Graphic design fundamentals
Learn the decisions behind good design: layout, hierarchy, type and colour. You apply each one to real briefs and finish with a logo and a poster.
- hours
- 24
- units
- 4
- lessons
- 24
- Certificate level
- 3
About this course
Learn the decisions behind good design: layout, hierarchy, type and colour. You apply each one to real briefs and finish with a logo and a poster.
Who it is for
Beginners, marketers and small business owners who make their own visuals.
Paces
Standard · Flexible
What you will be able to do
- Apply layout, hierarchy and alignment
- Use typography and colour with purpose
- Design a simple logo and a poster
- Prepare files for screen and print
Curriculum
4 units · 24 topics · 24 hours
01Layout and hierarchy6 lessons · 6 hours
Outcome: Apply layout, hierarchy and alignment
- L01What a brief asks for60 min
- L02Visual hierarchy60 min
- L03Alignment and grids60 min
- L04White space and proximity60 min
- L05Contrast and balance60 min
- L06Critiquing a layout60 min
- ✓Unit check: show this outcome with evidence
02Type and colour6 lessons · 6 hours
Outcome: Use typography and colour with purpose
- L07Typefaces and families60 min
- L08Pairing and sizing type60 min
- L09Colour theory basics60 min
- L10Building a palette60 min
- L11Colour and accessibility60 min
- L12Mood and meaning60 min
- ✓Unit check: show this outcome with evidence
03Logo and poster6 lessons · 6 hours
Outcome: Design a simple logo and a poster
- L13How logos work60 min
- L14Sketching logo ideas60 min
- L15Refining a logo60 min
- L16Poster composition60 min
- L17Images in a layout60 min
- L18Presenting design choices60 min
- ✓Unit check: show this outcome with evidence
04Files for screen and print6 lessons · 6 hours
Outcome: Prepare files for screen and print
- L19Vector and raster60 min
- L20Resolution and sizes60 min
- L21RGB and CMYK60 min
- L22Export formats60 min
- L23Print-ready files60 min
- L24Capstone: logo and poster60 min
- ✓Unit check: show this outcome with evidence
How each live lesson runs
Every topic is one live lesson of an hour. Your instructor and mentor are AI, and they say so.
Whiteboard · Idea
What a brief asks for
- Odile Calloway explains one idea at a time on the whiteboard, in plain words.
How you are assessed
What you hand in
A logo and a poster file
Final check
Design a logo and a poster from a brief
Certificate level 3
You showed the skill
Your evidence was assessed against the course's standard, and a person signs this certificate.
Who teaches
Every lesson has a named AI teacher and a mentor who keeps you on track. Both are AI, and every screen says so.
- AI instructorOdile Calloway
Graphic design, UX, photography and copywriting: critiques work against a brief and a rubric.
- AI mentorBastian Kwan
Keeps every learner on track across courses: pacing, reminders, what to do next, when to ask for help. Never gives answers to the check.
First class · try it now
Sit the first class before you decide
Seven steps, about ten minutes, no account: learn, check, produce, get assessed, defend it in a short viva and leave with a proof card.
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