Diploma in Graphic Design by Upskillist

This 16-week diploma gets you from zero to job-ready basics in graphic design. You will work in Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, and Adobe InDesign on real stuff like flyers, photo comps, and posters, and learn how print actually gets made.

🎯 What you’ll learn

• Core principles and elements of design and how to apply them
• Vector basics and flyer layout in Adobe Illustrator
• Photo-manipulation and movie poster design in Adobe Photoshop
• Page layout and pre-press setup in Adobe InDesign
• How typography works in real print and digital projects
• How to follow the full design cycle from brief to final file
• How to build a starter portfolio to pitch freelance or junior work

✅ Requirements

• Skills: Basic computer literacy, no prior design experience needed
• Tools: Computer with Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, and InDesign installed
• Hardware: Laptop or desktop capable of running Adobe Creative Cloud with 16GB RAM recommended

📝 Description

This is a learn-by-doing diploma, not just theory. You get 32 lessons plus toolkits spread over 4 modules, and each chunk pushes you to make something. One week you are setting up a flyer in Adobe Illustrator, the next you are cutting and blending images for photo-manipulation in Photoshop.

The course also covers the stuff beginners usually miss. You will learn the design cycle, how to pick and pair typography, and what happens after you hit export. Print sizes, bleed, color modes, file prep for printers — that whole pre-press side is baked into the InDesign lessons so your files don’t come back wrong.

By the end you are not just clicking tools. You understand why a layout works, how to build for both printed and digital formats, and how to present it. That is what the final portfolio is for: proof you can take a brief and turn it into convincing advertising and design work.

🧑‍🎓 Who this course is for

• Total beginners who want a structured way into graphic design without guessing what to learn first
• Freelancers, marketers, and small business owners who need to make their own flyers, ads, and social visuals
• Anyone who wants a diploma-style program with a portfolio at the end to start pitching clients

🧑‍🏫 About the Author

Upskillist, formerly Shaw Academy, is an online learning platform built around practical, career-focused diplomas. Their courses are structured in weekly modules with lessons, toolkits, and assignments, and they cover creative, business, and tech skills for a global student base.

For design students, the value is in the format: short, applied lessons tied to Adobe workflows and real deliverables. You learn the tools in context and finish with diploma certification plus work samples you can actually use.

🏁 Final Result

• A starter graphic design portfolio with flyer, photo-manipulated artwork, movie poster, and print-ready layout pieces built across Illustrator, Photoshop, and InDesign