Advanced Graphic Design Course

Lesson 1 • Color Theory Essentials

Introduces the color wheel, color relationships, and psychological effects of hue, saturation, and value. Students build foundational palettes for use in later projects.

Lesson 2 • Core Design Principles

Covers balance, contrast, alignment, repetition, and proximity as the structural rules of visual composition. These principles underpin every design decision made throughout the course.

Lesson 3 • Typography Fundamentals

Covers typeface anatomy, classification, and basic pairing logic. Students gain the vocabulary to make informed typographic decisions in all design work.

Lesson 4 • Design Workflow and File Management

Establishes professional habits for organizing assets, naming files, and managing versions. These habits prevent costly errors in client and team environments.

Lesson 1 • Page Layout and Document Setup

Introduces multi-page document construction, master pages, and style sheets for consistent formatting. Students produce structured layouts ready for print or digital output.

Lesson 2 • Vector Drawing and Illustration

Teaches the Pen tool, anchor points, and path editing to construct precise vector shapes. Mastery here enables scalable artwork for logos and print.

Lesson 3 • Raster Image Editing

Covers non-destructive editing, masking, and retouching techniques in a raster environment. Students learn to prepare photography and textures for design integration.

Lesson 4 • Working with Grids and Guides

Demonstrates how to build and apply column grids, baseline grids, and custom guides for precise layout control. Grids enforce consistency across multi-page projects.

Lesson 1 • Micro-Typography and Refinement

Covers optical margin alignment, ligatures, OpenType features, and fine-tuned spacing for professional polish. These details distinguish amateur from expert typographic work.

Lesson 2 • Display and Expressive Typography

Explores type as image, kinetic lettering concepts, and experimental layout for editorial and advertising contexts. Students push typographic boundaries while maintaining readability.

Lesson 3 • Variable Fonts and Responsive Type

Introduces variable font axes, responsive scaling, and fluid type for screen-based design. Students implement type systems that adapt across device sizes.

Lesson 4 • Typographic Hierarchy Systems

Teaches multi-level hierarchy construction using size, weight, color, and spacing as differentiation tools. Students design scalable type systems for editorial and brand contexts.

Lesson 1 • Color Management Workflows

Teaches ICC profiles, color settings synchronization, and monitor calibration for consistent color across devices. Students establish a reliable color management pipeline.

Lesson 2 • Accessible and Inclusive Color Design

Applies contrast ratio standards and color-blindness simulation to ensure designs are perceivable by all users. Students audit and revise palettes for accessibility compliance.

Lesson 3 • Advanced Color Relationships

Examines split-complementary, triadic, and tetradic schemes alongside simultaneous contrast effects. Students construct complex palettes that achieve visual tension and harmony.

Lesson 4 • Color Psychology and Brand Application

Maps color associations to audience perception, cultural context, and brand positioning goals. Students select colors that reinforce strategic communication objectives.

Lesson 1 • Brand Guidelines Documentation

Produces a structured brand guidelines document covering logo usage, color specs, typography rules, and do-and-don't examples. This deliverable enables consistent brand application by any team.

Lesson 2 • Logo Design Process

Guides students through ideation, sketching, vector refinement, and logo system construction. Students produce wordmarks, symbols, and combination marks.

Lesson 3 • Brand Color and Typography Systems

Formalizes primary, secondary, and accent palettes alongside a brand type hierarchy for consistent application. Students document these systems for handoff to other designers.

Lesson 4 • Brand Strategy and Research

Establishes brand positioning, audience personas, and competitive landscape analysis as the foundation for design decisions. Strategy prevents arbitrary aesthetic choices.

Lesson 1 • Editorial and Publication Layout

Teaches multi-page editorial design including spreads, running headers, folios, and image-text integration. Students produce a complete multi-page publication layout.

Lesson 2 • Large-Format and Signage Design

Addresses resolution scaling, viewing distance, and material considerations for banners, posters, and environmental graphics. Students adapt designs for large-format output.

Lesson 3 • Packaging and Structural Design

Introduces dieline creation, structural templates, and surface design for product packaging. Students design a complete packaging concept from dieline to finished mockup.

Lesson 4 • Prepress and Press-Ready Output

Covers preflight checks, PDF export settings, ink density limits, and communication with print vendors. Students produce a press-ready PDF package with all required specifications.

Lesson 1 • UI and Web Graphic Design

Teaches icon design, button states, and web graphic production within a component-based design approach. Students create assets that integrate cleanly into development handoff.

Lesson 2 • Social Media Visual Design

Addresses platform-specific dimensions, safe zones, and visual consistency across social channels. Students build a templated social media asset system for a brand.

Lesson 3 • Screen Design Fundamentals

Covers pixel density, resolution independence, and color profiles specific to screen output. Students configure design files correctly for digital production from the start.

Lesson 4 • Motion Graphics Basics for Designers

Introduces keyframe animation, easing, and simple motion principles to add movement to static design assets. Students produce short animated graphics for digital channels.

Lesson 1 • Design Thinking and Problem Framing

Applies empathy mapping, problem definition, and ideation frameworks to complex design briefs. Students reframe vague client requests into actionable design problems.

Lesson 2 • Client Presentation and Communication

Covers presentation deck structure, design rationale articulation, and managing client revisions professionally. Students present a full project to a simulated client panel.

Lesson 3 • Portfolio Curation and Case Studies

Guides selection of portfolio pieces, case study narrative construction, and visual presentation of process. Students produce three complete case studies with problem-solution-outcome structure.

Lesson 4 • Design Critique and Iteration

Teaches structured critique methods, feedback interpretation, and rapid iteration cycles to improve design quality. Students give and receive professional-level design feedback.