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Learner Reviews & Feedback for Introduction to Imagemaking by California Institute of the Arts

4.5
stars
2,820 ratings

About the Course

This course for serious makers, and for students new to imagemaking. Imagemaking is a fluid and exciting area of graphic design that comes out of practice and process: experimenting fearlessly, showing and sharing ideas, and giving and receiving knowledgeable and constructive input. For the sake of this online platform, we have applied some structure to our investigations, but for the most part imagemaking is loose and unstructured. If we must adopt a rule in this course it is only this: you will not become a graphic designer by watching videos alone. Or, don't just make stuff just in your head. So here, the focus here is on making, and you are expected to devote serious time and intellectual energy to that activity in this course. Specifically, you will: - experiment with a range of materials and techniques to make images for graphic design - expand your visual vocabulary both in terms of making and talking about work, in order to discuss your work and work of others - learn how to make, manipulate and arrange images to create compositions, eventually culminating in the design and production of an-image-based book. The first half of the course is an opportunity to experiment and explore imagemaking in order to expand your visual vocabulary. You will create pieces that are expressive, meditative, or 'design-y' to instigate, evoke, experiment, record, explain, or try out a media. In the second two weeks, we’ll invite the images to deliberately and intentionally carry meaning and communication through relational moves like juxtaposition, composition, and context. We’ll look at developing and expanding the range of approaches for putting things together by composing page spreads with your images. Since nothing exists without context, we look at how to intentionally drive the image’s connotations, meanings, and associations generated through elements of composition and “visual contrasts.” Ultimately, we will take the images that you create and make a book from them. The results of your assignments (and experiments) may generate something completely unknowable now or in the future—and that's the goal....

Top reviews

LC

Oct 8, 2017

I'm so happy i did this course. Gail, you're amazing and you made my imagination go wild with just your words. I can see you love your craft and that's very inspiring. Enjoyed this course all the way!

TA

May 22, 2023

In fact i am very much glad for this because before taking this course, i know nothing about Indesign but i can now use it and more, Thank you for this financial aid opportunities, Blessings coursera

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476 - 500 of 633 Reviews for Introduction to Imagemaking

By Sharon w

Apr 20, 2020

Awesome course, great content! I wish there were more videos to learn about compositions and the third assignment was a bit hard to follow. Overall I learned a great deal. Thanks!

By Yana B

Apr 18, 2021

Thanks for the course! It's good, I learned how to create images and arrange them in accordance with compositional principles. Unfortunately, the theory was not enough for me.

By Melanie J

Jul 3, 2017

I found this course to be much more experimentation then anything else. I definitely learned some about composition, but I wish it would've been more focused on layout.

By E. C C

Jan 29, 2017

Nice class introducing the ideas of scale, composition and use of white/negative space. A must for people who always want to fill the page. Sometimes less is more.

By Mark H

Sep 8, 2020

This course really got my creative juices flowing. The assignments, however, lacked structure or a certain level of technical proficiency that I was expecting.

By Maya R

May 24, 2019

Really liked the course, because it is very oriented to practical work. It would be great if there was more substantial exchange with other learners though.

By Samuele R

Sep 2, 2017

Quite engaging, I improved my knowledge of Illustrator thanks to the assignments, but I think a few lesson videos are too few/short, especially in the end.

By Kelly J

Dec 5, 2016

This course was a fun one that encouraged experimentation and making a lot of images. I would say the assignments could have been more challenging though.

By Anastasia O

Jun 17, 2018

I learned a lot about imagemaking but I wasn't sure what the point was about making a book. It was fun but I felt "bookmaking" should be another class.

By Levi O

Nov 23, 2021

Wished the assignments had more emphasis on style, reviewing the assignments was begrudging trying to find kind constructive feedback on bare minimum.

By Fergus N

Jun 14, 2016

Very enjoyable and encouraging course - I haven't used watercolours since I was a child and this course prompted me to go back out and try them again!

By J-Man

Mar 25, 2019

Quite a free and open guide which kind of minimises it as a tutorial. However it shows how iteration and alternative methods can help with creation.

By Sarah N

Nov 3, 2016

This course is very good for beginners of using images and need to know how to set images together and anyone did not studied graphic design before

By Brandalyn A

Oct 31, 2022

This course was fun, but I feel some aspects were not explained in a language that was easily understood by those newer to graphic design.

By krystal G

May 5, 2020

It's a good course that introduce me to art and design. Anyway, it take a lot of time and might not suit for who didn't have basic in art.

By Lana

Mar 24, 2019

I felt like standalone course its probably good, but as a part of specialization it is a bit repetitive of the design introduction course

By Chimdiebere A

Sep 21, 2020

The course was a very enlightening one. I liked every bit it. I would like it if the course could cover digital image making in details.

By seunghyun l (

Sep 9, 2020

I did not like how less people contribute to the course.. some people neglect the comment and don't read some comment about the artwork.

By Mihaela-Lucia M

Aug 25, 2020

great course for learning and practicing your skills. I gave 4 stars because some of the assignments were unclear and a bit confusing.

By Anita G

Dec 28, 2020

i really enjoyed the course, however more insight in imagemaking would be great. Some assignments also were a little confusing

By Ana A

May 14, 2016

This course teach you to think out of the box and if you have the courage and try, you will take it for the rest of your life.

By H. A

Jun 9, 2020

The course is incredible, it gives a wide range of options to execute the assignments beautifully! I learned a lot

By zhra s

Jul 21, 2022

I do not know the reason for not passing the course, obtaining the certificate, and completing the Brinage course

By erinsouder@live.com

Oct 5, 2023

INteresting class - some of the assignments were difficult to interpret what exactly we were supposed to do.

By Jel C

Jan 14, 2017

I liked how there's such an open approach to the course and it gave me a lot of chances to practice design.