Course
Visual Design Foundation
Learn the graphic design principles every design career rests on, from color and typography to layout, and put them to work in Figma. You also learn to direct AI imagery with a trained eye, and you build 4 portfolio projects with feedback from a senior working designer.
Beginner
Includes AI Imagery
8 Units
4 Portfolio Projects
6 1:1 Sessions
Get 1:1 Feedback in Every Course
Every course and program is taught 1:1 by default, and you can start any day.
Choose the Instructor Who Teaches You
Pick a senior working designer from companies like USA Today, Capital One and Microsoft.
Train Your Eye Before the Tools
Learn the judgment that outlasts any app, including how to direct what AI makes.
Finish with a Portfolio Built for Your Next Role
Every path ends in case studies for your first job, a career switch or a promotion.
Who It Is For
Build the Visual Foundation Every Design Career Needs
Most designers jump straight into tools. This course starts with the principles behind polished, intentional work, then teaches the tools you use to apply them.
1
UX Designers Missing Visual Design Skills
Product design roles expect strong visual skills too. Fill the gaps so your work looks as good as it works.
2
Design Students Before Their Portfolio
Learn visual design before a UX course or Portfolio School, so your projects look ready to ship.
3
Marketers Who Design Part of the Time
Add real visual design skills to your social and marketing work and stand out in your field.
What You Learn
Learn the Graphic Design Principles Behind Polished Work
Understand the Core Principles
Use color, typography and layout with intention, so your work feels balanced and clear.
Use Figma with Confidence
Work in the tool most product designers use, from components and auto layout to vector drawing and AI image edits.
Apply Color with Purpose
Build palettes, create hierarchy and use color well across digital and print.
Work with Typography Like a Pro
Classify, pair and space type so your text is readable, structured and compelling.
Design Clean, Structured Layouts
Use grids, spacing and hierarchy to guide attention and communicate clearly on any screen.
Direct AI Imagery with a Trained Eye
Generate and edit images with AI, then judge each result with the same principles you use for everything else.
Curriculum
What You'll Learn in the Course
You practice with hands-on exercises in every unit and build 4 portfolio projects along the way. Download the free syllabus for every lesson and exercise.
Unit 1
Introduction to Design
See what design is and learn the basic principles every other unit builds on.
Unit 2
Figma Fundamentals
Get fluent in Figma, from frames, components and auto layout to drawing vectors with Figma Draw.
Unit 3
Color Theory
Build palettes with purpose, from color models and harmony to color psychology and color in type.
Unit 4
Typography
Classify, pair and choose typefaces, and use web fonts well in responsive design.
Project: A type package
Unit 5
Typesetting
Set leading, tracking, kerning and alignment, and fix widows, orphans and rags.
Unit 6
Images, Icons and Illustration
Choose and edit images with Figma’s AI tools, and draw icons and simple illustrations that look like one family.
Project: An icon set
Unit 7
Directing AI Imagery
Describe what you want in design language, generate images with AI and judge every result against the principles you learned.
Project: Campaign visuals made with AI
Unit 8
Layout
Use hierarchy, grids and proportion to build layouts that guide the eye, and bring every skill together.
Final project: A festival microsite
Free Download
Test Your Visual Design Skills with Real Design Questions
A 10-question self-assessment that uses real design mockups to show where your visual judgment is strong and what to practice next.
10 questions built around real UI mockups
Scores for hierarchy, typography, color, spacing and composition
A plain explanation of what your score means
Next steps for every skill gap it finds
Free Syllabus
See Every Lesson Before You Enroll
Get the full syllabus with every unit, project brief and 1:1 session laid out in order, so you know exactly what you will learn and make.
- Every unit and lesson
- Every project brief
- How the 1:1 sessions work
Instructors
World-Class Instructors with Proven Teaching Experience
Our instructors are great at what they do and teach it even better. You can choose which instructor to work with or even work with multiple instructors.
Stephanie Sell
Senior Product Designer
- Washington, D.C., USA
Jenni Renas
Senior Visual Designer
- Richmond, VA, USA
Arnold Kotra
Art Director | Visual/Brand Designer | Studio Owner
- France
Ashley May
Senior Product Designer
- Michigan, USA
Nina Shahriaree
UI/UX & Visual Designer
- Los Angeles, CA, USA
Silvia Script
Senior UI/UX Designer
- Washington, D.C., USA
Reviews
Hear from Designers Who Took the Course
I graduated from another bootcamp and felt self-conscious about my visual design skills. The foundation was taught super well! I’m excited to get into Portfolio School to improve my portfolio now.
AF
Amy Ferguson
UX Design Bootcamp Graduate
I’ve dabbled in design for many years but never had formal education in it. I could pay for what I really need and get the results I wanted.
MK
Maddi Kapusinsky
Multidisciplinary Creative Moving Into Design
This year I’m up for promotion, and I want to prove I can do more. I could tell the curriculum was super well written.
JB
Jonathan B. Campbell
UX Designer Going for a Promotion
Free Lessons
Try 4 Lessons Free Before You Decide
Open 4 real lessons from Visual Design Foundation in your student dashboard and see how the lessons, examples and briefs work before you enroll. It is free.
Enrollment Options
Choose How You Want to Learn
Every option includes all 8 units and 4 projects. The difference is how much 1:1 feedback you get from your instructor.
Low Entry Price
Self-Study
$299
One-time payment
- Every lesson and project brief
- Book a 1:1 session for $80 whenever you want feedback
- Lifetime access to the lessons
Best Value
Full Program
$699
One-time payment
- 6 one-hour 1:1 sessions to review your projects
- 4 months to use your sessions, plus a 1-month grace period
- Lifetime access to the lessons
- Feedback on every project from a senior working designer
You Save
$100
Career Program
With Portfolio School
$3,899
if bought separately
$3,799
or 5 monthly payments of $759.80, no interest
- Visual Design Foundation plus Portfolio School
- Your new work goes into a portfolio built to get interviews
- 22 one-hour 1:1 sessions across both programs
- Add Art Direction or Brand Design and you save $200 in total
Ask Your Employer to Pay for It
Many companies cover training through a learning budget. Download a ready-to-send approval letter that explains what you’ll learn and how it helps your team. After you pay, your invoice is waiting in your dashboard, and you can add your company name, VAT number or PO number to it.
FAQs
Get Answers Before You Enroll
Do I Need Design Experience?
Which Tools Will I Learn?
How Is This Different from a UI/UX Course?
Is This a Graphic Design Course?
What Should I Take After This Course?
How Long Does It Take?
What If I Don't Use All My Sessions in Time?
Can My Employer Pay for It?
Should I Take a Course or a Career Program?
Ready to Launch Your Dream Design Career Yesterday?
Your dream design career won’t start itself, but we are here to make sure it happens for you. If not yesterday, very soon.
