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  Certification Level      AVAILABLE ONLINE 

Graphic Design Course

Learn the art and creative process of communicating ideas and experiences visually using one or more of typography, photography and illustration.

Course Overview

During this course you will learn how to be a professional designer, by learning the fundamentals of graphic design and brand identity while applying various ideas and techniques to your own personal field and medium of choice.

Who is this course best suited for?

This course is very well designed for complete beginners with little to no prior knowledge. It is also great for those involved in the design industry with a basic knowledge of design programs from developers to industrial designers and product designers who wish to become more confident and skilled in leading creative and design work to meet their brand’s needs. The course is based on various specific workshops which aims to provide the student with an overall comprehensive experience of what it takes to be a Graphic Designer.

During the course of this learning experience students will be assigned various creative tasks and projects surrounding: image editing and photo enhancements, creative montages, logo design, Branding and more…

The course includes analog/hands on work, as well as design theory and is tailored towards the interests ad outcome expectations of each student.   Individual mentoring and critique is provided during one-on-one evaluation sessions from a seasoned and professional Graphic Designer.

The program-tool-box introduced during this course include: Adobe creative suite; Procreate; Affinity; Inkscape; Figma; pixlr; Gimp

Download course Syllabus

What will you Learn after this course?

This course is a combination of learning through lectures as well as hands on practical experience through a series of workshops and design tasks.

We will discuss theory, ideology, technique and process exposing yourself to a broad spectrum of subjects to help find your voice as a designer and prepare you for the professional world.

You will work individually as well as collaboratively, learning from your own development by tracking your progress in a visual journal, as well as your classmate’s through a series of presentations, all the while being guided and critiqued by a professional designer.

  • Discover different digital design platforms and how to use them in a multidisciplinary approach;
  • Design illustrations and creative montages  and learn how to create photo enhancements and edit your own images;
  • Create your own custom mood boards, posters, designs and Logos
  • Learn about typography and how to win in a world full of text
  • Build a recognizable Brand identity

Important: Each student is required to be in possession of his own laptop

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Lesson Plan

Part 1: Fundamentals in Graphic Design

Lessons 1 & 2:  New media, culture & technologies

Design influences and is influenced by culture, and communicates ideas through a variety of media and technology. So what encapsulates the spectrum of graphic design? Where did it come from? And where it is going?

We will be discussing these areas as well as personal ideologies such as – what
graphic design means to you? Where do you want to be in the near future? How can you take steps towards it from now?

Finally we will take a look at some software & media options to find the one which is best suited to you, and how you will use it throughout this course.

All progress will be written and kept in a visual journal which we will also see some examples of.

Lesson 3: Creative processes & creative thinking

As a designer you will constantly be asked to come up with creative solutions to problems on the spot, rather than waiting for inspiration to hit randomly. This is why it is valuable to understand the theories behind creative thinking, where we will explore useful tools to help thinking and problem solving in a lateral way, finishing with a group workshop to use these tools first hand.

Lesson 4: Marketing & advertising design

Marketing and advertising is all around us, we are constantly being  bombarded with white noise of endless marketing and advertising. Weather you are interested in specializing in this field or not, you will regardless be using these forms of design either in your own personal ventures or your client’s at some point or an other. This doesn’t have to be what you imagine the topic to be in a conventional sense though, and in this section we will explore various ideas which confirm and challenge our preconceptions.

Lessons 5 & 6: Photo-montage

Graphic design is sometimes about taking existing ingredients and creating
something new from them – images, fonts, colours, logos: many-a-time they already exist and our job is to make something new from them. Photo-manipulation and photo-montage do just that, and through a stack of old magazines and mixed media workshop we will familiarize ourselves with some fundamentals of image creation such as layering, copying, empty/negative space, perspective, scale, repetition & symmetry. We will also get to create a more planned project, with individual guidance and critique.

Lessons 7-8: Lens-based media

After using existing images we are now ready to learn fundamentals about how images and moving images are created from planning to shooting to editing. We will also understand what makes a good image, and expose ourselves to how designers, photographers, videographers and directors make the best use of this medium in their works.You will also be given a task for class discussion and critique.

Lessons 9-10: Design structure

No matter how simple the design, it is the unseen construction behind it which separates the good from the great; namely a solid understanding and execution of Grids, Hierarchy & Composition. We will also explore more universal theories such as Golden Ratios and Rule of thirds through classical and modern examples, and finally, after we have learnt the rules we will explore how to break them. We will experiment with these theories hands-on through a structure workshop and individual task for class discussion and critique.

Lessons 11-12: Colour theory

Any visual artform requires some sort of basic knowledge in colour theory, and graphic design is no different. We will take a look at the physical aspects of colour, the social connotations, examples of noteworthy colour combinations as well as the technical aspects most faced by graphic designers such as Pantones, cmyk & rgb.

We will also experiment in a workshop with your chosen application / medium with individual critique.

Part 2: Design Methods - Brand Identity

Lesson 13: Design methods

The problems a designer will be asked to solve are varied, but the process in finding a solution follows a very similar structure. We will discuss in a group session what you think should be included in your own design process and then compare to some tried and true methods. We will also discuss how to better understand the client brief, industry and audience – What is important for you as a designer vs what is important for the client / audience to see

Lessons 14 & 15: Reverse engineering & presenting workshop

Every decision you make as a designer needs purpose, and following our design methods class we have a good idea of the process involved in making a good design. Here is where we will attempt to work backwards, by taking a finished design and decoding what we think the rational was behind its success. We will also discuss how some less successful designs could have been improved and how to critique in a constructive way.

We will then use these skills for personal tasks where we will practice some
presenting skills as well.

Lesson 16: Symbols & visual communication

The symbols we recognise in our everyday lives without needing any explanation is astounding. We have created an image-based language which has the potential to be universal; but what is actually common worldwide, and what are those symbols which we need to be more careful with? Different cultures have different sensitivities and perception, which also changes according to the context within which these symbols live. What do we need to look for when designing symbols?

What can we learn from successes and failures of existing one?

Lessons 17 & 18: Logomarks & logotypes

When we say ‘logo’ we think of one thing, but there are many sub-categories of logos which exist which help us to identify which route to take in the beginning phases of logo development. Here we will take a look at various logo-design routes and start the process of creating our own mark through a guided workshop.

Lessons 19 & 20: Brand application

When we say ‘branding’ we usually imagine a logo, but a brand is so much more than just its logo. This section is all about how we can communicate a brand’s identity through so many other avenues. We will discuss consistency – about why it is valuable but also similarly overrated, and how one can navigate these constructs in a professional and tasteful way. Finally we will create some hands on pieces with guidance and critique

Lessons 21 & 22: Final presentations

This is the opportunity for each student to prepare a presentation discussing their journey throughout this course, where we will have a session dedicated to guidance in preparation for the presentations, as well as an other session for the presentations themselves. Here you will have the opportunity to learn how to communicate your ideas as well as learn from the different experiences from your classmate’s and open your horizons to possibilities you did not see before

Enrollment deadline elapsed but places still remain

Enroll
Upcoming Commencement Date: 15th May 2021
Next Commencement: 2nd October 2021 Enroll here

Dates and Times

Day & Time: Every Saturday 9AM-12PM

Duration: 11 weeks (33 hours)

Entry Level

Level: All Levels. No prior knowledge required

Course Fees

Course Fee: 389eu


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What our students are saying

Its a very interesting seminar, and the way it was explained the Golden Ratio it looks very simple and very important.

After attending the Golden Ratio course with Stefan PriehybaCharles Zammit

Amazing seminar and workshop on the Golden Ratio with Stefan Priehyba. Well done to the team for your professionalism. It was highly enlightening and i thoroughly enjoyed it. Looking forward to more.

Sonia BorgAfter attending the Golden Proportions

Thank you AKartistry for the professional organisation. The topic was inspiring and truly interesting, we had a pleasant time.

Gabriella MalliaAfter attending the Golden Proportions

Thumbs up for Graphic Design course! Very professional.

Dennis KasapGraphic Design and Branding student | 16/12/2019

My daughter really loves attending her lessons with ms Kelsey. I also attended 2 adult courses one with Kelsey and with Stefan.Great tutors I am very happy and thankful for offering us with such great courses!

Carmen AgiusAfter attending the Beginner Art programme

Thanks a lot, I'm very grateful for attending your workshps Štefan Priehyba Camilleri, was a great experience and very interesting. You really have a good way of explaining and delivering such knowledge. And also a big thanks to Kelsey and Andrei of Art Classes Malta too for making it happen. 🙂

Raisa BusuttilAfter attending the Golden Proportions course

I am truly enjoying coming to the course , I adore your work ! 😍Thank you for the experience you share with us!. Many thanks 😘

Gina Laura SalibaAfter attending the Watercolour beginner's course

Loved every second going to these lessons. Its hard to find such intelligent and skilled teachers here in Malta! Please keep organizing more courses for us adults.

Raymond BorgAfter attending the Beginner Art programme and Big Scale Anatomy course

I truly recommend Art Classes. Kurt Bullock is an excellent teacher. Enjoyed every second of the course. Highly recommended

Krista BugejaAfter attending the Calligraphy and Lettering course

Great tutors, would recommend to anyone that wants to develop their drawing and painting skills or just spend some time doing what they enjoy.

Alison RogersAfter attending the Classical Realism and Big Scale Anatomy courses

For those art lovers out there, Art Classes provides the right environment where you can indulge in learning about real art. If you’re hooked on classical and fine art, this is the place to be.

Paul FarrugiaAfter attending the Classical Realism Introductory course and the Life Portrait Painting specialization course

It was an amazing workshop! looking forward to the next 🙂

Sephora BaldacchinoAfter attending the Golden Proportions

Thank you 😊 Great opportunity. Loved every moment. 💚Ready for more😊😊 hope to work with you all very soon. Xxx

Stephanie CalascioneAfter attending the Golden Proportions

Art Classes Malta is a very good and professional school in Malta. I loved the courses of Painting and Classical Realism. The tutors were amazing and the level and depth of these courses is unparalleled locally. I have enrolled for another course in Interior Design.. looking forward for this new experience as well!

Eman BusuttilAfter attending the Beginner Art programme and Classical Realism course

Nice environment, smiling people, valuable teaching. Lovely!!

Roberto PrestigiacomoAttended the Classical Realism course

I'm enjoying the Interior Design class! Ritianne is great, and very sweet! Thank you!

Maria MauriziAttended the Interior Design and Architecture course

Nice enviroment, great availability, interesting selection of courses and excellent attitude of the teachers 🙂

Natália MartišovičováGraphic Design and Branding student | 10/02/2020

Location:

72, Spiteri Fremond Street, Qormi. Get Directions

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