Graphic Design Foundation Certificate


ID : 25863   

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This certificate consists of three consecutive four-week courses. Completion of the course includes required discussion board participation each week and other requirements indicated at the start of the class. This is a non-credit course. Students may earn CEU, PD, CE or Certificate of Completion at the end of the course.

Students will need to have Adobe Illustrator, PhotoShop and InDesign.

Typography Essentials
Throughout history, from the earliest carvings in stone to today’s digital designs, typography has been the foundation of effective visual communication. Whether you're designing a logo, building a website, or crafting a magazine layout, the right font can transform your work from ordinary to exceptional. In this practical typography course, you’ll learn the fundamental principles of typography that are crucial for creating effective and visually appealing designs. You'll explore the history and anatomy of type, diving into type eras and classifications to understand the evolution of fonts. You'll learn how to choose the right fonts for different projects and master the art of creating strong typographic hierarchy, contrast, and clarity. We’ll cover essential spacing techniques, such as kerning, tracking, and leading, to ensure your text is clear and easy to read. Through hands-on exercises focused on functional design, you’ll study how to align typography with overall design goals, whether in print or digital media. By the end, you'll have the skills to confidently choose the perfect type for any project, creating work that is not only visually stunning but also functionally effective.

PRE-REQUISITE: ADOBE ILLUSTRATOR AND ADOBE INDESIGN

Unit 1 Foundations of Typography
  • The history of typography: from carved stone to digital type
  • Letterform anatomy and key terminology: strokes, serifs, counters, terminals, and more
  • Proportions and ratios in letterform design
  • How to analyze and evaluate typefaces: form, function, and personality
  • Understanding font file formats and their uses (OTF, TTF, WOFF, etc.)
  • Google fonts, Adobe fonts

Unit 2 Understanding and Choosing Typefaces
  • Fonts vs. font families definition
  • History of typeface eras and the evolution of classifications
  • Introduction to type classifications: serif, sans-serif, script, display, etc.
  • Choosing a typeface: readability, legibility, appropriateness, tone, and medium
  • Aligning type with message, audience, and context
  • Best practices for font pairing and establishing harmony
  • Sourcing and licensing fonts responsibly for personal and commercial use

Unit 3 Typographic Hierarchy and Layout
  • Principles of visual hierarchy: guiding the viewer’s eye
  • The three core levels of typographic hierarchy in practice
  • Creating emphasis through typographic contrast: weight, size, color, case, and style
  • Highlighting and emphasis techniques: bold, italic, all caps, small caps, and color
  • Type alignment and consistency: flush left, centered, justified, and ragged-right

Mastering Color Theory Harmony and Practical Application
Color is a powerful tool in design, capable of setting the mood, attracting attention, and enhancing communication. Effective color application goes beyond theory; it’s about making thoughtful choices that elevate your designs. In this course, you'll learn the principles of color theory and its practical applications in design. You'll learn how to create harmonious color schemes that are visually appealing and impactful. You'll also explore color psychology—understanding how different colors influence emotions and behavior. You’ll also gain hands-on experience in choosing the perfect color palettes, balancing colors for maximum effect, and avoiding common mistakes. With a deep understanding of color psychology, contrast, and balance, you’ll be able to create designs that not only look stunning but also communicate effectively. By the end of this course, you’ll have the tools and knowledge to use color as a powerful element in any design, elevating your work to the next level.


Unit 1 Understanding Color Theory
  • The science of color: light vs. pigment
  • Additive and subtractive color systems (RGB vs. CMYK)
  • Hue, saturation, and value explained
  • Warm vs. cool colors and their visual effects
  • Emotional and psychological associations with color

Unit 2 Color Harmony and Palette Building
  • The color wheel: primary, secondary, and tertiary colors
  • Color harmony rules: complementary, analogous, triadic, split-complementary, tetradic
  • How to build and test a balanced palette
  • Dominant, subdominant, and accent color roles
  • Using neutrals, tints, tones, and shades
  • Creating mood boards and palette studies
  • Tools and resources for palette creation (https://color.adobe.com)

Unit 3 Color in Practice
  • Applying color to layout and typography
  • Using color to guide hierarchy and focus
  • Color in branding and identity systems
  • Color for UI/UX design and digital products
  • Working with color in Adobe apps (Illustrator, InDesign, Photoshop)

Unit 4 Color for Accessibility and Output
  • Understanding contrast and readability guidelines (WCAG standards)
  • Designing for color blindness and inclusive experiences            
  • When Colors Clash: The Flickering Effect
  • Preparing files for accurate color printing
  • Screen calibration and digital color accuracy
  • Common mistakes and how to fix them: using too many colors, poor contrast, etc.


Unit 4 Formatting Text and Typesetting
  • Working with grids and layout strategies to organize content
  • Using column grids to structure text across layouts
  • Choosing the right column configuration for print and digital
  • Paragraph structure and rhythm: indentation and separation
  • Precision spacing: kerning, tracking, and leading
  • Managing orphans, widows, and runts
  • Hyphens and Dashes: proper usage of hyphens, en dashes, and em dashes

Mastering Layout and Grids
Unlock the power of strategic design by mastering the art of layout and grids. Whether you’re designing for print or digital platforms, knowing how to start a layout—and where to take it - is essential to creating work that captures attention and guides the viewer with ease. Great design isn’t just about placing elements - it’s about controlling space. Understanding focal points, leading lines, and the role of negative space helps create layouts that feel polished, effective, and intentional. In this course, you'll explore professional grid systems and golden layout rules, which bring structure, consistency, and sophistication to any design. We’ll break down all types of column systems, layout rules, grid systems, and negative space forms so you can apply them with confidence to create flow, breathing room, visual hierarchy, and clarity.


Unit 1 Grids & Columns: The Structural Foundation
  • The importance of planning before placing: where and how to begin a layout
  • What grids are and why they matter in design
  • Understanding grids, columns, margins, gutters, and alignment
  • Single-column layouts
  • Two-column layouts
  • Three-column layouts
  • Traditional grid (Van der Gaaf)
  • Modular grids
  • Hierarchical grids
  • Setting up grids in Adobe software

Unit 2 Negative Space: Designing with Breathing Room
  • What negative space is - moving beyond “empty” to an active design tool
  • Guiding attention and hierarchy with negative space
  • Active vs. Passive Negative Space
  • Internal vs. External Negative Space
  • Micro vs. macro whitespace - spacing inside elements vs. around blocks
  • Shortening or offsetting columns to introduce a visual pause.
  • Luxurious negative space - deliberately “oversizing” margins or padding for elegance.
  • Eliminating columns for dramatic whitespace blocks.
  • Negative Space Geometric Shapes: Structuring Layouts for Flow and Breathing Room
  • Negative Space Traps - avoiding awkward gaps and unbalanced spacing
  • Minimalism and restraint - knowing when less is more.

Unit 3 Visual Hierarchy & Focal Points
  • Understanding Visual Hierarchy: why some elements grab attention first and others follow.
  • Creating Focal Points - scale, color, contrast, and placement to highlight key content.
  • Layering Information (primary, secondary, tertiary)
  • Typography as hierarchy - headline, subhead, body text
  • Creating Focal Points - scale, color, contrast, placement
  • Directional Cues & Leading Lines
  • Proportional Guides & Composition Rules

Unit 4 Bringing It All Together: Advanced Layout Techniques
  • Creating complex multi-column layouts (Column elimination, merging columns)
  • Multi-page spreads and continuity of flow
  • Designing for different screens
  • Common layout mistakes and how to fix them

Participate When You Want
You can participate any time of day or evening. The online classroom is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. There are no live real-time requirements or meetings. You decide when you participate. For the best learning, participants should log into the course on 2-3 different days of the week.

What You Will Do
For each Unit, you will:
· Access the online readings
· Listen to the audio presentation for the Unit and view the slides
· Take a self-quiz to see how much you have learned
· Engage in written online discussion with your instructor and other participants

For best learning, you should make one or more comments at 2-3 different times each day. The content (readings, audio lectures, slides) and self-quizzes are accessible for the entire course, so you can work ahead, or go back and review again, at your convenience.

Discussion
The Discussion for each Unit lasts one week. All comments are made in writing and can be made at any time of the day or night. Your instructor will log into the discussion area at least once a day and answer questions, make comments, and respond to comments by you and the other participants. We encourage you to make 2-3 comments each day to maximize your learning and enjoyment of the course.

Completing the Course
Completion of class participation requirements is required to earn the Certificate of Completion, CEU and/or PD Hours at the end of the course.
 
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Class Details

Session(s)
Online 24/7

Location
NA - Online

 

Notice

Please read:  GRANT MONEY AVAILABLE: This class is eligible for the Noncredit Strategies at Work Grant. Please call 815-224-0427 for assistance with registering and to apply a 50% discount to the cost of this class. Students will need to have Adobe Illustrator, PhotoShop and InDesign.

Tuition: 

$545.00

Registration Closes On
Friday, June 26, 2026 @ 11:59 PM

Schedule Information

Date(s) Class Days Times Location Instructor(s)
4/6/2026 - 6/26/2026 Online 24/7 12:00 AM - 12:00 AM N/A - Online

Other Class Offerings

Graphic Design Foundation Certificate
ID: 25862

02/02/26 - 05/01/26
Online 24/7

Location
 

Instructor
Andy Helmi

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