What is digital design?

Digital design is the process of creating content and graphics that end-users will view on a screen rather than on paper or another physical medium. As we move further into a digital world, chances are you read and view items on a phone, tablet, or computer screen far more often than you do on paper. When you use digital design, you're putting the rules and guidelines of design into digital formats. Digital design is a field that's growing rapidly.

Why is it important to learn digital design?

Digital design is different from traditional graphic design, so even if you have experience designing a logo or graphic for a printed page, you need different skills and knowledge tools. Digital design items aren't just meant to be read—they're meant for people to use. Digital media is often interactive, so you need to know how to create interactive graphics and website elements. If you work in design or want to work in design, it's important to be able to design for digital media. The fact that digital design is everywhere these days means that it's helpful have some familiarity with its concepts and terminology even if you're not designing digitally yourself.

What are some careers that use digital design?

You can find a host of careers in the digital design field, and they include web designers, digital graphic designers, user experience (UX) and user interface (UI) specialists, and app designers. Digital design is crucial to many different sectors of the business world. You can find jobs as a digital designer working in a corporate environment, designing for a specific brand or project, or you can work for a company that specializes in digital design for various clients. You can also strike out on your own with your design business or consultancy.

How can online courses on Coursera help me learn digital design?

Whether you're looking to learn digital design as a springboard to a new career or to advance yourself in your current workplace, you can benefit from learning online. Our courses rely on instruction from some of the best minds and talents in the business, so you'll learn more than just the basics. You'll be able to take what you've learned and apply it where you work now or on your search for a new job.

What are the benefits of taking an online Digital Design course?

Online Digital Design courses offer a convenient and flexible way to enhance your knowledge or learn new Digital Design skills. Choose from a wide range of Digital Design courses offered by top universities and industry leaders tailored to various skill levels.

What Digital Design courses are best for training and upskilling employees or the workforce?

When looking to enhance your workforce's skills in Digital Design, it's crucial to select a course that aligns with their current abilities and learning objectives. Our Skills Dashboard is an invaluable tool for identifying skill gaps and choosing the most appropriate course for effective upskilling. For a comprehensive understanding of how our courses can benefit your employees, explore the enterprise solutions we offer. Discover more about our tailored programs at Coursera for Business here .

Top Digital Design Courses - Learn Digital Design Online

Explore the Digital Design Course Catalog

Status: Free Trial
IBM
Data Engineering Foundations
Skills you'll gain: SQL, Web Scraping, Database Design, MySQL, Data Transformation, Data Store, Extract, Transform, Load, IBM DB2, Relational Databases, Data Architecture, Jupyter, Data Pipelines, Big Data, Data Warehousing, Data Governance, Databases, Stored Procedure, Data Manipulation, Automation, Python Programming
4.6
Rating, 4.6 out of 5 stars
56K reviews
Beginner · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months
Status: New
Status: Free Trial
Coursera
UX Design Toolkit
Skills you'll gain: Usability Testing, User Research, Figma (Design Software), User Experience Design, Prototyping, Wireframing, Persona (User Experience), User Centered Design, Usability, Responsive Web Design, User Experience, Design Reviews, Design Research, User Interface and User Experience (UI/UX) Design, Human Centered Design, UI/UX Research, Interaction Design, Software Documentation, Mockups, Software Design Documents
Intermediate · Professional Certificate · 3 - 6 Months
Status: Free Trial
University of Alberta
Software Design and Architecture
Skills you'll gain: Software Architecture, Model View Controller, Unified Modeling Language, Object Oriented Design, Service Oriented Architecture, API Design, Systems Architecture, Web Services, Software Design Patterns, Software Design, Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP), Microservices, Restful API, Software Design Documents, Software Visualization, Code Review, Solution Architecture, Software Systems, Object Oriented Programming (OOP), Java
4.6
Rating, 4.6 out of 5 stars
3.9K reviews
Beginner · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months
Status: Free Trial
Status: AI skills
IBM
IBM Data Engineering
Skills you'll gain: NoSQL, Data Warehousing, SQL, Apache Hadoop, Extract, Transform, Load, Apache Airflow, Web Scraping, Linux Commands, Database Design, IBM Cognos Analytics, MySQL, Apache Spark, Data Pipelines, Apache Kafka, Database Management, Bash (Scripting Language), Data Store, Jupyter, Generative AI, Professional Networking
Build toward a degree
4.6
Rating, 4.6 out of 5 stars
58K reviews
Beginner · Professional Certificate · 3 - 6 Months
Georgia Institute of Technology
Introduction to User Experience Design
Skills you'll gain: User Experience Design, Prototyping, User Centered Design, Usability, Requirements Analysis, UI/UX Research, Interaction Design, User Interface (UI) Design, Usability Testing, User Research
4.6
Rating, 4.6 out of 5 stars
8.9K reviews
Beginner · Course · 1 - 3 Months
Status: Free Trial
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Digital Marketing
Skills you'll gain: Data Storytelling, Online Advertising, Marketing Analytics, Keyword Research, Email Marketing, Digital Media Strategy, Digital Advertising, Google Analytics, Analytics, Marketing Communications, Content Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Marketing, Digital Marketing, Web Analytics, Marketing Strategies, Integrated Marketing Communications, Performance Analysis, Trend Analysis, Consumer Behaviour
4.7
Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
23K reviews
Beginner · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months
Status: Free Trial
Status: AI skills
IBM
IBM Data Analyst
Skills you'll gain: Data Storytelling, Dashboard, Data Visualization Software, Plotly, Data Visualization, SQL, Predictive Modeling, Generative AI, Interactive Data Visualization, Exploratory Data Analysis, Data Wrangling, Data Analysis, Big Data, Jupyter, Matplotlib, Statistical Analysis, Pandas (Python Package), IBM Cognos Analytics, Excel Formulas, Professional Networking
Build toward a degree
4.6
Rating, 4.6 out of 5 stars
92K reviews
Beginner · Professional Certificate · 3 - 6 Months
Status: Free Trial
Imperial College London
Digital Health
Skills you'll gain: Health Technology, Data Visualization Software, Telehealth, Agile Methodology, Health Disparities, Health Informatics, Health Care, Health Care Procedure and Regulation, Health Systems, Electronic Medical Record, Health Information Management, Interoperability, Public Health, Epidemiology, Tableau Software, Digital Transformation, User Centered Design, Technology Strategies, Big Data, Analytics
4.6
Rating, 4.6 out of 5 stars
288 reviews
Intermediate · Specialization · 1 - 3 Months
Status: Free Trial
Microsoft
Fundamentals of UI/UX Design
Skills you'll gain: Design Thinking, User Experience Design, User Experience, User Interface and User Experience (UI/UX) Design, Human Centered Design, Wireframing, Prototyping, Usability Testing, User Research
4.7
Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
315 reviews
Mixed · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks
Status: Free Trial
University of Michigan
Python for Everybody
Skills you'll gain: Web Scraping, Data Processing, Relational Databases, JSON, Database Design, SQL, Network Protocols, Web Services, Restful API, Data Modeling, Programming Principles, Application Programming Interface (API), Data Structures, Data Collection, Data Visualization Software, Data Manipulation, Computer Programming, Python Programming, Scripting Languages, Data Import/Export
Build toward a degree
4.8
Rating, 4.8 out of 5 stars
277K reviews
Beginner · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months
University of California, Davis
The Strategy of Content Marketing
Skills you'll gain: Content Marketing, Content Performance Analysis, Content Strategy, Marketing Strategies, Content Creation, Strategic Marketing, Social Media Strategy, Marketing, Multimedia, Copywriting, Branding, Target Audience, Persona Development, Business Ethics
4.5
Rating, 4.5 out of 5 stars
5.2K reviews
Intermediate · Course · 1 - 3 Months
Status: Free Trial
Northwestern University
Social Media Marketing
Skills you'll gain: Blogs, Social Media Marketing, Integrated Marketing Communications, Peer Review, Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), Social Media Strategy, Business Marketing, Real Time Data, Marketing Effectiveness, Content Marketing, Strategic Marketing, Marketing Strategies, Marketing, Target Audience, Social Media, Social Media Campaigns, Budgeting, Digital Transformation, Big Data, Marketing Analytics
4.6
Rating, 4.6 out of 5 stars
5.5K reviews
Beginner · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months