Elevate your design process, build a winning portfolio, and learn how to run a six figure design agency. Enroll ✹Today ↘
We designed this self-paced course like a virtual apprenticeship where you'll learn design programs to create real world deliverables. You’ll learn technical skills using design programs like Figma, Adobe Illustrator, and Adobe Photoshop. Then you’ll learn about the creative process used at ilovecreatives Studio to design out a robust brand identity.
Along the way, you’ll start to form a unique design perspective so you can see the world in a creative light. Then you’ll create a polished design portfolio, which will be reflective of who you are as a designer, and the type of projects you want to attract. You’ll end the course learning about the business side of graphic design - whether you want to land a position as a designer, or set yourself up for freelancing.
Naturally, we teamed up with the creative design team of ilovecreatives Studio to build out the curriculum and provide 1on1 feedback that’s honest and actionable. Our goal was to create a curriculum that will prep you for real work, so that you have leverage to work with whoever you want.
Got a question? See our FAQs or email hello@ilovecreatives.com
Who is this
course for?
Whether you’re new to the creative industry already or not, this course will empower you to design your own life. Graphic designers have the autonomy to create a fulfilling and flexible life. Want to work on a large team with an office? There’s a path for you! Want to work freelance and travel? That works too!
Take this Quiz to see if this course is right for you!
Curriculum
1
DESIGN
TOOLS
In this section, we learn the technical basics of the top three graphic design programs: Figma, Photoshop, and Illustrator. You’ll learn the tools of each program, and the reasons why you should use one program versus the other. Upon completion of this section, you’ll have a range of deliverables, and a strong foundation of how to use each program.
You’ll Learn:
Figma
Adobe Illustrator
Adobe Photoshop
2
DESIGN
PROCESS
From strategy, research, explorations and brand guidelines, you’ll learn the entire process of creating a robust brand design system. Though we focus on creating a brand identity, this design process can be applied to any project of any scale.
You’ll Learn:
Strategy and Research
Design Creation
Presentation
3
PORTFOLIO
You’ll apply your technical and creative skills to create two more projects of your own. Together, these projects will form your graphic design portfolio. Your portfolio will reflect your unique visual style, and be a representation of the work you want to attract as a graphic designer.
You’ll Learn:
How to Create Design Projects using Prompts
Portfolio Breakdown
4
BUSINESS
In this section, you’ll learn how to take your design career full-time. You’ll walk through how to figure out your hourly rate, your target annual revenue, scope of work and so much more. You’ll get access to contract templates, notion templates, client email templates, and estimator spreadsheets. This will give you a professional edge on all your design projects and keep the income flowing, so you can focus on being creative.
You’ll Learn:
Project Management
Pricing Types
Conversational Sales
Custom Logomark
Illustrator + Photoshop
Custom Logo Sketch
Website Homepage Mockup
Figma +
Photoshop
Graphic
Illustrator
What You’ll Create
You’ll design logos, patterns, illustrations, social posts, websites, and a complete brand identity system including typography and color palettes.
Then you’ll walkthrough how to create a design portfolio of speculative work that speaks to your visual style. This portfolio will prepare you to land you work as a graphic designer.
Got a question? See our FAQ or email hello@ilovecreatives.com
Graphic
Photoshop
Included
in the Course
1:1 Feedback
You’ll submit your design work for feedback from your course instructors. We’re all about constructive feedback with clear next steps. This will help you shape your portfolio as you get ready to share it with the world.
All students are invited to join our quarterly Portfolio Showcase where you’ll submit your newly designed portfolio for a live review and cheers!
Community: Discord Channel
New design friends! As you level up, you'll be added to new channels. This is where you’ll get to connect with fellow students and a whole crew of alumni. We wanted to create a place for our students to share their designs and get honest feedback from their classmates and TAs. This is where students can ideate, collaborate, and ask questions.
Certification of Completion
Once you hit the trophy and complete the course (yay!) you’ll receive a certificate to verify your completion of the course materials. You can post this to LinkedIn, and add to your portfolio after finishing the course.
Monthly Workshop
Monthly Live workshops hosted by your course instructors that include guest speakers (studio owners, independent designers, you name it!), design tutorials, BTS of client work at ilovecreatives Studio & more!
ilovecreatives Studio Templates
From brand audit to brand concept deck templates, students get the full picture of how design work is created and presented at ilovecreatives Studio.
Design Resource Library
Even more templates, mini tutorials, and inspiration sources. Students get access to a jam packed resource library with all our go to resources and bookmarks. Even better, we add onto this all the time.
Self-Paced, Forever Access
People always ask us “how long does it take to finish?” It depends! Enjoy the flexibility to start & stop this course based on your life and goals. Once enrolled, we provide a suggested schedule based on your availability to help you complete the course. We’ll provide lots of accountability resources along the way. Bonus: You get this course forever, like forever-ever. That means access to any future updates because the design world is always changing.
ilovecreatives Digital Goods
Font books, Squarespace templates, freelancing spreadsheets and other Digital Goods come free with the course.
Instructors
❝We’ve made this course purely out of necessity. No matter who you are — freelancer, employee, business owner, or even someone who says they are “not creative” — you’ll need to design something at some point. When we started creating this course, we made it for our past selves. Not just the beginner Puno, but also the one from a year ago that realized what it means to scale your workflows, and your business.
Also, we wanted to create a community that would grow with you — because it’s not easy to figure this out by yourself. Sometimes you need a place to validate, but also remind you that it’s not that bad — everything is going to be OK and here are some next steps. We hope that you’ll let us be that for you!❞
Puno, Executive Creative Director
of ilovecreatives Studio.
❝Design school absolutely taught me foundational design skills, but there’s so much about the realities of design as a career that’s learned on the job. I was always interested in going freelance, but even after 5+ years in-house and working at a studio, I was still intimidated by it. Navigating things like the design process, client communication, and the business side of it on your own can be scary. I’m hoping this course can make you feel less lonely in that process and give you the confidence in tackling design as a career.❞
Mindy, Creative Director of ilovecreatives Studio.
❝What I love about being a designer is being able to visualize an idea in a way that’s meaningful, inspiring, and connects people. I’ve dabbled in all types of design jobs — ad agency, broadcast media, tech, design studio, and freelance. It wasn’t until freelancing where I felt the most connected to my work. The freedom, autonomy, ability to collaborate 1:1 with clients. All of these factors actually ended up in better design. But, psst, real talk, it’s not all sunshine and flowers. With autonomy comes its own challenges of running your own design business. Scope creep? Unpaid invoices? Unhappy clients? Oof. It can be overwhelming, but we got you. We’ve been there, and in this course, we’ll share some ideas on how you can move forward. ❞
Mindy, Creative Director
of ilovecreatives Studio.
❝Whether it’s a new program, or new technique, design is constantly evolving. As designers, it’s important to embrace that constant change. This course is all about inspiring people to tap into their creative instincts, and bridge the gap between vision and skill. With both, you’re unstoppable.❞
Sarah, Art Director
at ilovecreatives Studio.
What makes this a design course.
Got a question? We got a whole lotta answers here: Course FAQs↗
Design Portfolio
Upon completion, you will have a solid graphic design portfolio that is ready to share with the world. Students create a website that houses all their design projects and is a reflection of the type of design work they want to do more of.
See Student Portfolio Work ↗
Practical Education for Today’s Designer
You want to be a professional graphic designer (or art director, creative director, visual designer) who can get work ASAP. Students graduate our course with proficiency in Figma, Photoshop, and Illustrator, a complete design portfolio, and the confidence to take their designs to the next level.
To be honest, this course has everything we would need at ilovecreatives Studio when we hire a designer. This course is truly a one-time investment that has paid off over and over for our students.
Edutainment 100% Fun
The major key to our approach is… fun. That’s right! We take extra time to make this course as edu-taining as possible by (1) designing our lessons to include fun AF assets (2) keeping it real on the hard parts (3) encouraging playtime, the best creative work happens when you are not afraid to fail! We balance the hard lessons with a healthy dose of fun and humor.
Full Transparency
There’s a lot to learn, but we fill this course with humor, heart, and our transparent take on all things design. Students get full access to behind the curtain at ilovecreatives Studio. We keep it real and offer full transparency of what it’s like to work with us, how we stay inspired, how we execute, and how we manage our clients. This exposure informs students of what it’s like to work at a design studio with real clients.
How to Keep Learning
This course teaches the basics of each program, but more importantly, it teaches students how to keep exploring and learning beyond the course curriculum. We cover a lot, but in reality, there are millions of techniques and tools that relate to design. This course encourages students to be curious about the possibilities, and how to harness the plethora of information available on how to create.
Upcoming & Past
Workshops and Events
All students can RSVP and join upcoming live events & workshops through Discord. You’ll also get instant access to our complete archive.
Student
Work
Student
Testimonials
Employers
who loved the course
Schedule
& Price
Next Class
August 25th
$2,400
or $625/mo with our payment plan
Enroll before June 29th at 11am Pacific Time.
How does enrollment work in a self-paced course?
On the start date, you'll get access to the video lessons, resources, and student chat.
There are no live sessions or deadlines,
so you can learn on any schedule that's convenient for you!
Have a question? The answer might be in our FAQs.
Join the Waitlist
Grab the Curriculum
Are you thinking, “This is awesome, but I want to know more!” Heck yeah, we hear that. Join the waitlist and we’ll ➀ send you the curriculum, ➁ walk you through the course and ➂ answer FAQs we get.
Plus, you’ll be notified about enrollment periods!