Best Online Graphic Design Classes

Udemy’s Graphic Design Bootcamp was created to help beginners quickly learn the skills to produce high-quality, professional print and web projects in Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign. As a result, students will need to have access to those programs for this course.

The Graphic Design Bootcamp is taught by Derrick Mitchell, a graphic designer who has taught over 150,000 students online in 11 classes. At the time of writing, the course had more than 114,000 students already enrolled and nearly 16,000 reviews, with an average rating of 4.4 stars out of five. We chose this class as the best overall because of its impressive number of positive reviews, experienced instructor, and reasonable price.

The Graphic Design Bootcamp consists of 15.5 hours of on-demand video, and 14 articles + downloadable resources. Students will learn how to create professional print and web projects in Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign. The course also covers the basics of logo design, including typography and color usage, and how to develop the skills to become a marketable graphic designer.   

Udemy’s Graphic Design Bootcamp is available for a one-time purchase price of $129.99 and can be accessed online, on mobile devices, and through the Udemy app. Students get full lifetime access to the course and a certificate of completion at the end of the course. Udemy also offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Another top offering from Udemy, the Graphic Design Masterclass will teach students the essential tools and capabilities of Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign as well as design theory, branding, and logo creation. We chose it as our runner-up since it has a lower enrollment than Udemy’s Graphic Design Bootcamp with more reviews and a slightly less appealing curriculum.

The Graphic Design Masterclass is taught by Lindsay Marsh, a graphic designer with over 15 years of experience who has taught nearly 300,000 students online. At the time of writing, the course had almost 200,000 students already enrolled and over 45,000 reviews, with an average rating of 4.7 stars out of 5.       

The Graphic Design Masterclass consists of 28.5 hours of on-demand video, 49 articles, plus downloadable resources. Although the class is geared toward beginners, it is also detailed enough for intermediate and advanced students.

In addition to learning the essential tools and capabilities of Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign, students will develop a comprehensive understanding of typography, color theory, photos, layout, blocking, and other design skills. The course also instructs students on creating logos and branding packages, how to create magazine layouts in InDesign, logo and ad design principles, and a step-by-step process for becoming a graphic designer.

Udemy’s Graphic Design Masterclass is available for a one-time purchase price of $169.99 and can be accessed online, on mobile devices, and through the Udemy app. Students get full lifetime access to the course and a certificate of completion at the end of the course. Udemy also offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Unlike Udemy’s previous two courses, the Complete Graphic Design Theory for Beginners Course focuses on graphic design theory and best practices with real-world applications rather than on specific graphic design software. We chose it as the best for beginners because it provides a solid foundation in graphic design with hands-on practice projects.

The Complete Graphic Design Theory for Beginners Course is taught by Lindsay Marsh, the instructor of our runner-up pick, the Graphic Design Masterclass, and Jeremy Deighan, an experienced graphic designer who has taught over 300,000 students online.

The Complete Graphic Design Theory for Beginners Course consists of 10 hours of on-demand video, 15 articles, plus downloadable resources. At the time of writing, the course had nearly 60,000 students already enrolled and over 14,000 reviews with an average of 4.6 stars out of 5. Unlike the previous two Udemy classes we reviewed, students do not need to have access to Photoshop, Illustrator, or InDesign.

Instead, students will gain intermediate- to expert-level knowledge of graphic design theory that can be applied to their careers. The course also covers color theory, photography composition, logo design and branding, and how to follow the proper laws of copyright and trademarks. Finally, students are offered a step-by-step process to becoming a graphic designer along with real-world projects they can follow along with and practice. 

Udemy’s Complete Graphic Design Theory for Beginners Course is available for a one-time purchase price of $149.99 and can be accessed online, on mobile devices, and through the Udemy app. Students get full lifetime access and a certificate of completion at the end of the course. Udemy also offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Skillshare was created in 2010 as an online learning platform where anyone could create classes based on their individual expertise. Now, the platform has a catalog of over 35,000 classes in design, business, tech, and more. We chose it as the best value since it offers a variety of graphic design courses with a limited free membership. Users can also update to a paid membership for an affordable, subscription-based price.

Skillshare offers hundreds of courses in the theory and core principles of graphic design as well as specific platforms, including logo design, 3D illustration, brand identity design, Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Affinity Designer, and more. Courses can be sorted by popularity, time length, or topic.

Every Skillshare course can provide students with feedback on projects, allowing them to put their skills into practice. They can also share and collaborate with a community of over 12 million users. Skillshare courses can be accessed online anytime with the Skillshare app.

Skillshare has a limited number of classes available for free. However, if users want access to Skillshare's full course catalog, they'll need a premium membership, which has a 30-day free trial period. After that, students can purchase a Premium membership for $13.99 per month billed annually or $32 per month billed monthly. In addition to extending course access, a Premium membership also allows students to view each course offline.

A follow-up to Udemy’s Graphic Design Masterclass, the Graphic Design Masterclass: The NEXT Level is ideal for intermediate-level students who want to learn more about digital design and building a portfolio. We chose it as the best for intermediate designers because of its focus on advanced graphic design skills and career building.

The NEXT Level is taught by Lindsay Marsh, the instructor of the beginner-focused Graphic Design Masterclass. At the time of writing, the course had more than 35,000 students already enrolled and over 3,000 reviews with an average rating of 4.7 stars out of 5.       

The NEXT Level consists of 17 hours of on-demand video and 29 downloadable resources. Students who enroll should have a basic working knowledge of Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign, and access to Adobe Creative Cloud version 5.5 or newer.

In addition to diving deeper into logo, ad, digital, and social media ad design, students will also learn how to use more intermediate tools in Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop and the mechanics of Photoshop editing and manipulation.

In terms of professional development, the course also lets students work through an entire logo design process, including how to export files and present work to clients. It showcases different options for making money by selling creative content and resources, how to create and build a strong graphic design portfolio, and what makes compelling advertising.

Udemy’s Graphic Design Masterclass: The NEXT Level course is available for a one-time purchase price of $139.99 and can be accessed online, on mobile devices, and through the Udemy app. Students get full lifetime access and a certificate of completion at the end of the course. Udemy also offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Udemy’s Digital Design Masterclass for Graphic Designers is designed to help graphic designers expand their skill set and offer more services by mastering digital projects including social media, icon design, web design, and more. We chose it as the best for experienced designers because of its focus on advanced digital design projects.

The Digital Design Masterclass for Graphic Designers is taught by Lindsay Marsh, the instructor of the Graphic Design Masterclass and the Graphic Design Masterclass: The NEXT Level. At the time of writing, the course had nearly 8,000 students already enrolled and over 1,000 reviews with an average rating of 4.7 stars out of 5.       

The Digital Design Masterclass for Graphic Designers consists of 9.5 hours of on-demand video and five downloadable resources. Students who enroll should have a basic working knowledge of Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator.

Students of the course will learn a wide variety of digital design projects like icon design, website layout, digitizing sketches and typography, e-book cover design, social media campaign design, digital display ads, YouTube thumbnail design, and more. The course also covers the basics of WordPress and website design, creating animated gifs and animated display ads, and creating Apple App Store icons and entire icon sets from start to finish.  

Udemy’s Digital Design Masterclass for Graphic Designers is available for a one-time purchase price of $119.99 and can be accessed online, on mobile devices, and through the Udemy app. Students get full lifetime access and a certificate of completion at the end of the course. Udemy also offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Coursera was founded in 2012 by two Stanford University computer science professors who were inspired by their experiences in offering their courses online. Today it serves more than 194 million learners through over 7,000 courses offered worldwide by more than 275 top universities and industry educators. We chose this as the best university-backed course because it gives beginners access to one of the premier programs for studying graphic and print arts in the U.S.

Coursera’s Graphic Design Specialization is taught by five instructors from CalArts (California Institute of the Arts), famous worldwide for its offering of over 70 degree programs in the visual, performing, media, and literary arts. 

This five-course series covers the entirety of graphic design, including fundamentals, typography, image-making, the history of design, and branding. Topics like interface design, motion graphics, and editorial design are also covered, which are not included in most beginner classes.

This course is self-paced, including videos and readings, practice quizzes, graded assignments with peer feedback, graded quizzes with feedback, and graded programming assignments. Students are also required to complete a capstone project showcasing their skills, which they can use for their portfolio.

Coursera’s Graphic Design Specialization course is available for a subscription-based price of $49 per month. Students get a shareable certificate from the university once they've completed the course and capstone project, and they can try the course free for seven days.

In 1995, former Hollywood digital animator and special-effects designer Lynda Weinman created a website to teach web design to her Art Center College students. Following rapid growth, the company was purchased by LinkedIn in 2015 and rebranded as LinkedIn Learning. We chose it as the best graphic design series because it offers a comprehensive learning path that helps students quickly grasp the foundations of graphic design and learn the tools and software used to build design projects.

LinkedIn Learning’s Become a Graphic Designer learning path features 11 courses with over 27 hours of video tutorials from nine separate professional designers and instructors. The series helps students build a solid foundation in the elements of design, explore the design process, and learn the skills needed to build or advance a career as a graphic designer.

Students will complete hands-on exercises in Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign, and will earn a shareable certificate to showcase their achievements. The platform also allows course videos to be downloaded to the LinkedIn Learning mobile app to be viewed anytime.

LinkedIn Learning offers free access for 30 days to all course content in the Become a Graphic Designer learning path. After that, the cost is $19.99 per month paid annually or $39.99 per month paid monthly.