The holiday break is fast approaching, but that doesn’t mean you should slack on your design skills. We’ve rounded up some of the best free design classes and tutorials on the web to keep you sharp through the New Year.
Whether you’re looking for something short and sweet or more conceptual, here’s some of the best logo classes from around the web.
Beginner classes
This class walks you through the basics of designing a vector-based logo, so that it can be scaleable to any size. Learn how to manipulate shapes, add color and introduce different effects to your design.
Source: Adobe
Materials: 7 videos; sample files for practice; Illustrator “cheat sheet”
Time: 10 minutes
Learn how to combine Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop to edit smart vector objects more efficiently. In this video, Dave Cross will show you how to give your logo’s text a grungy effect while keeping live type in Illustrator that will update immediately in Photoshop.
Source: Layers Magazine
Materials: 1 video
Time: 6 minutes
This class emphasizes the power in simplicity and will walk you through how to “maximize communication with minimal information”. You’ll learn how to create three types of logos: an animal mark, a letterform mark and a negative space mark while learning the fundamentals behind each style.
Source: Skillshare
Materials: 15 videos; class tips guide, source file
Time: 57 minutes
In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to apply a faded effect to your logo to make it look authentic on cloth, wood and other vintage aesthetics. This is a great an powerful skill that designers can use to better communicate their ideas and the potential of their logo to clients.
Source: 99designs
Materials: Article tutorial
Stanley Hainsworth (former creative-in-chief at Nike and Starbucks) will teach a live class about the tools and methodologies for creating a brand. Find out how to add that “human touch” to a brand while working towards consistency, vision and creative strategies.
Source: Creative Live
Date: Jan 22, 2015 (9am – 4pm PST)
Time: 7h
Price: Free design class with RSVP
This quick video tutorial will show you how to warp text in Illustrator – a great skill to learn for t-shirt design and retro-style logos.
Source: YouTube (via Mike Locke)
Materials: 1 video
Time: 6 minutes
This in depth article will walk you through the full process of logo design from sketch to finish. Learn how to pull the essential information from the brief, visualize your design, draft it and apply it to collateral.
Source: dryicons
Materials: Tutorial article
Learn how to build emotional connections between consumers and brands through brand positioning, visual design and client presentation. The course is based on a real life case-study with Awake Chocolate.
Source: Skillshare
Materials: 6 videos; additional resource links;
Time: 45 minutes
One of the first things a designer learns in school is to pay attention to the details. When it comes to logo design, these details are more important than ever.
Source: 99designs
Materials: Tutorial article
Intermediate classes
This class walks you through the history of typography, before teaching you how to digitize your own logo sketches, mix fonts and shape your type. Then you’ll finalize your logo with a texture of your choice as a finishing touch.
Source: Skillshare
Materials: 8 videos; additional resource links
Time: 4 hours 12 minutes
Master the art of bold, athletic-style marks with the help of Fraser Davidson, owner of sports branding agency Field Theory, as you create your own team mascot logo. You’ll learn how to use reference images, add bold lines and negative space, and introduce shading and coloration.
Source: Skillshare
Materials: 11 videos; reference images; Photoshop template; completed illustrations
Time: 1 hour 44 minutes
Learn how to create geometric line art of your very own with this step-by-step guide. While this tutorial walks you through the steps to create a Barathean deer logo, this technique is easily applicable to your own creations.
Source: Spoon Graphics
Materials: Tutorial article
Take stock in the vintage trend with this in-depth class as Simon Walker breaks down how to turn sketched, custom typography into clean vector art. You’ll organize your layers, balance logos, and capture that classic style through texture.
Source: Skillshare
Materials: 10 videos; working files; texture download and resources; example logos
Time: 1 hour 21 minutes
Try your hand at flat design while also digging deeper into sketching, adding logo detail, creating custom brushes, and finally applying a gentle background. The tutorial will also walk you through converting the logotype to greyscale.
Source: Tuts+
Materials: Tutorial article
You don’t need to be a typographer to create a unique logotype. Rather you can start with an existing font’s framework and customize it to be uniquely yours! Learn how in this tutorial.
Source: 99designs
Materials: Tutorial article
Learn how to create a fun, hipster-style badge with the help of Illustrator and Photoshop. You’ll work with transparency, text shaping, and texture.
Source: Abduzeedo
Materials: Tutorial article; source files
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