Visual Design Basics

Course overview

Visual Design Basics is a self-paced beginner course that introduces you to the basics of visual design and visual communication. The course is designed for beginners and focuses on helping you make clear and intentional design decisions using colour, typography, images and layout.

Through practical exercises you learn how visual elements work together to create effective and meaningful designs. The course covers the basics of colour, typography, image selection, composition, layout, visual hierarchy, and designing for different formats such as posters and social media.

Who is this course for

The course is suitable for you if you want to improve your visual communication skills, whether for work, studies, personal projects, or social media. No previous experience in design or formal design education is required.

What you will learn

In this course, you will learn the fundamentals of visual design and how to make clear, intentional design choices that support your message.

You will explore how colour, typography, images, and layout work together to create effective visual communication. Through practical exercises, you will learn how to create colour palettes, choose suitable typefaces and images, build clear layouts, and guide the viewer's attention using visual hierarchy, spacing, and alignment.

You will also learn how to adapt a visual concept for different formats, such as posters and social media posts, while considering readability, accessibility, and your target audience.

By the end of the course, you will have the confidence and practical skills to create simple visual communication materials independently and evaluate your own design choices.

Study format and schedule

Study flexibly from anywhere. This non-stop course is delivered entirely online. The study period runs from September 2026 to July 2027.