Best graphic art and design Open CourseWare
Free art courses for those so inclined. The rankings (and more articles are at the link):
#1 Adobe Online Training
Graphic artists around the world use Adobe products in their design projects. To help them out, Adobe has developed a number of free courses for their latest products. Courses that you can try out include Adobe Photoshop CS2, Adobe InDesign CS2, Adobe Premiere Elements and Adobe Acrobat 7.0.
#2 QuarkEd
Quark software is also popular among graphic artists. If you are new to Quark or if you are an old hand looking to refine your techniques, QuarkEd courses offer something for you. The courses cover all the major features in QuarkXPress 7 and teach students how to use each feature.
#3 Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
MIT offers a number of great courses for graphic artists and designers. Nearly all of the free courses include readings, assignments, lectures, and exams. Some of the courses can be translated into other languages or downloaded in an audio format.
#4 University of Utah
The University of Utah has only one free art-related course, but it is very good. The course introduces the history of art and various methods of art interpretation. Course materials include readings, assignments and an exam.
#5 About U
- Graphic Design for Desktop Publishing
- Adobe Photoshop Basics
- Beginning Web Design
- Web Design Class
- 30 Days of Web Design Help
- DHTML Animation
About U is a collection of free online courses from About.com. Course topics that may be of interest to graphic artists and designers include Adobe Photoshop, web design and graphic design for desktop publishing. All of the courses are delivered via email on a daily or weekly basis.
#6 Designer Today Magazine
Designer Today Magazine has a huge collection of software tutorials and training courses. Most of the courses are Adobe related and include step-by-step instructions, images and project files. More than 30 new courses are added every month.
#7 Planet Photoshop
Planet Photoshop is an all around great place to for graphic artists to get free Photoshop training. The site is sponsored by the National Association of Photoshop Professionals and includes thousands of high-quality tutorials. New tutorials are added every week.
#8 Sessions Online School of Design
Sessions Online School of Design is another premier place to receive free graphic art and design training. The school offers free courses, videos and tutorials that have been written by actual class instructors. Topics include, but are not limited to: art and design, visual design and design tools.
#9 Absolute Cross
Absolute Cross is a fantastic resource for graphic artists. The site provides free tutorials on topics like Photoshop, Flash and Paint Shop Pro. Other resources include helpful articles, free downloads, website templates and graphics.
#10 Graphic Reporter
The Graphic Reporter offers hundreds of free step-by-step tutorials for graphic artists and designers. All of the tutorials are easy to understand and feature handy screen shots. Topic examples include Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, web design, digital photography and scanning.
