Photo: Ewan Robertson
One of the best things about the internet is the vast amounts of knowledge available at your fingertips. You can be a complete novice in a subject, but thanks to e-learning sites and YouTube, you can gain a real understanding of practically anything. For instance, we’ve written about free photo courses and YouTube videos where you can learn to paint at your own pace. But this type of creative instruction doesn’t stop there; we’ve found many great design tutorials that will teach you the fundamentals of visual communication.
Why learn graphic design? The field is about much more than arranging text in an eye-pleasing way. At its core, design is problem-solving. You’ve got to consider the best method for getting your message or objective across in a concise—yet beautiful—way. Elements such as layout, typography, and image usage are a just a few considerations you’ll need to make. Although this seems daunting, having knowledge of the basics can help you create work that’s both easy for your audience to understand and looks great.
So, what are you waiting for? These design resources together have hundreds of tutorials that are free to try.
Want to learn graphic design? These resources offer hundreds of free design tutorials that are helpful without breaking the bank.
Photo: Tranmautritam
GCFLearnFree – If you’re a complete design newbie, this is the place to start. Ranging in topics from typography to color to brand identity, you’ll get acquainted with methodologies and terms used in the graphic design field.
Udemy, Introduction to Graphic Design – Here’s another course for design novices. E-learning site Udemy features 23 minutes of on-demand video that answers some of the most asked questions, including what is—and is not—design. Over the past few years, this course has had over 87,000 students enrolled with a four (out of five) star rating.
Envato Tuts+ – Once you understand the basics of programs like Photoshop and Illustrator, you can try some of the fun tutorials on Envato Tuts+. But if you need a refresher, they have that too. Aside from how-to tutorials, the site offers courses and eBooks that teach you how to design a logo and brand on a budget.
Canva – Canva is a free design program that allows you to easily create beautiful designs and documents. This is super helpful if you don’t own photo editing software like Photoshop. In addition to this valuable app, they also offer many tutorials to aid you in your design.
Creative Pro – Get into the nitty gritty of design (like glyph positioning and baseline shift) in these easy-to-follow articles and tutorials. This resource is best for those with some experience, and it’s a great reference with some graphic design inspiration thrown in.
Alison – Combing elements of science into their courses, Alison offers certificates and diplomas in classes like Design Research and Analysis and Introduction to Design Thinking. If you’re interested in prototyping and UX design, check out Alison.
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