Top 5 Design Courses You Should Be Taking In 2023
Summary
Embarking on your design journey necessitates a diverse range of skills. There are a wide variety of highly recommended, cohort-based online design courses available to help you develop your design aptitude. Whether you aim to excel at using Figma or aspire to craft an impressive design portfolio, let's delve into what these curated courses bring to your learning table.
Level Up With Figma
⭐️ 9.8 (23 ratings)
"Level Up with Figma" is a four-week, cohort-based course hosted by Joey Banks that covers all features of Figma, an industry-leading design tool.
What to Expect?
This course is intended for anyone, from novices to experienced designers, who want to understand the tool's fundamentals and its advanced features such as responsive design and design systems.
Students can expect to gain a solid understanding of the basics, including navigating the Figma interface, arranging design elements, and managing teams, projects, and files.
They will also learn advanced techniques and time-saving features like Auto Layout, components creation, variants, component properties, and plenty of keyboard shortcuts.
The course delves into how to make, organize, and publish component libraries, turning students into Figma experts on their teams. It also emphasizes community and feedback through regular office hours, feedback sessions, and built-in community tools.
Students can expect to gain a solid understanding of the basics, including navigating the Figma interface, arranging design elements, and managing teams, projects, and files.
They will also learn advanced techniques and time-saving features like Auto Layout, components creation, variants, component properties, and plenty of keyboard shortcuts.
The course delves into how to make, organize, and publish component libraries, turning students into Figma experts on their teams. It also emphasizes community and feedback through regular office hours, feedback sessions, and built-in community tools.
What Do People Think of This Course?
A student named Addison Marchese testified, "Everyone on our team now has a thorough understanding of Auto Layout and Components- we actually built our internal Design System while taking the class. Even for more experienced designers there were still so many tricks and shortcuts we learned."
Another student, TG Khalil, described the course as "one of the most remarkable learning experiences I have been fortunate enough to undergo."
Another student, TG Khalil, described the course as "one of the most remarkable learning experiences I have been fortunate enough to undergo."
Design System Bootcamp
⭐️ 9.7 (46 ratings)
"Design System Bootcamp" is a 4-week, cohort-based course hosted by Molly Hellmuth, creator of UI Prep.
What to Expect?
This bootcamp is designed to empower you to build a design system using Figma, mastering its most advanced features and workflows. The course format includes bite-sized independent projects, demo videos, resources, live office hours, and a community chat for support.
By the end, you'll have built an entire design system, proficient in advanced Figma features such as auto layout, variants, and properties. You'll also understand the benefits of various Figma workflows and how they can best serve your product and team.
The course fosters a community of learning where you can connect with, share feedback, and form lasting relationships with fellow designers.
By the end, you'll have built an entire design system, proficient in advanced Figma features such as auto layout, variants, and properties. You'll also understand the benefits of various Figma workflows and how they can best serve your product and team.
The course fosters a community of learning where you can connect with, share feedback, and form lasting relationships with fellow designers.
What Do People Think of This Course?
A student testimonial from Mariana Johnels, Senior Design Manager, notes: "Molly helped train my team of 27 designers with varying levels of Figma experience. Her way of communicating and guiding the team through the exercises was very practical, useful, and successful."
Mastering the Art of Product Iconography
⭐️ 9.7 (13 ratings)
"Mastering the Art of Product Iconography" is a three-week, cohort-based course hosted by Bonnie Kate Wolf, an accomplished freelance icon designer whose clients include renowned brands like Netflix, Airbnb, Chanel, and more.
What to Expect?
This course provides a comprehensive understanding of crafting and maintaining product icon systems. It starts from the fundamentals of icon design to constructing your own unique icon set.
The students learn to apply brand principles, create cohesion within an icon system, utilize Figma for illustration, and build specialist knowledge that they can bring back to their teams.
The course concludes with a project where students prepare their bespoke icon set for production, ultimately having a portfolio piece to demonstrate their mastery.
The students learn to apply brand principles, create cohesion within an icon system, utilize Figma for illustration, and build specialist knowledge that they can bring back to their teams.
The course concludes with a project where students prepare their bespoke icon set for production, ultimately having a portfolio piece to demonstrate their mastery.
What Do People Think of This Course?
According to a testimonial from a UX Designer at ResMed, this course is an enlightening experience, providing not just skills in iconography but also lessons in branding, team collaboration, and successful file setup.
Another student, a Product Designer at Ravn, commends the quality content, challenging projects, and valuable feedback that enhanced her skills.
This course is perfect for those aiming to become icon experts in their teams or for anyone interested in the art of product iconography.
Another student, a Product Designer at Ravn, commends the quality content, challenging projects, and valuable feedback that enhanced her skills.
This course is perfect for those aiming to become icon experts in their teams or for anyone interested in the art of product iconography.
Become a Visual Trendsetter
"Become a Visual Trendsetter" is a four-week, cohort-based course hosted by Fons Mans, a Dutch designer known for his unique style and innovative designs.
What to Expect?
This course is designed to empower designers with the ability to create striking, timeless visual languages for brand, marketing, product, web, and other design projects.
The comprehensive curriculum includes video instructions, bite-sized theory, practical exercises, live office hours, feedback rounds, community chat, and support, as well as access to template files.
By the end of the course, students will have a complete framework for ideating, creating, and maintaining visual languages. The lessons are complemented by practice projects, which offer an opportunity to apply the newly learned frameworks.
The comprehensive curriculum includes video instructions, bite-sized theory, practical exercises, live office hours, feedback rounds, community chat, and support, as well as access to template files.
By the end of the course, students will have a complete framework for ideating, creating, and maintaining visual languages. The lessons are complemented by practice projects, which offer an opportunity to apply the newly learned frameworks.
Hands-on Approach
Students can also receive feedback from Fons and other community members on their design progress. The course aims to overcome creative challenges such as starting a design project, visualizing ideas, and explaining visual decisions.
As an added perk, students get access to design and documentation templates that can be used as a starting point for course assignments and future projects. The course ultimately aims to help designers become trendsetters in visual language creation.
As an added perk, students get access to design and documentation templates that can be used as a starting point for course assignments and future projects. The course ultimately aims to help designers become trendsetters in visual language creation.
Design a Winning Portfolio
⭐️ 9.4 (7 ratings)
"Design a Winning Portfolio" is a dynamic, two-week cohort-based course that equips participants with the tools and philosophy needed to create a compelling design portfolio.
Instructors Pascal Potvin and Mitchell Bernstein bring a combined 27 years of experience in multimedia, AI, and crypto design to the table, delivering actionable insights that are proven to attract recruiters.
Instructors Pascal Potvin and Mitchell Bernstein bring a combined 27 years of experience in multimedia, AI, and crypto design to the table, delivering actionable insights that are proven to attract recruiters.
What to Expect?
This course is designed to increase professional fulfillment, provide clarity, and alleviate feelings of running out of time or being overwhelmed by distractions.
Through the course, participants learn to dismantle mental blockades, identify their unique selling propositions, and turn their purpose into their dream job.
The course features live workshops, hands-on projects, and interaction with other learners, providing a comprehensive and collaborative learning environment.
Participants will learn industry secrets, craft a standout portfolio, increase recruiter responses, and boost their confidence.
Through the course, participants learn to dismantle mental blockades, identify their unique selling propositions, and turn their purpose into their dream job.
The course features live workshops, hands-on projects, and interaction with other learners, providing a comprehensive and collaborative learning environment.
Participants will learn industry secrets, craft a standout portfolio, increase recruiter responses, and boost their confidence.
What Do People Think of This Course?
One student, Eleni Haloftis, praised the course saying, "Mitch and Pascal offer an excellent viewpoint from a hiring manager's perspective...providing resources & frameworks to help craft a useful and stylish portfolio."
The course runs for one hour per day on Tuesdays and Thursdays, following a carefully structured syllabus.
The course runs for one hour per day on Tuesdays and Thursdays, following a carefully structured syllabus.
Final Thoughts
Maven offers a wide range of online courses that cater to diverse design interests and proficiency levels. From mastering industry-leading tools like Figma to specialized skills like product iconography and creating compelling design portfolios, these classes provide an enriching learning environment.
With experienced hosts and a cohort-based model, these courses facilitate active learning, community interaction, and practical hands-on experience, equipping students with the skills to become trendsetters in the design industry.
With experienced hosts and a cohort-based model, these courses facilitate active learning, community interaction, and practical hands-on experience, equipping students with the skills to become trendsetters in the design industry.