Low Budget Graphic Design: Essential Tools & Techniques

Professional diploma in graphic design on a budget

• What is Graphic Design?

  Kickstart your course with getting an overview of the graphic design space. Get familiar with the idea of concepts, ideas and thoughts, an understanding of visual relationships that can help you communicate a direct and coherent message. Get introduced to a variety of open source and affordable software options from web-based editors like Vecteezy, downloadable software like GIMP and Inkscape, to mobile applications like Adobe Capture and Canva.

• Learning the Elements and Principles of Design

  In your second graphic design class, you will get the opportunity to get acquainted with developing a ‘Designer’s Eye’. The key is to understand the foundation of good design. You will know more about the principles and elements of design including composition, organic and geometric form, colour, craft usage to create visual impact with clarity whilst adding structure to your designs.

• The Design Cycle

  Lesson 3 will investigate one of the first tasks a designer is faced with; logo creation. The process of concept to presentation is known as the design cycle and a thorough breakdown will be given as to how to approach a customer through the design cycle. The lesson will end off with an introduction to working in Vecteezy to create your own logo.

• The Works-every-time-layout

  In lesson 4, we will differentiate between the different type of images graphic designers deal with daily. You thought you knew all there is about images, but this course will blow your mind with some newfound knowledge. A bulletproof design technique that barely fails will be taught and applied in a practical exercise of Adobe Spark as well as Canva. This lesson is sure to get you hooked!

• The Basics of Typography

  About 80% of all designs consist of typography – the art of using type in your design. In this lesson, you will realize that type is not only a mere communication instrument but will see the potential of using type as a design component. With so many other messages screaming for attention, how to do you make your message stand out? Graphic design mistakes to avoid will also be examined in this lesson and you will realise that these mistakes are more apparent than you thought – avoiding them will make you stand out in the masses.

• Photo Manipulation using GIMP

  There is a difference between a digital and printed image? This lesson will investigate the crucial component of working with pixels. GIMP is a raster editing software and can compare with the likes of Adobe Photoshop. GIMP demos will make this lesson even more practical and the fundamentals of GIMP including layers and blending modes will be focused on.

• Designing with mobile apps

  Understanding that the world is rapidly moving into a digital space, and the fact that most people make use of mobile devices now more than ever, it is crucial to be able to utilise your design skills making use of your tablet or smartphone for when you do not have access to a computer. Even though mobile applications have their limits when it comes to graphic design, don’t underestimate these applications. We will explore the possibility of using mobile applications to create effective designs on the go. The future is now!

• Infographics

  An infographic is a creative way of communicating using graphs and illustrations to your audience. Even though it takes you seconds to grasp the information on an effective infographic, the process of creating an infographic takes a lot longer. The rewards are however very satisfying when you see your design helping people for the better. Easel.ly is a web-based editor specialising in infographics and we will explore this application’s possibilities.

Intermediate in graphic design on a budget

• Advanced Colour Theory and print terminology

• Mood board creation

• Advanced anatomy of typography

• The basics of the pen tool

• Lesson 5: Mastering the pen tool

• Magazine cover in Photoshop

• Advertisement in Photoshop

• Magazine creation in InDesign

Advanced in graphic design on a budget

• Creative Thinking

• Corporate Identity & Mock ups

• Interactive pdf & e-publication

• Advanced Photo Manipulation

• 3D Rotation & Design in Illustrator

• Packaging Design

• Designing for web & social media

• Infographics

Proficient in graphic design on a budget

• Branding & Packaging - Part 1

• Branding & Packaging - Part 2

• Advanced Typography - Part 1

• Advanced Typography - Part 2

• Idea Generation & Development - Part 1

• Idea Generation & Development - Part 2

• Career Advice - Part 1

• Career Advice - Part 2