Of course, the prevailing wisdom (and rightly so) is that you should enroll in a degree course in order to learn to be a graphic designer, being careful to use a student plagiarism checker to avoid plagiarizing the work of others. Once you’re done with that, you should get a job as soon as you can learn more from an experienced colleague while on the job. However, the truth is that this isn’t possible for everyone. Luckily, if you are passionate about learning graphic design, there are numerous other ways to pick up the necessary knowledge and skills to be a graphic designer.

Source: https://www.pexels.com/photo/black-pencils-and-design-word-6444/

Awesome graphic design tutorials are all over the internet, as well as lots of eBooks that you can download for free. However, if you really want to go deep, then there are some online courses that can give you the necessary foundations to become a master graphic designer. We put together a list of the 6 best ones that you can start pursuing now. The duration varies from course to course, with some taking you less than an hour and others taking you a few months to complete. At any rate, however, they are good and solid courses and completing them should add a lot to your knowledge and skills of graphic design. Whichever course you pick, remember to always do you own original worker. How can a student avoid plagiarism? The answer is by using a plagiarism checker for student work.

1. The Graphic Design Specialization on Coursera

A specialization on Coursera is a series of courses that helps you to master a given skill. The Graphic Design Specialization is one such series and will take you through 4 different courses that will give you the foundation you need as a graphic designer. It starts with the basics, proceeds to typography, then image making, and then finally looks at the history of graphic design to give you a sense of context.

The instructors who teach this specialization are all from the California Institute of the Arts and the course will take you about 6 months to complete. The course material itself is free and you can access it by selecting the “Audit this course” option (ignore the “Free trial” option). You only have to pay if you want your assignments graded and a certificate at the end of the course.

The knowledge, however, is absolutely free. However, even though no one will be marking your work, it’s a good idea to check paper for plagiarism just to make sure what you do is always original. That way you develop the right ethos for your work in the future.

2. Introduction to Graphic Design History on Kadenze

If you’re going to become a master graphic designer, then you need to have a firm grasp of the history of graphic design and how all the aspects of it that we take for granted started. The Introduction to Graphic Design History course from the Maryland Institute College of Art is the perfect place to learn all of that.

The course takes about 7 sessions in total, with each session lasting approximately 6 hours. It is made with a focus on beginners and starts with the beginnings of graphic design and text before taking you through a variety of topics, such as typography, photomontages, and modernism. The course is free, for the most part, with one lesson in each session and the certificate at the end of the course being reserved for paying students.

3. Introduction to Graphic Design on Udemy

The Introduction to Graphic Design course on Udemy is free and is a great way to quickly pick up the basics of graphic design. The course consists of a single video, lasting 23 minutes, and a single article. However, from just that, you are assured of learning the fundamentals of design and what it is and isn’t. You also learn about the 5 main principles of design, the basic elements of design, and how to identify these elements in practice.

The course is designed for complete newbies, so if that’s you and you want a quick certificate to show that you showed up, then you should definitely check it out.

4. Applying Design Principles on Alison

This course is excellent, both for beginners who are just starting out and experts who are looking for a refresher course. It will take you through fundamental concepts in design, such as balance, composition, contrast, and hierarchy, and even show you how to apply them in practice.

After that, the Applying Design Principles course covers things like tones, shapes, color, and points and how they are applied in real life projects. You will get plenty of reference to successful designs in the field. The course will only take about 3hours of your time and will deepen your understanding of basic graphic design concepts.

From Doodle to Logo on Udemy

The From Doodle to Logo course is perfect for those who want to learn to create logos from scratch. It’s a fast course that will take from a doodle to a logo made using Adobe Illustrator. It’s mainly designed for those at a beginner or intermediate level and is fairly straightforward, taking you through the process of hand drawing, scanning, importing into Illustrator, and then tracing using image trace and using layers to turn the drawing into a professional logo. The course lasts 30 minutes and gives you more than a bit of skill.

Conclusion

If you really want to become a graphic designer, then only the sky’s the limit. You have plenty of resources, including the ones above, that will take you through the basics of graphic design for free and help you on your way to become a master graphic designer.

Autho Bio

Ray Campbell is a writer and editor who loves to write about education and technology. He enjoys writing articles for young people looking to improve their skills on the internet and leverage the power of online education to level up. When he’s not writing, he enjoys reading books and programming.