It’s easy to look at a design and acknowledge that it looks good. It’s often much more difficult to identify why it looks good. When you have a fundamental knowledge of visual design, you can be a better collaborator in the design process.

Who Should Attend

  • UX generalists who cover many aspects of UX in their organization, including visual design 
  • UX researchers, writers, or other cross-disciplinary team members who want to upskill their visual design understanding
  • Visual designers who need a refresher on the fundamentals or teach visual design to others

What You’ll Learn

Understand the principles of visual design

  • Better communicate and collaborate with visual designers
  • Assess designs using proven principles rather than subjective opinions
  • Visual hierarchy and layout
  • Visually prioritizing elements and content on the screen
  • Graphic design fundamentals
  • Creating and using grid systems

Working with typefaces and typography essentials

  • Choosing a typeface 
  • Using line width and height to create white space
  • Mixing and matching typefaces
  • Typography accessibility

Incorporating imagery

  • Choosing and working with illustrations
  • Utilizing icon libraries
  • Selecting photography
  • Assessing imagery for use on web and mobile apps

Establishing a visual design system and color palette

  • Maintaining consistency
  • Incorporating brand guidelines into UI designs
  • Choosing colors and creating color palettes
  • How to use color for interaction
  • Color accessibility

Taught by an Industry Expert

Earn UX Certification

Take 5 live courses, pass 5 online exams

UX Certification is an exam-based credential that reinforces learning and boosts credibility.

UX Certification Benefits

Why Live Online Courses

What People Are Saying

  • This course does an excellent job of empowering you to look at a visual design and dissect it with constructive feedback. It is for both UI designers and UX analyst; it would even benefit a front-end web developer. I highly recommend the course.

    David
    SHERPA Global

  • It's great for those wanting to brush up on their visual design skills. I don't come from a design background so I learned from experience so it was good to actually put names to the things I'm doing and then actively use them in my job.

    Heather
    Leidos

  • Really helpful. The instructor was very patient and took time to answer all the questions with examples/references that helps us associate the principles easily. After this course my first goal is to get the fundamentals right then the design will fall in place.

    Shylu
    Baxter

  • This course is approachable enough that I would recommend it to non-designers who work on projects that involve design. It's a direct view into the criteria that inform how visual design decisions should be made, and it will help you alike achieve a better understanding of processes that might otherwise seem subjective or even arbitrary.

    Josh

Frequently Asked Questions

How will I get the link to the Zoom meeting for the course?

60 minutes before your course begins, your link will be available when you log into your NN/G profile.

Can I watch a recording of the course?

Live Online courses are live events hosted on Zoom that extend throughout the day and include many periods of interactive exercises. The learning experience cannot be replicated by simply watching recordings after the event. We will not be making course recordings, and making your own recordings is not permitted.

Will I be able to network and get to know other participants?

You'll join a Slack community for both course-related discussion and networking with fellow participants. You'll also be able to use the Slack workspace before, during, and after the event to maintain your connections. You'll be invited to join the Slack community the week before the event starts.

What equipment will I need to participate in NN/G Live Online courses?

You'll be streaming video and audio to your computer, and also speaking with other participants. Make sure you have:

  • A laptop or desktop (using a tablet is not recommended)
  • A stable high-speed internet connection
  • Speakers or headphones
  • A microphone
  • A webcam
Do I really need a microphone and webcam?

While it's possible to attend our Live Online courses without your own webcam or microphone, you will not be able to fully participate in learning activities. Many of our courses use hands-on practice as the primary way of learning design and research techniques. You'll learn more during these activities if you can fully participate, and your collaboration partners can see and hear you. We also recommend using headphones.

Do I have to download any software?

All courses use Zoom and Hightail, a file-sharing service. Some courses require the use of Google Drive apps or Miro. All tools are free to use and do not require you to create an account, but you should ensure your device permissions allow you to access these tools.

  • Zoom is a video conferencing service. Our meetings follow security best practices, including passwords and waiting rooms. We recommend installing the Zoom app, which is free. If you are not able to install the Zoom software, you can also join through Chrome web browser. Test your access to Zoom.
  • Hightail will be used to share downloadable course materials (such as PDF copies of presentation slides). Test your access to Hightail. (If your network blocks you from access Hightail, during the event our conference team will be able to assist you with alternative ways to receive your course materials.
  • Google Drive apps are used for collaborative learning activities. If you are not able to use Google Docs or Sheets, you will be able to download copies of the activity materials, but may not be able to fully participate in group work. Test your access to Google Docs.
  • Miro is an online whiteboarding tool and is used for collaborative learning activities in some courses. You can download the Miro app or open a Miro link in your browser.
Will my internet connection be fast enough?

You will need a stable internet connection with a minimum of 3 Mbps (up and down) in order o participate in 
NN/g virtual courses. Ideally, a faster connection speed of 25 Mbps download and 5Mbps upload is recommended to ensure HD video and audio quality. If you are using a WIFI network, disconnect all other devices from that network to improve the streaming quality. Check your internet connection speed.

Can I join from my phone or tablet?

We do not recommend attending our classes from a small-screen device. Although you will be able to connect to the meeting, it will be difficult to see the detailed examples shared during class. It will also be extremely difficult to participate in collaborative exercises which require typing and interactive documents.