Graphic design basics

Explore the fundamentals of graphic design, including typography, color, alignment, and visual hierarchy, to create impactful designs.

Graphic design basics

44m

12 lessons

Beginner

Start course

Explore the fundamentals of graphic design, including typography, color, alignment, and visual hierarchy, to create impactful designs.

Graphic design basics

Explore the fundamentals of graphic design, including typography, color, alignment, and visual hierarchy, to create impactful designs.

Start course

Learn how design communicates emotions and ideas across barriers, helping everyone think like a designer.
Design to communicate
Video
Discover how to start the design process by creating moodboards to guide and inspire your projects.
Creating effective moodboards
Video
Explore how grouping related elements and utilizing negative space enhances clarity and balance.
Proximity in design
Video
Align design elements to create organized, polished layouts using grids and invisible guidelines.
Aligning elements for balance
Video
Understand font categories and learn how to choose fonts that complement your design’s message.
Choosing the right font
Video
Learn how to pair contrasting fonts effectively to create harmony and avoid design conflicts.
Pairing fonts effectively
Video
Font pairing basics
Activity
Use contrast and hierarchy to create eye-catching designs with clear focal points that grab attention.
Creating impactful designs with contrast
Video
Understand color relationships and how to use the color wheel to create harmonious and impactful palettes.
Color wheel basics
Video
Color relationships
Activity
Discover how warm and cool colors, along with tints and shades, add depth and variety to your designs.
Tints and shades
Video
Color relationships
Activity
Learn to choose and balance colors that fit your theme and evoke the right emotions for your design.
Color combinations
Video
Select impactful images by mastering composition, negative space, and creating contrast with text.
Choosing photos that work
Video
Learn about file formats and how to effectively share and publish your designs across different platforms.
Sharing and publishing your designs
Video

What you’ll learn

Why design matters and how to think like a designer
How to start the design process and find inspiration
Using space, alignment, and hierarchy effectively
Understanding and pairing fonts
Choosing and working with color palettes
Selecting and composing images
Exporting designs in the right file formats

44m

12 lessons

Beginner

Key skills

Design thinking

Design

Brainstorming

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Last updated 27 Feb, 2025

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Join our growing community of Graphic design basics experts.

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The Course covers every essential component of Canva for educators. It provides easy-to-follow videos and hands-on activities, enabling educators to feel more confident using Canva for their own projects and, more importantly, with their students.

Alyssa, Instructional Design Coach

Frequently asked questions

First, we recommend completing all the course material associated with the certification. This might include tutorial videos, activities, and cheat sheets.
Once you’re ready, start the test at the top of this page. You’ll be asked a series of questions. If you get them all right, you'll be awarded a certificate.
There is no expiry date on our certifications. However, we update the course content and test questions regularly to reflect new updates to Canva, so it’s a good idea to come back and re-test every 12 months or so.
Feel free to try the test again. We don’t limit the number of times you can attempt it.
Please log in to your Canva account to take the test. If you don’t have an account, it’s free to create one. You can do that at canva.com
Yes. At the end of the test, you can add your credential to your LinkedIn profile and share your achievement on social media.
The certification is digital-only for now. You’ll receive an email to access your certification at any time.
Canva certifications are a great way to showcase your skills and proficiency with our platform! While our training courses are not accredited by any external party, Canva itself is a globally recognized company, and our products are used by millions of people all around the world. Earning a Canva certification can help demonstrate your expertise in visual communication and familiarity with one of the most popular design tools available today. It’s a fantastic addition to your professional portfolio!
The name displayed on the certificate is the same as your Canva account name. This can be changed by going to your account settings and clicking Edit next to the name field: www.canva.com/settings/your-account
If you have any further questions or need additional support, visit our help center at canva.com/help

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Graphic design basics