Maria Jose Bianchi

I took the Graphic Design Course or several reasons! I'm a very creative person and I've always felt like I had an eye for design. I started designing my own assets for my brand years ago, but always felt like I needed a little more of a framework. And honestly, I took it because the moment I saw the curriculum, I knew it was everything I wanted, needed, and more. Even though I wanted to get into branding, I didn't know where to start (it actually never occurred to me to look for a graphic design course, and I'm glad it happened the way it did, because I would have probably ended up taking something else). So it felt like divine intervention, the way I learned about this course and knew it was exactly what I needed. I also want to take this opportunity to thank you again for offering me a scholarship and such a generous payment plan to make this possible :’) <3<3<3 I finished the course in just over two months and put in over 100 hours watching the videos and doing the homework (I know because I tracked the hours!!!!!!!).

While taking this course, I learned that I know how to trust the process! I also learned how much I enjoy processes, and how much I love seeing something that was in my head come to life, at least on a screen. I still haven't had the chance to see one of my designs in print or in real life, but seeing it out there is already a very satisfying experience!

So many favorite things about the course!!!!! Puno's way of teaching: she made everything feel light with her sense of humor and how genuinely good of a teacher she is. I loved that we jumped straight into practicing the skills rather than just learning where everything lives in the software. I especially loved that we built an actual website to learn Figma (will never get over that, I swear!) because that gave me a sense of pride I won't forget. I loved how practical the course is is, how it was never boring, and I loved that I could sense ilovecreatives actually wants more designers in the world. This course wasn't gatekeeping anything! It was generous in EVERY sense possible.

My advice for someone thinking about taking the course is if you feel like it's calling you, go for it! It’s 100% worth it. I'd also say make sure you have at least two hours a day to dedicate to it so you can build momentum. Having a dedicated block every day was very important for me. I skipped some days and didn't do much on weekends, but I had a commitment with myself. I actually put it on my calendar to sit down for 2, sometimes 3 hours, not just to watch the videos but to practice what we were learning. I would sometimes rewatch videos, follow along while pausing, and then do the whole thing over again by myself without the instructions to make sure I actually retained it. So in a nutshell: go for it, go all in, and commit, because what you're going to learn about yourself and about the world is so valuable!! This course opened my eyes to design everywhere around me, and I 100% recommend it <3

So many good things that’s come out of the course for me!!! I have a whole new set of skills that connect to and strengthen everything I already knew. This course opened my eyes to design in a way I hadn't expected. I can't believe I hadn't noticed how much graphic design is everywhere around me, and now I see opportunities in it constantly! It also gave me a better way to describe what I do and how I think. I used to struggle a lot with explaining my work and my approach, but now I can use graphic design to say a lot with very little and being good at design and branding means being good at many things at once. I feel like it can really contain much of my brilliance in one place, and I love that. And of course, learning Figma, Illustrator, and Photoshop, seeing my portfolio come together has given me such a sense of pride!!! Having this daily companion for just over two months was also, honestly, beautiful :’)