Graphic Design for Beginners
A course by Silvia Ferpal, Designer and Visual Artist
Learn the fundamentals of design by giving shape to your ideas with images, typography, color, and composition
Graphic design is made up of several key concepts that anyone interested in pursuing this art form needs to know. Silvia Ferpal, graphic designer, visual artist, and winner of the 2019 Spanish National Design Award, teaches you the traditional principles of design that will help you take on any project that comes your way.
In this course, learn the four cornerstones of graphic design: shape, typography, color, and composition. Discover how to mold your ideas around these key concepts and create a visual universe based on your imagination, creativity, and graphic resources that you can use for your final project.
And if you want to learn how to develop your ideas and bring them to life, check out Silvia's course Techniques for Developing your Creativity.
What will you learn in this online course?
17 lessons & 33 downloads
What's included in this course?
Begin the course by getting to know Silvia Fernández, who tells you about her career, her work, and her personal approach to design. She also shows you her biggest influences and shares some of her favorite books.
Jump into the theory and see how to create an image based on its concept while exploring the ideas of literalism and subjectivity. Continue studying design through the lens of geometry and express a set of concepts using basic shapes. Then, review the laws of perception and start working on your final project.
Move on to the second cornerstone of design and immerse yourself in the world of typography. Look at the different kinds of letters that exist and practice creating some simple designs with a series of exercises. Silvia gives you some tips on how to use letters properly to create a visually appealing group of text and explains some of the most common mistakes to avoid in your designs. Consolidate what you've learned and develop a typography palette for your project.
Next, discover how we perceive color and how to create visual harmony before applying these concepts through a variety of practice exercises. Learn about different color modes and how to use efficient formulas to create attractive color palettes that are strongly associated with what you want to convey in your design. Tie everything together by developing your own color scheme.
Now it's time to focus on composition and learn how to combine shapes, typography, and color within a defined space. Experiment with different techniques and ways to adapt your designs to any format following Silvia's advice. Wrap up the course by arranging your designs on a grid and sharing your final project on Instagram.
- 99% positive reviews (1.1K)
- 37,283 students
- 17 lessons (2h 18m)
- 33 additional resources (4 files)
- Online and at your own pace
- Available on the app
- Audio: Spanish, German, English, French, Indonesian, Italian, Dutch, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Turkish
- Spanish · English · Portuguese · German · French · Italian · Polish · Dutch · Turkish · Romanian · Indonesian
- Level: Beginner
- Unlimited access forever
What is this course's project?
Design a series of images that express your visual universe in template form for Instagram.
Projects by course students
Who is this online course for?
Anyone who wants to get started in the art of graphic design or enhance their own designs, from client presentations to university projects. This course is also perfect for entrepreneurs interested in learning a new skill set to better express their ideas.
Requirements and materials
Basic notions of Photoshop, Illustrator, Sketch, or Figma are recommended, but not necessary.
The only materials you need are a pencil, paper, your cell phone camera, and a design program. In this course, your teacher uses the free design program Figma.
Reviews
Silvia Ferpal
A course by Silvia Ferpal
Silvia Fernández Palomar, better known as Silvia Ferpal, walks the line between art and design in her work. In 2019, she won the Spanish National Design Award in the youth category thanks to her unique approach to design that blends traditional disciplines with more contemporary forms of expression. She currently works as a freelance designer and teaches design at the IED art school.
She has collaborated on projects for Ogilvy & Mather, Paseo, Designit Madrid, Designit New York, and, more notably, on a design project for the Royal Spanish Academy which led her to live in Rome for the duration of it. Her client list includes Harvard, Bloomberg, Inditex, and Leroy Merlin; she also designed the official typography for the City of Madrid. Her work has been published by other major companies such as Corraini and Santillana.
Content
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U1
Introduction
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Presentation
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Influences
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U2
How do you create an image?
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Literality / subjectivity
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Bauhaus and geometric shapes
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Laws of perception (Gestalt)
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Shaping the project
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U3
Typography
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Types of types
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The crimes
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The tricks
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Project: adding texts
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U4
Colour
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Perception
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Color mixing and modes
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Color palettes
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Project: adding color and consistency
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U5
Composition
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Balance and grids
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Schemes that work
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Project: ordering the elements
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FP
Final project
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Graphic design for beginners
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What to expect from a Domestika course
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Learn at your own pace
Enjoy learning from home without a set schedule and with an easy-to-follow method. You set your own pace.
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Learn from the best professionals
Learn valuable methods and techniques explained by top experts in the creative sector.
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Meet expert teachers
Each expert teaches what they do best, with clear guidelines, true passion, and professional insight in every lesson.
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Certificates
PlusIf you're a Plus member, get a custom certificate signed by your teacher for every course. Share it on your portfolio, social media, or wherever you like.
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Get front-row seats
Videos of the highest quality, so you don't miss a single detail. With unlimited access, you can watch them as many times as you need to perfect your technique.
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Share knowledge and ideas
Ask questions, request feedback, or offer solutions. Share your learning experience with other students in the community who are as passionate about creativity as you are.
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Connect with a global creative community
The community is home to millions of people from around the world who are curious and passionate about exploring and expressing their creativity.
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Watch professionally produced courses
Domestika curates its teacher roster and produces every course in-house to ensure a high-quality online learning experience.
FAQs
You'll learn how to blend color, typography, geometric shapes, and composition to create original graphic projects, apply Gestalt principles, select color palettes, choose appropriate fonts, and use tools like Figma for both digital and print design.
The course is intermediate level, ideal for those with basic design or visual creativity knowledge who want to deepen their understanding of composition, color, and typography in graphic projects.
You'll need paper, colored pencils, gouache or watercolors, a computer with internet access, and software like Figma. It's also helpful to have access to graphic resources and design examples for hands-on exercises.
You'll learn to apply laws like pregnance, closure, proximity, and figure-ground to organize images and visual elements, enhancing clarity, balance, and communication in your graphic and signage projects.
Serif fonts have decorative strokes and convey tradition or elegance; sans serif fonts are more modern and easier to read on screens. The course teaches you how to pick fonts based on message, context, and medium.
Yes, the course includes exercises to create cohesive color palettes by combining hues, saturation, and color schemes suited to the medium, plus analyzing art, film, and design examples to inspire your own combinations.
Composition determines how visual elements are arranged and related, guiding attention and reinforcing the message. You'll learn to use grids, balance, and visual rules to create clear, engaging designs.
muy bueno para principiantes!
muy recomendable
Si sos principiante, y queres adentrarte a este maravilloso mundo, ESTE es el curso perfecto. Nociones básicas, explicaciones fáciles y dinámicas. Una profe super clara y encima actividades varias para practicar. EXCELENTE!
Muy bueno para principiantes! es interesante y aprendes muchisimo, excelente base.
Silvia es muy clara en los conceptos que comunica, e inspira para desarrollar creatividad y diseño.
Un curso buenísimo para aprender las bases del diseño gráfico. Me gustó mucho que la docente se saliera del ámbito "puro" del diseño hacia otros como cine, pintura y collage. Gracias!