Are you looking for advanced graphic design online courses for self-improvement?
Keen to learn new techniques, skills and upgrade your CV with more advanced experiences?
Is a limited budget holding you back?
Perhaps, you can’t commit to regular hours if signing up for a fixed scheduled course?
In our visual world, graphic designers’ advanced skills are becoming more and more important to create the best work possible.
This doesn’t mean you need to enroll at expensive colleges or universities, or even worse, have to go back to school.
There are other ways and means to study and sign up for an online course.
In this article, we are going to introduce Udemy, a very well known eLearning website.
We have also outlined the ten best advanced graphic design online courses available.
They are not in a specific order of preference or rating, but you’ll see the vast range of options available and hopefully, you’ll find a course that ticks all your boxes.
Quick Links
1. Graphic Design Bootcamp: Advanced Training Using Adobe CC
This course is perfect for intermediate designers familiar with Adobe programs.
Course material covers Photoshop, Lightroom, Illustration & InDesign
Course content includes designing for the web and also how to start your own business.
Learn how to find and experiment with industry trends.
Learn how to become a successful freelancer.
Includes 5 hours of video instruction
Pros & Benefits:
- Compatible with Mac and PC
- Includes real-world knowledge and experience from past students
- Private Facebook page for enrolled students
- Advanced learning in digital and print formats
- Accessible by mobile or TV
2. Graphic Design Masterclass – Learn GREAT Design
This course is great for anyone looking for a greater understanding of typography, the history of fonts, and font pairing.
It also covers color theory and the balancing of design layouts.
The course makes use of all Adobe programs.
Great for anyone wanting to learn about logo and packaging design.
Includes extensive downloadable resources.
Pros & Benefits:
- Course updated almost every month
- Includes bonus material
- Includes additional course “Discover your Design Niche”
- 21.5 hrs of videos
- Includes top tips from a pro designer
3. Adobe InDesign CC – Advanced Training Course
Note that this course is great for those looking to enhance and build on their existing knowledge of InDesign.
Learn the art of professional color proofing for print and web.
Learn how to create interactive documents.
Build on your illustration skills.
Learn how to create new colors.
Learn advanced typography tricks using Typekit & Opentype fonts
Pros & Benefits:
- Market yourself as an Advanced InDesign User on your CV
- 56 downloadable resources
- Learn all the keyboard shortcuts
4. Digital Design Masterclass For Graphic Designers
This course is great for those focusing purely on digital design.
Learn to design a digital campaign from scratch.
Master the art of creating animated GIFs.
Learn how to digitize sketches and create digital display ads.
The course includes the basics of WordPress as well as plug-ins and basic page design.
This course will arm you with all the knowledge required for a digital designer in the modern-day and age.
Pros & Benefits:
- Fully focused on digital design.
- 9.5 hours of video
- Be updated with current digital trends
- Includes practical and theory
5. The Ultimate 2D/3D Photoshop & Graphic Design Course
Learn the art of 2D/3D design.
The course includes face retouching and animation techniques.
The course also includes creating 3D video introductions using Photoshop.
Learn the art of effective photo editing by creating special effects.
Learn the art of special movie effects and 3d titles and banners.
Pros & Benefits:
- Includes 5 downloadable articles
- 37 resources available at all times
- 2.5 hours of on-demand video
6. Graphic Design Elements: Color Theory and Application
Become a pro with the use of color fundamentals.
Learn the art of color theory, interaction, and harmony.
Create professional color palettes and mood boards.
Learn the art of color management for on-screen and print.
Pros & Benefits:
- 17 downloadable resources
- 2.5 hours of video
- Become a pro with all elements of the color system
- Practical assignments
- Accessible by mobile or TV
7. Creative design -Develop Innovative Ideas: Be a Creative Pro
Perfect for those ready to expand on their basic graphic design skills.
Great for bloggers, social media graphics, YouTubers, and small business owners.
This course covers artwork covers and design for social media channels.
Improve your creative thinking process.
Build on your experience in designing flyers, resume’s and posters.
Learn to make GIF’s in 5 minutes.
Moreover, Learn to build a website in just 20 mins.
Pros & Benefits:
- Content provided in English and Hindi
- Become a freelance designer
- 4 hours of on-demand video
8. Adobe Illustrator CC – Advanced Training Course
Perfect for anyone looking to advance their existing Illustrator knowledge as this course goes into great depth and detail.
Learn to create and play with different tones and color combinations.
Build on your text skills with 3D styles and custom lettering.
Learn how to vectorize hand-drawn lettering.
Create and design your own personal Instagram filters.
Improve your workflow and productivity.
Pros & Benefits:
- 2 downloadable resources
- 9.5 hours on-demand video
- Upgrade yourself to an advanced user on completion of the course
- 53 lectures
- Additional content included
9. Adobe Photoshop CC – Advanced Training Course
Perfect for anyone who wants to advance their existing Photoshop skills and knowledge.
Learn to retouch and create perfect skin tones.
Learn the art of sky replacement.
Create animations for social media.
Discover TypeKit and become a font junkie.
Create and manipulate cartoon characters.
Learn how to edit videos.
Learn the art of creating amazing cinemagraphs.
Pros & Benefits:
- 70 downloadable resources
- 16 hours on-demand video
- Upgrade yourself to an advanced Photoshop user on completion of the course
- Create an eye-catching portfolio as you work through the course
10. Graphic Design Masterclass Intermediate: The NEXT Level
Perfect for anyone looking to advance their graphic design skills.
Content covers all Adobe design programs, Creative Cloud versions preferred.
Create unique logo designs and branding elements.
Learn the necessary business skills required for a new business start-up.
Learn the art of creative advertising that stands out from the clutter.
Turn boring data into compelling and exciting infographics.
Create a full digital marketing campaign from start to finish for social media.
Build and create an amazing portfolio that can be used online as well as a hard copy.
Pros & Benefits:
- 25 downloadable resources
- 14 hours on-demand video
- Course content involves working in all Adobe programs
- New content added frequently
What Is Udemy and How Helpful Is It?
Udemy is currently one of the largest and popular eLearning websites.
They offer a fantastic range of online courses.
These courses are suitable for anyone who would prefer studying on their own time.
Founded in 2007, they have students that have enrolled from over 190 countries around the globe.
With the courses downloadable onto any device, the content is accessible anywhere in the world.
Available at any time, you can access the course material whether wherever you are.
These courses allow you to work at your own pace and with all course material downloadable.
This would mean that you can stop at any time and pick up where you left off when it suits you.
Once you’ve signed up, the course material is yours for life.
So you can go back any time should you need a refresher, or perhaps need to access a certain section of the course.
The courses are also regularly updated with new content which falls under your purchase.
So, no further payments are required and you will have full access to the new additional notes.
Udemy also offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.
If you you think the course isn’t right for you, you’ll receive a full refund and you’re able to choose another course that is more suitable to your interests.
Often, these courses are on special.
They sometimes offer more than a 50% discount.
So you’re guaranteed cost savings on any course you choose.
Every penny saved these days helps, right?
Udemy’s Classes and Instructors
Each course is created by one or two instructors who also present the content throughout its duration.
These instructors are well trained in their specific profession and are the narrative across all your course notes.
They often come from a creative background, such as advertising agencies and branding companies.
The instructors have experience in managing a team of creatives in the workplace.
Some even run well-established businesses that provide marketing and advertising services to a wide range of blue-chip companies and global brands.
With the focus on advanced graphic design, Udemy gives you around 10,000 results when you search this field on their website.
That’s a huge choice on offer.
And with so many fields falling under “graphic design” it could be a bit overwhelming choosing the right course for you.
Whether you’re a complete novice or an advanced, professional designer, there’s something on offer for everyone.
And whether you work in Adobe programs or Corel Draw, you’re covered too.
If you are looking to expand your skill set and move into a different field, you can also sign up for a wide range of design genres.
Enhancing and building on your graphic design skills will enable you to better communicate your brand to your target market with outstanding graphics and visuals.
You’ll also arm yourself with top-notch technical skills.
Not only that, you can demonstrate core competencies enabling you to communicate your ideas effectively.
Building brands is key in this modern, digital world of ours and competition is fierce.
The more skilled you are, the more in demand you will be.
Luckily, Udemy is a marketplace full of options and choices.
Thanks to the continuous offering of discounts off their prices, you could easily purchase more than one course.
So there’s always a good deal to take advantage of.
How To Choose The Right Course?
Note that there are plenty of options to choose from but at the end of the day.
The best choice will be what suits you based on your skill level.
Don’t choose an advanced course if you don’t yet have good knowledge and experience at a basic level.
Rather build on that before you move onto advanced levels some of the modules go into extensive detail.
When you’re prepared to sign up for an advanced course with Udemy, you’ll soon see there are options available for any budget.
Udemy is also a great option for companies looking to upskill their staff using quality content and course material, but without a big price tag.
The Udemy website is super easy to navigate, and with the additional filters available, you’re able to narrow the options down to almost pinpoint accuracy.
And with the focus all about e-learning, you have no worries about committing to class attendance as all content is available around the clock.
Technical difficulties are few and far between, so you’re pretty much guaranteed glitch-free video viewing and downloading.
Once you’ve paid for and gained access to the course content, you’re able to access this content for life.
It is great if you need to review an article or certain module later on.
Once you have completed all the modules, assignments, projects, and lectures, you will be awarded a certificate of completion.
However, Udemy is not considered an accredited institution.
Your certificate can in no way hold the same weight as a diploma or university qualification.
Nonetheless, it shows and proves that you have attended the course and will list what subjects, genres, and skills you are now competent in.
If your budget allows, try and sign up for a course with a wide variety of topics covered.
Example Niches for Graphic Design
Graphic design is a massive umbrella, with a myriad of genres under it.
This is also a suitable method of studying to help you find your preferred niche.
There is an endless number of graphic designers out there.
Such as, business owners to creative teams employed by advertising agencies, branding companies, and social media content providers.
If you’re still unsure what specific type of graphic design you would like to become your specialty, consider the following:
- Corporate identity and branding
- Packaging design
- Font development
- Building websites
- Social media banners and graphics
- Stationery design
- Publication design
- Fabric patterns
- Motion graphic design
- Marketing and advertising
The options are vast, but at the end of the day, all you need is an eye for a balanced layout and some creative flair.
These come naturally for some, and with enhancement and expanding on these talents in the form of line, color, value, shape, texture, space, and form, you will become an invaluable artist in your chosen field.
It’s a cut-throat industry.
That’s why the more skill and knowledge you can arm yourself with, the better your chances are of snapping up that job or launching a successful business.
The advantage of some of these courses is the additional modules that teach you to become a freelancer.
Definitely most of you would love to work for yourself.
Final Thoughts
Kickstarting any business is not an easy road, but it’s undoubtedly doable armed with the correct knowledge and guidance.
And while certain industries seem to be gravitating toward more robotic means, you can rest in the knowledge that graphic design is human-based and could never be replaced.
That creative mind of yours will always be in demand, and your career is pretty much future-proofed.
So, working at upskilling yourself in this creative field as the world becomes digital can only benefit you.
Think about how often you sit scrolling through social media or searching the web, or reading a magazine.
Visual communication is everywhere.
Design is everything.
The digital age is in our faces 24/7, so graphic design is a skill that is huge in demand.
With digital trends changing all the time, this means that your chance to grow within the industry is limitless.
Those basic design skills can lead you to a spiderweb of career paths.
It’s all about growing and developing yourself.
Take advantage of these advanced graphic design online courses.
Learn to adapt and stay ahead of the curve and keep up with current trends.
Don’t get left behind.
The world is your oyster, keep moving with it.
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