60 Totally Free Lessons in Graphic Design Theory

Looking to expand your knowledge? Check out this round-up of top lessons on graphic design theory and free graphic design courses online!

We can't stress how essential it's to learn the fundamentals of design. The internet has made it easy for us to share information and learn new skills. Today, we've put together a list of free graphic design theory lessons for you.

We often see only the result of a design process and not much of the behind-the-scenes work. We often wonder about the 'why' and 'how' of the process. These 60 excellent graphic design theory lessons will help you understand the process a bit better.

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Jump to courses in these categories:

• Typography
• Grid-Based Design
• Color Theory
• Design Theory
• UI & Usability
• Best Online Graphic Design Courses (Free)
• Free Adobe Creative Cloud Courses
• Explore Graphic Design Articles, Resources, and More!

Typography

1. The Ultimate Guide to Typography

2. How to Use Variable Fonts on the Web

3. How to Use Color Fonts on the Web

Looking to use more than one solid color in your next web design project? This tutorial shows you how to use different colors per glyph, which will give you a fun result. Visit Lesson

4. A Brief History of Display Fonts

5. How to Combine Fonts, How Not To, and the Best Font Combinations

6. A Brief History of Type

7. How to Improve the Accessibility of Fonts and Typography in Your Designs

8. The Different Types of Fonts: When to Use Each Font Type and When Not

9. The Rise of the Sans Serif

10. 3 Tips to Help You Avoid Bad Web Typography

If you're a visual learner who prefers videos, then you need to check out the Envato Tuts+ YouTube channel for amazing content like this:

Grid-Based Design

1. How to Design With Grids and Break Them

2. How to Create a Bauhaus Poster in Adobe InDesign

3. How to Make Icons

So you’ve mastered grids, and now you're wondering how you can take it up another notch? This tutorial is perfect if you're looking to create your own icons. This thorough article will show you how to carry out icon research, how to choose the right size, and how to make it pixel perfect. Visit Lesson

4. Finding Inspiration in Graphic Design History: 5 Aesthetics to Inspire Your Next Project

Throughout design history, there have been multiple styles that adopted the grid as their own. One of them is the International Typographic Style. Learn more about the Swiss Style, which used the grid to organize content. Visit Lesson

5. How to Create a Professional Magazine Layout

6. Illustrator in 60 Seconds: The Perspective Grid

7. Quick Tip: How to Create an Isometric Grid in Less Than 2 Minutes!

Isometric vectors are an awesome trend of illustration that look hard to create but are in fact super easy. In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to create a rectangular grid to use as a base for your vectors. Visit Lesson

8. How to Create a Newsletter Template in InDesign

9. How to Create a 60s Retro Flyer Design

10. A Comprehensive Introduction to Grids in Web Design

Color Theory

1. The 5 Problems With Fundamental Color Theory

2. Creating Graphic Design and Illustration for Color Blind People

3. 10 Best Logo Colour Schemes & Combinations (With Examples)

4. Photoshop in 60 Seconds: RGB vs. CMYK

5. Advanced Color Theory: What Is Color Management?

6. Accessibility Basics: Designing for Visual Impairment

7. The Ultimate Guide to Adobe Illustrator Swatches

8. Why You Should Avoid Vibrating Color Combinations

9. An Introduction to Color Theory for Web Designers

10. 6 Beginner “Safety First” Color Guidelines for the Web

Design Theory

1. The Basic Elements of Design

2. 65 Design Terms You Should Know

3. Become a Better Designer by Exploring Universal Beauty: Myth vs. Reality

Have you wondered what’s considered beautiful around the world? This article touches on the concept of beauty, where it comes from, and how this idea shapes us as designers. Visit Lesson

8. Why Design Matters To Your Business

9. How Apple Ended Up Leading the Icon Design Trends

10. Prototyping in Design Thinking: Fail Fast, Fail Often

UI & Usability

1. Usability Testing Methods: The Benefits of Face-to-Face Tests

2. How to be a Design Usability Champ

3. An Introduction to Remote Usability Testing

4. Why Dark UI Patterns Are Bad for Business

5. 8 Golden Rules for Better Interface Design

6. UX/UI Kits to Speed Up Your Design Process

7. UX in 60 Seconds: Using Component Libraries

8. Create Amazing Prototypes in No Time with the Envato Elements Sketch Plugin

9. 5 Easy Rules for Mobile UI Design Beginners

10. The Best Free Figma Resources: Templates, Icons, UI Kits, and More

Best Online Graphic Design Courses (Free)

Learn about the fundamentals of graphic design by watching these top graphic design free courses from the Envato Tuts+ YouTube channel:

1. The Principles of Design

The principles of design are a set of rules that can help you create visually pleasing work. Learn everything about it in this graphic design video course.

2. The Basic Elements of Design

In this free graphic design course, we’ll dive into the basic elements of design that can help you improve your content creation skills and communicate successfully.

3. Rules of Composition

In this graphic design video course, you’ll learn the key principles of composition and some techniques you can apply across any visual work. You'll also get tips on creating great compositions.

4. Design Styles Across the Decades

The only constant in the design world is the changing trends. Take a look back in time to explore era-defining design trends in this online graphic design course for free.

5. Color Theory for Beginners

In this graphic design video course, you’ll learn the basics of the color wheel, how to combine colors that look good together by creating a color palette, how and when to use RGB and CMYK, and how to use color theory for branding.

6. 65 Design Terms You Should Know

Design has its own language, and understanding key design terms will help you communicate your ideas clearly. This graphic design lesson features a rundown of 65 design terms you should know.

7. The Ultimate Guide to Typography

Typography is an essential area of graphic design. Do you know the difference between a typeface and a font? Tracking and kerning? Learn everything you need to know in this ultimate free graphic design course.

Free Adobe Creative Cloud Courses

Ever wanted to learn how to use the most popular design software? It's never too late to start! Check out these complete Adobe Creative Cloud courses especially crafted for beginners:

1. Adobe Photoshop Course for Beginners

This Adobe Photoshop course takes you from beginner to pro in 23 lessons exploring all the essential Photoshop tools and techniques. Learn how to use Photoshop layer styles, how to change color levels, how to retouch and manipulate images, and much more.

2. Adobe Illustrator Course for Beginners

Learn how to use this powerful software in this free Adobe Illustrator course. Start by mastering the Illustrator basics, and then learn to create effects, patterns, and more.

3. Adobe InDesign Course for Beginners

This Adobe InDesign course will teach you everything you need to get started using this software. So, if you’ve never opened InDesign before, or you’ve opened it and struggled, join this course and learn the easy way to make beautiful design work in Adobe InDesign.

Explore Graphic Design Articles, Resources, and More!

Understanding design principles and the essential tools you can work with is important. Sometimes we want to run before we walk, and that can open you up to mistakes. Learning the basic graphic design lessons is important, not only to apply to projects but to also communicate and educate clients. We hope these free graphic design articles are as useful for you as they are for us!

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