Basic Graphic Design Course

Lesson 1 • Visual Hierarchy and Composition

Teaches how arrangement guides the viewer's eye through a layout. Learners compose simple grids that demonstrate clear focal points.

Lesson 2 • Elements of Design

Introduces the seven core visual elements: line, shape, form, space, texture, value, and colour. Learners identify each element in real-world examples.

Lesson 3 • Principles of Design

Covers balance, contrast, emphasis, rhythm, unity, and proportion as organising principles. Learners apply each principle to critique existing designs.

Lesson 4 • Design Thinking and Process

Introduces the iterative design process: research, ideation, prototyping, and feedback. Learners map a brief through each stage to understand professional workflow.

Lesson 1 • Colour Harmonies and Schemes

Covers complementary, analogous, triadic, split-complementary, and monochromatic schemes. Learners build five distinct palettes and evaluate their visual tension.

Lesson 2 • Building and Applying Colour Palettes

Guides learners through extracting palettes from reference images and applying them to layouts. Reinforces harmony principles from earlier sections.

Lesson 3 • The Colour Wheel and Colour Models

Explains primary, secondary, and tertiary colours alongside RGB and CMYK models. Connects colour model choice to screen vs. print output.

Lesson 1 • Type in Layout Contexts

Applies typographic rules to editorial, poster, and digital interface layouts. Connects type decisions to the visual hierarchy principles from Chapter 1.

Lesson 2 • Anatomy and Classification of Type

Identifies parts of a letterform and the major typeface categories. Provides vocabulary for discussing type choices professionally.

Lesson 3 • Typographic Measurement and Spacing

Covers point size, leading, tracking, kerning, and line length. Learners adjust spacing to achieve optimal readability in body text.

Lesson 4 • Type Hierarchy and Pairing

Teaches how size, weight, and style create visual levels of importance. Learners pair two typefaces that contrast yet harmonise.

Lesson 1 • Setting Up the Design Workspace

Covers document setup: artboard size, colour mode, resolution, and bleed. Learners configure files correctly for both print and digital deliverables.

Lesson 2 • Understanding Vector vs. Raster Graphics

Distinguishes scalable vector paths from pixel-based raster images and their use cases. Informs every software and file-format decision in later chapters.

Lesson 3 • Core Raster Editing Tools

Covers selection tools, layers, masks, and adjustment layers in raster software. Learners retouch a photo and composite two images using masks.

Lesson 4 • Core Vector Drawing Tools

Introduces the pen tool, shape tools, pathfinder operations, and anchor-point editing. Learners trace a logo to build precise path-manipulation skills.

Lesson 1 • Responsive and Adaptive Layout Concepts

Introduces how grids adapt across screen sizes using breakpoints and fluid columns. Prepares learners for digital layout work in later chapters.

Lesson 2 • White Space and Visual Breathing Room

Teaches intentional use of empty space to improve clarity and elegance. Learners redesign a cluttered layout by adding strategic white space.

Lesson 3 • Placing Text and Images in Grids

Covers spanning columns, anchoring images, and maintaining alignment across pages. Reinforces typographic hierarchy from Chapter 3 within a grid context.

Lesson 4 • Margins, Gutters, and Columns

Defines the spatial relationships between margins, gutters, and columns that control breathing room. Learners set up a six-column grid for a magazine spread.

Lesson 1 • Designing and Refining a Logo

Guides the process from rough sketch to polished vector logo using grids and geometric construction. Applies vector tool skills from Chapter 4.

Lesson 2 • Brand Identity Fundamentals

Defines brand identity components: logo, colour, type, and tone. Learners audit three real brands to identify how visual elements express brand values.

Lesson 3 • Logo Types and Construction

Covers wordmarks, lettermarks, pictorial marks, abstract marks, and combination marks. Learners sketch ten logo concepts for a given brief.

Lesson 4 • Brand Guidelines and Style Guides

Teaches how to document logo usage rules, colour codes, and type specifications in a style guide. Learners produce a four-page brand guidelines document.

Lesson 1 • Designing Brochures and Multi-Page Print

Applies grid and layout skills to folded brochures and multi-page documents. Learners design a tri-fold brochure with correct panel order and fold direction.

Lesson 2 • Print Design Fundamentals

Covers standard print sizes, paper stocks, and finishing options relevant to common deliverables. Grounds learners in physical production constraints before designing.

Lesson 3 • Colour Management for Print

Explains CMYK conversion, spot colours, and ink overprint behaviour. Learners convert an RGB design to print-ready CMYK and check for colour shift.

Lesson 4 • Preflight and Print-Ready Export

Teaches preflight checks: font embedding, image resolution, and colour mode verification. Learners export a press-ready PDF with correct settings.

Lesson 1 • Exporting and Optimising Digital Files

Teaches format selection (PNG, JPG, WebP, SVG) and compression techniques for fast loading. Learners optimise a set of assets without visible quality loss.

Lesson 2 • Designing Digital Advertising Assets

Covers banner ad sizes, animated GIF basics, and call-to-action hierarchy. Learners design a static and an animated banner for a fictional campaign.

Lesson 3 • Digital Design Specifications

Covers pixel dimensions, resolution, aspect ratios, and file size limits for major digital platforms. Learners build a reference sheet of platform-specific specs.

Lesson 4 • Designing for Social Media

Applies brand identity and layout principles to feed posts, stories, and cover images. Learners create a cohesive three-post social media series.