Graphic Design Courses In South Africa

Want to get a list of graphic design courses in South Africa? If yes, this article has got you covered.

You just need to choose the educational course that best suits your current graphic design skills and your goals for further development. 

We’ve searched for some of the best graphic design courses online to help you learn how to become a professional-level graphic designer. 

But, as you may know, there are many graphic design courses out there, and it can become challenging to know which course to take or which one will be the best one to help you reach your graphic design goals. 

Several courses online are offered by universities, online course hubs, graphic design experts, etc. We have carefully selected 16 graphic design online courses that will help you elevate your graphic design portfolio. 

These graphic design classes will help you with layouts and creative processes and introduce you to design trends. Some of these courses also offer certificate programs to provide you with a certificate after completing the course. 

What is a Graphic Design Certificate? 

Simply put, a graphic design certificate is a certificate that shows you have successfully completed a particular graphic design course. That does not mean that you can become a graphic design or illustrator expert or a professional designer once you complete a single online course. 

As you will see in the following list, thousands of courses offer lessons on different aspects of graphic design. Some are aimed at beginners; others are aimed at experienced designers. 

You might need to take several courses that tackle different graphic design perspectives and take classes that offer more in-depth lessons once you make some progress. 

With that said, here are 16 of the top graphic design courses designed to facilitate your comprehensive development as a specialist. We have split them into three categories: 

Top 7 Graphic Design Courses in South Africa

Intermediate, in-depth graphic design courses 

So, let’s dive in! 

1. Introduction to Graphic Design

What better way to start this list than an introductory course on graphic design? 

This course by Brockett Horne and Ellen Lupton, two of the leading faculty at Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA), will teach you everything from “Origins Of Text And Graphic Design” to “International Styles” and “Cultural Revolutions.” 

Available on Kadenze, the course will introduce you to everything you need to know about where graphic design comes from and what the future of graphic design will look like. 

If you are a beginner, you will love this course since it is aimed at beginners and allows you to work at your own pace. 

As the entire course comprises seven sessions (for each session, you are expected to work around six hours), expect to invest at least 40 hours in it. 

All you will need to enter this course as requirements are an image creation software and the ability to upload formats like .jpg, .jpeg, or .png for the assignments in each session. 

Instead of image creation software, other abilities such as scanning, photographing, or drawing by hand are also good alternatives. 

Although designed for beginners, the introduction is relatively fast-paced and will test your knowledge with short quizzes. It will also push you to put your skills into practice and start creating. 

The course offers English, Spanish, Castilian, Russian, Chinese, and Portuguese video transcripts. Some of the topics discussed during the seven sessions are cubism, futurism, dada, typography, and publishing. 

We’re happy to tell you that the course is free to enrol and open for enrollment. If you are interested in a certificate, you would have to upgrade to a premium membership ($20 per month). The certificate will be included and available once you finish the course. 

2. Udemy: Introduction to Graphic Design 

If the first introductory course we suggested is not your cup of tea, or if you would like to combine that course with another introductory course to get a better perspective, we have just the right option for you. 

You can take this course by Udemy in parallel with the first course or after finishing the other one. 

Udemy has always been an attractive platform for those eager to gain knowledge in various fields. In addition, they have a fantastic free design course. 

The course is designed for beginners who want to learn design. It does not require any special software or skills, making it ideal for those who want to get started from scratch and get a first impression of graphic design. You will learn the basic principles and elements of design.

This course includes 11.5 hours of on-demand video, a certificate of completion, and access on mobile and TV. The price may seem a lot at first since it costs €94.99. However, you will get full lifetime access once you pay this price. 

Since you will learn fundamental skills and study core design principles, the main requirement for this course will be a desire to learn new graphic design skills. You will also need to have Adobe Photoshop access. 

This course is perfect for anyone who wants to build a successful career as a graphic designer. However, this is not the only design course on this platform. After completing this course, additional tutorials that will match your interests will be suggested. 

3. Graphic Design Certification by Calarts 

This course is available on the Coursera platform and is in high demand within the field of design. It is best suitable for those who already have at least a basic knowledge of graphic design. As part of the course, students will learn to create more complex projects. 

In this course, you will learn design principles, the history of design, and how to communicate through image-making and typography. You will also learn to work in interface design, motion graphics, and editorial design. 

The fundamental skills you will learn through this course can also help you complete a university capstone project. In addition, all of the designs created through this course will be perfect for adding to your professional portfolio. 

Coursera’s graphic design specialization offered by Calarts includes five courses: 

● Fundamentals of Graphic Design 

● Introduction to Typography 

● Introduction to Imagemaking 

● Ideas from the History of Graphic Design 

● Brand New Brand 

At the end of the course, you will have a finished project that you can proudly add to your portfolio. In other words, there will be practice, not just theory. In addition, the Coursera platform provides a certificate of completion, which you can add to your resume. 

4. Instagram Illustration From Skillshare 

This Graphic Design and Illustration Class from Skillshare is a good option for anyone looking to advance their skills in graphic design.

It will allow you to look at social media as a great and promising opportunity for all designers. You will learn how to create projects with just an iPad and use them on social media. 

Creating visual designs for social media will be especially promising if your graphics are backed up by the top-notch content created by the Best Writers Online on the writing services review platform. It can be a good start for complete beginners who want to earn revenue from their creations. 

The course consists of 12 lessons, with a total course time of 1 hour and 13 minutes. The lessons will include a course in basic elements of design where you will learn about fundamental principles and how to use essential tools and creation tools. 

The course will then explore how you can develop palettes that express your emotions. Experienced designer Sophia Yeshi teaches it. She will also offer various tips and tricks on making your Adobe Illustrator effects more fun and exciting. 

One hour and 13 minutes will be more than enough time to develop your creative skills, understand the content, and start practising graphic design elements. 

Nic Squirrel, an artist and illustrator from the UK, also has a Skillshare class about creating patterns in the leading iOS graphic design platform Vectornator. 

5. Udemy’s Logo Design Fundamentals 

Creating logos is an essential part of every designer’s job, and it’s always a challenging task. So don’t miss the course that will allow you to learn everything about creating a branded logo. 

This course consists of 15 lessons that will tell you how to create a logo and teach you to interact with customers appropriately. This course also covers the issue of branding, which has a direct connection with logo development. 

Udemy’s Logo Design Fundamentals course will prove that you do not need hours of video lessons and long expert-created video tutorials. 

With only 49 minutes of on-demand video lessons by course teacher Lauren, you will: 

● Understand the entire logo layout 

● Learn the fundamentals of logo design 

● Learn the step-by-step development process of a branded logo 

● Finalize a branded logo 

Finish your design project and get it ready for print or a client 

For this course, you will be required to have Adobe Illustrator and Reader and some basic understanding of a logo design cycle.

6. Graphic Design Course From the University of Colorado on Coursera 

Since this course is shared by the Coursera platform, it is free. This course is an excellent option for beginners or those who want to ensure their knowledge is up to date. The course does not require any preliminary preparation, so it may suit you if you want to determine whether a career in graphic design is the right one for you. 

The course is also perfect if you are a graphic design student who needs to earn university credit or develop their graphic design skills for their capstone project. 

The materials of this course will be enough to prepare you to start working with real projects. The instructor of the course is David Underwood. He has worked as an illustrator, designer, lecturer, and teaching consultant at the University of Colorado Boulder since 1988. 

The course is an excellent base and starting point for those who do not have a budget to pay for training. So be sure to pay attention to this course, even if you already have experience. Perhaps you can emphasize something new for your professional activity. 

If you are up for a design challenge, this course is excellent. It will introduce you to fundamental design theory, graphic design history, and how the development process of a design project goes. 

7. Canva Design School 

If you’re involved in the graphic design community, you’ve probably heard of Canva. This app is used by designers and content writers from the Online Writers Rating custom writing reviews platform, bloggers, etc. 

However, only a few people know that Canva is also a storehouse of valuable resources. There are tutorials, articles, and guides that will be useful to beginners and those who already feel confident in the graphic design field. 

In addition to practice guidelines, you can also find out how to promote your blog and services. 

In this article titled “Yes, creativity can be learned,” you will learn nine tips to develop your creative skills. The article will show you that creativity is not a particular skill that you either have or don’t. It is something that can be learned through practice. 

They have numerous lessons for beginners who want to learn graphic design basics. If you are interested to learn more about colour theory, icon design, and conceptual tools, Canva has plenty of tutorials on graphic design basics. 

This platform is dedicated to helping users learn to grab attention with their graphic design projects and find their unique style.

There is also a course called “How to Build a Brand,” which will cover the theme of logo, the choice of palette, graphics, and everything else you’ll need for brand development. It will be helpful not only to create your brand but also to create branded graphic designs for others. 

Conclusion 

Using the courses from this article will help you on your journey to develop your skills and grow as a graphic designer. As you can see, many of these courses are available for free, which means that you have the opportunity to improve your skills and professionalism without financial investment. 

Even some of the paid options offer free trials for one month, so if you like one or a few of the paid graphic design courses on the list, you can go ahead and take advantage of the free trial and enjoy taking as many classes as you like during that free month.