I find myself missing college more often than not. Surprisingly, what I miss most about the days of ultimate freedom and zero responsibility is the fact that I had endless resources at my disposal. I was able to take advantage of the darkroom, 3D printers, and libraries filled with endless toolkits of brain expansion, and I wish I could go back to that time of discovery.
Taking new classes with the most brilliant professors seems like a thing of the past, but that’s not necessarily true. Exploration isn't out of reach, and coincidentally, I can do so at a fraction of the cost.
Skillshare is an online site filled with hours and hours of classes from top professionals across multiple fields and disciplines. From creative writing workshops and UX/UI rundowns to understanding poster design and calligraphy lessons—it’s all at your fingertips. Because there are so many lessons to learn, I’ve created a concise guide to the top classes based on reviews from people who have taken the course and a few recommended by the Skillshare website.
So, while college might’ve been fun, it doesn’t have to end just because you don't live on campus anymore. Now, go and get those creative wheels churning and learning.
1. Level Up Your Typography: Creating Animated Stickers in After Effects (all levels)
2. The Ultimate Guide to Text Animators in After Effects (more advanced)
3. The Beginner's Guide to Animating Custom GIFs (beginner)
4. Combining Lettering and Illustration (intermediate)
5. Great Graphic Design: Create Emotional, Gripping Typographic Art (intermediate)
6. Digital Illustration for All: Discover, Cultivate and Share Your Unique Personal Style (intermediate)
7. The Style Class: Work Out Your Illustration Style in a Daily Project (intermediate)
8. Sweet Spots: Expressing Big Ideas in Small Editorial Illustrations (intermediate)
9. Illustrated Journaling: 14 Days of Prompts (all levels)
10. Typographic Logos: Typography and Lettering for Logo Design (intermediate)
11. Introduction to Book Cover Design: Making Stories Visual (all levels)
12. Hand Lettering Fun Phrases: Illustrated Wordplay through Typography (intermediate)
13. Inky Illustrations: Combining Analogue and Digital Media (intermediate)
14. Digital Poster Design: Combining Images & Type for Powerful Visuals (intermediate)
15. Do Things, Tell People: The Power of Personal Branding (all levels)
16. iPhone Photography Essentials: Take Pro Photos With Your iPhone (beginner)
17. Fun With Colour: 5 Exercises for Picking Unique Colour Palettes (all levels)
18. Animation for Graphic Designers: How to Animate a Logo (intermediate)
19. Character Animation Basics: Create a Dance Loop with After Effects and Photoshop (intermediate)
20. Graphic Design: Create a Bold, Colorful Album Cover (beginner)
