Course description

Asked to "just make a poster" and not sure why yours never looks quite right? Good design isn't a gift you either have or don't: it follows principles you can learn. This course teaches you how to make posters, leaflets, social posts and slides that are clear, readable and professional, whichever design program you use.

It's a full course, not a few quick tips. There are 10 sections and 50 written lessons, each with precise before-and-after examples, a worked example and a practical task. Every section has a practice pack with example designs as PDFs, templates, checklists and model answers to compare your work with. Throughout the course you follow Lotte, who takes over the design work at a small independent cinema and ends up producing a full festival campaign.

What you'll learn

• Principles: hierarchy, contrast, alignment, proximity, repetition, balance and white space.
• Layout: paper and screen sizes, margins, columns, grids and cropping images.
• Typography: choosing and pairing typefaces, size, line spacing, kerning and readable small print.
• Colour: schemes, palettes, contrast for accessibility, and RGB, hex and CMYK.
• Images: composition, copyright and permissions, icons, resolution and file formats, simple charts.
• Branding: logos, brand guidelines and templates for consistent everyday design.
• Print and screen: bleed, safe areas, proofs, social media graphics and accessible design.
• Working to a brief: research, mood boards, thumbnails, feedback and presenting your work.

Who this course is for

• Anyone who makes posters, leaflets or social posts at work without design training.
• Small business owners, charity staff and volunteers who want their materials to look professional.
• Beginners thinking about a creative career who want solid foundations.

The course is tool-neutral: it works with any design program, free or paid. It finishes with a final project in which you design a festival poster, leaflet and social posts from a real-style brief.

What will I learn?

• Use hierarchy, contrast, alignment and white space to make designs clear
• Lay out pages on a grid with sensible margins and image crops
• Choose, pair and set type so it is easy to read
• Build a colour palette and check contrast for accessibility
• Use images legally and choose the right file type and resolution
• Work within brand guidelines and build reusable templates
• Prepare print-ready artwork with bleed and check a proof
• Work from a brief to finished designs for print and social media

Frequently asked questions