The Right Tools, A Click Away
The best of the best are constantly working to improve their skills and get the right tools to succeed. So when we hear that “the average American spends roughly 11 hours a day in front of a computer screen,” even that isn’t enough. We sometimes get stuck in our own way of working and need to up the ante on our work performance. What better way than to take an online class? Beyond the obvious Photoshop and Lightroom, here are some online courses you might want to take to learn over the winter holiday or even over the course of a few weekends.
Courtesy Udemy
Design Your Own App
This course, which launched last month, allows designers to Build a cool app, starting with designing it in Sketch and then build it from start to finish with Swift and Xcode. With teacher Brian Advent, there are four hours of video to guide you through development steps, image selection and even how to find the right sharing cards for this app design course with Udemy.
Keys to Effective Communication
Communicating with clients is easier said than done, especially when hurdles arise during a creative project. Your digital material needs to be updated, and in top shape, and you need to learn how to listen. In this communications entry-level course with HOW Design University, “you will begin to understand some basic fundamentals when it comes to communicating effectively, and interpersonally as well. Whether you are working in the design business, on a freelance basis, if you are an educator or a student, effective communication and interpersonal commutation can help towards your personal and professional success.”
Courtesy Udemy
Brand Building 101
How does one talk to clients about branding? How does one become a branding expert? This course is packed with strategy that goes beyond logos and identity packages. This course “two branding veterans discuss the common mistakes designers make with branding that sabotage your work before you even get started. They’ll show you how to think about branding and present it to clients on a broader business level, so you’ll gain their enthusiastic support and understanding of its value – which means you can charge what it’s really worth.” Marcia Hoeck and Ed Roach teach this Certificate in Branding course with HOW Design University.
User Experience Design Fundamentals
This course is taught by Joe Natoli, who has roughly 30 years’ experience teaching the UX industry to companies like Conde Nast and Broadridge, teaches designers to think like a customer and bring together the key elements of the user experience. As he writes for this course with Udemy: “It’s not enough to simply have a web presence — you must have a web presence that’s effective to be successful. In this dynamic course Joe will guide you through the critical elements of user experience — strategy, scope, structure, skeleton and surface. As you learn you’ll be able to apply the knowledge Joe teaches in dynamic lab exercises- and later to your own work as a developer or designer.”
Courtesy Udemy
Graphic Design History
This online course looks to the history of graphic design for scholars, beginners or designers looking to beef up their knowledge of the past. This course is also perfect if you are just looking for inspiration. From the history of the printing press to the avant-garde artists and designers who reinvented mass media, everything from typefaces to pictograms and the development of global brands are covered in this seven-session course, which is offered with Kadenze. As Milton Glaser once said: “There are three responses to a piece of design – yes, no, and WOW!” This course will help you tell the difference.