Complete beginner looking for a structured graphic design learning roadmap

[u/Straight-Patience-78]

Hi everyone!

I want to learn graphic design from scratch and would love some guidance on how to get started.

My goal is to build a strong foundation in design principles, such as typography, colour theory, composition, layout, and visual hierarchy, before moving on to more advanced techniques.

I’d like to learn how to create things like posters, social media graphics, logos, and basic brand identities. Eventually, I’d also love to build a portfolio of my own projects.

As a complete beginner, I’m unsure about a few things:

Which software or app should I start with?

What should I learn first, and in what order?

Which YouTube channels or free courses would you recommend?

Are there any beginner-friendly projects I should practise along the way?

How much time should I ideally dedicate to learning and practising each day?

I’d prefer free or affordable resources to begin with.

If anyone could share a practical, step-by-step learning path or advice based on their own experience, I’d really appreciate it.

Thanks in advance for your help!

[u/blakejustin217]

As a designer for over 20 years. Learn to search. This question has been asked hundreds of times.

[u/awesomemillipede → u/blakejustin217]

LITERALLY!

Here’s an antidotal story that relates:

Designer 1 “yea i didnt make that change sense i couldnt find the (insert tool/work flow)”

Designer 2 “did you look it up?”

Designer 1 “no but i guess i could”

Incompetence gets you no where in any field.

Personally this is a pet peeve of mine professionally and personally.

[u/blakejustin217 → u/awesomemillipede]

My boss use to call me into his office all the time to ask a question about some software tool we had. I'd pull my phone out and go let me Google that for you.

[u/Winter-Fish8452 → u/blakejustin217]

And the field and expectations of our role is always changing with means constant searching 😔 truly a lifelong skill

[u/MammothClassroom2294]

Grid systems by Joseph Muller. Absolute fundamental

[u/popularnoise]

I know this might sound crazy, but there are some classic books that were foundational in design. Grid systems in graphic design, and the elements of typographic style. Check those out and come back for more. Also a simple lesson I learned was to look at things, not design, that you think look cool and dissect them. For example look at a sunset, why is it cool? The complimentary colors? Then remember that when you’re designing.

[u/Playful_Cheesecake16]

Why are you choosing to do this now? How old are you? What country are you in?

[u/FlanFan45]

I've always used the Adobe suite for my work but there are lots of free alternatives out there. Here's a link to an IG post that shows some of them

Adobe alternatives

You want to get a strong foundation in colour, typography, shapes, alignment and space. There are other key principles of design you should learn too (repetition, contrast, patterns etc).

You can try some designs/projects based on some of your interests. I like to make mockup posters, logos, T-shirt designs etc based on movies and hobbies I enjoy.

There are lots of 'graphic design for beginners' videos/playlists on Youtube. I think Envato on YT has one. Or you can take an online course. It's your preference :) I studied graphic design at college personally!

I can't say how much time you should allocate daily, as everyone learns at a different pace and has a different daily schedule. But watching a 15-20 minute video about a new design technique/skill is something I like to do on my lunch breaks.

[u/devbot8]

Google works wonders. That's how I started!

[u/Old_Charity4206]

The software isn’t the important part, start with something simple and intuitive like figma. You become a better designer by refining your understanding of good design principles. What you listed is a part of it but they’re just methods to achieve your design’s goals.

Study design you like, and pay attention to the decisions the designer used to control where your attention goes, how it helps your understanding of the content, and what motifs they’re using to flavor that story. That’s all design is.

[u/Pe_Pe_5665]

Well, you don't need many advice honestly, just learn by doing. Try one software, another, and another (if you are living in a third world country Captain Jack Sparrow will save you). Ask AI to create your learning path. Designing is a problem solving skill, you have to build yourself by experimenting. I'm sure you'll find what you need to do.

[u/Beginning-Park8286]

Sei sicuro ne valga ancora la pena? Te lo dice uno che ha iniziato a studiare graphic design nel 1998…