design specialization section.
These free Graphic Design courses are aimed at beginners who have worked on simple Graphic Design projects. Students will further work on more complex Graphic Design projects. Each program covers different concepts like Graphic Design fundamentals, the history of Graphic Design, image creation and editing, interface design, motion graphics, and typography.
All of these courses are free to enroll in. If students want a certificate of completion, then they can pay as per their learning pace. All of the projects created through these courses can be added to their portfolio.
Enroll Now: Coursera: Graphic Design Specialization by CalArts
2. Coursera: Graphic Design Course by University of Colorado Boulder
This Graphic Design specialization is a great choice for novice Graphic Designers. The University of Colorado Boulder has 4 free Graphic Design courses on the Coursera platform under the Graphic Design specialization section.
These courses are taught by David Underwood who worked as an illustrator, designer, and lecturer at the University of Colorado Boulder. These courses are highly popular among students who want to develop or upgrade their Graphic Design skills for portfolio development.
This free Graphic Design course introduces students to the fundamentals of design, the history of Graphic Design, and the stages of a Graphic Design project. All of these courses are free to enrol in. If students want a certificate of completion, then they can pay as per their learning pace.
Enroll Now: Coursera: Graphic Design Course by University of Colorado Boulder
3. Kadenze: Introduction to Graphic Design
Kadenze offers a free Graphic Design course created by Brockett Horne and Ellen Lupton, Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) faculty members. This free Graphic Design course is aimed at beginners and focuses on the history and future of Graphic Design.
The course is free to enroll in or free to audit. Students can buy the premium version for INR 1647/month ($20/month) and get a certificate of completion.
The Graphic Design course comprises 7 lessons. Students can learn at their own pace and can finish the course in 40 hours. Students will require image creation software and upload .jpg, .jpeg, or .png formats for the assignments to enroll in this course.
Enroll Now: Kadenze: Introduction to Graphic Design
4. LinkedIn Learning: Become a Graphic Designer
LinkedIn Learning is a popular platform that offers personalized courses based on the career path an individual wants to follow. ‘Become a Graphic Designer Course’ is a popular Graphic Design course on LinkedIn Learning. It is taught by experts who are designers, illustrators, art directors, design strategists, etc.
Students can enroll for free by using the free trial offer that lasts for a month. This free Graphic Design course includes 11 video lessons. It covers Graphic Design fundamentals in typography, composition, color trends, and layout. It also includes hands-on exercises in Adobe Photoshop, InDesign, and Illustrator.
Enroll Now: LinkedIn Learning: Become a Graphic Designer
5. MIT: Graphic Design Lecture Notes
MIT offers notes and exercises in online OpenCourseWare. It is a free database of Graphic Design courses created by professors and experienced graphic designers. These courses are free to download. For example, under ‘MIT: Graphic Design Lecture Notes’ students will find an open-source series of notes and exercises from the ‘User Interface Design Implementation Course’. They tend to focus on practical applications of Graphic Design than theoretical concepts.
Enroll Now: MIT: Graphic Design Lecture Notes
6. Will Paterson's Graphic Design Tutorials
Will Paterson is a famous freelance graphic designer. He posts free Graphic Design tutorials on his YouTube channel. These tutorials focus on Graphic Design software, logo design, and the latest trends in Graphic Design. His most watched Graphic Design tutorials are based on products offered by Adobe creative cloud.
Enroll Now: Will Paterson's Graphic Design Tutorials
7. Canva Design School
Canva Design School offers various resources on Graphic Design in the form of free lessons, articles, and tutorials. Each lesson contains useful resources and links for free. For example, the ‘How to Build a Brand Course’ covers topics such as logo design, color theory, and graphics that suit a particular brand or vision. Another free Graphic Design course called ‘Creativity’ teaches how to grab attention to your designs and maintain a particular design vision.
Enroll Now: Canva Design School
8. Alison Free Graphic Design Courses
Alison offers different types of free Graphic Design courses with an option to upgrade with a test-based certificate. The charges for a digital certificate start from $20 to over $100 for a framed certificate.
Students can choose from a variety of free Graphic Design courses. For instance, they can choose a Graphic Design course that focuses on basic principles of Graphic Design such as the ‘Visual and Graphic Design Skills Course’. If they want to apply these principles into practice by working on projects and exercises then they can choose the ‘Design Principles Course’.
Enroll Now: Alison Free Graphic Design Courses
9. Kadenze: Introduction to Graphic Illustration
The Cornish College of the Arts created this free Graphic Design course and is offered through the Kadenze platform. This free Graphic Design course is aimed at beginners and focuses on design principles and drawing skills.
Students need to have prior knowledge about fundamental design principles. The course content covers topics such as illustration principles, digital tools, and advanced techniques used in Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, and InDesign.
The course is free to enrol in. Students can buy the premium version for INR 1647/month ($20/month) and get a certificate of completion.
Enroll Now: Kadenze: Introduction to Graphic Illustration
10. Veerle’s Graphic Design Blog
Veerle Pieters is an experienced graphic designer/web designer with a website that includes a variety of articles with free tutorials, tips, and tricks to help students learn Graphic Design. Her free Graphic Design tutorials provide insights into working with clients and portfolio development. For novice graphic designers, she has tutorials on how to use various design software like Adobe Photoshop and InDesign.
Enroll Now: Veerle’s Graphic Design Blog
Free Graphic Designing Courses: FAQs
Ques. What is the best way to learn Graphic Design? What are some good sources on the web?
Ans. The best way to learn Graphic Design is to enroll in an online training institute. It is better to pursue an online course in Graphic Design from a training institute because it offers practical-based learning and instructor guidance.
The key Graphic Design skills that you should look forward to learning while opting for any online Graphic Design course are:
- Photoshop
- Illustrator
- InDesign
- HTML
- UX/UI Design
Some good sources to learn more about Graphic Design are:
- Coursera
- Udemy
- Skillshare
- Online YouTube Channels/Blogs
- Canva
Ques. What are the best YouTube channels for learning Graphic Design?
Ans. The best YouTube channels to learn about Graphic Design are:
- Will Paterson
- Arnau Ros
- Adobe Photoshop
- Satori Graphics
- Hello, I’m Alexa
- Mt. Mograph
- Swerve Tutorials
- Tutvid
- CharliMarieTV
- Canva
Ques. Which is the best free Graphic Design tool?
Ans. Canva is one of the best free tools for novice designers. All you need to use Canva is an email address. Here are some of the reasons why Canva is the best free Graphic Design tool.
- The basic version of Canva is absolutely free and there are enough features for novice Graphic Designers to learn the basics of Graphic Design.
- Canva requires no background knowledge or experience. It has a library of stickers, fonts, and color schemes that you can use in just a few clicks.
- Canva has templates for every social media platform. You can just customize it according to your needs.
- Canva has the option to work as a team. It allows you to share your work with other people and let them edit or make changes to your work.
Ques. Does doing an online course help in pursuing a career in Graphic Design?
Ans. Yes, doing an online course in Graphic Design will definitely help you to learn the basics of Graphic Design like layout design, color theory, etc. But to prove your expertise, you need to work on the ideation and creation of projects. After doing an online Graphic Design course you can start working on client projects on platforms like Fiverr, Upwork, etc. This will help you to add value to your resume.
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