Illustrator is the premier tool for creating vector images for magazines, newsletters, brochures and the web.  In this introductory class, you will begin with the basics of drawing shapes and lines, creating text, and importing graphics and pictures and then practice techniques to help you become more productive with the program. This course will provide you with the basic fundamentals of Illustrator, as well as give you plenty of hands-on practice with using the program. These are the building blocks that will make Illustrator one of your favorite programs to use. This course is appropriate for users of any version of Illustrator.

This is the second recommended class in the Graphic Design Certificate.

Upon completion of this class, you should be able to:

• Identify the various elements of the Adobe Illustrator workspace.
• Navigate Illustrator and where to find all the tools and features you'll need
• Draw basic shapes and objects
• Create vector images, then edit those vector images quickly and easily
• Add color to your work
• Use blends, gradients, and patterns
• Add graphs to your documents
• Add text to your documents – and even to your objects and shapes
• And much, much more!

Prerequisites:

Before taking this course, students should be familiar with Windows functions such as creating folders, launching programs, copying and pasting objects, formatting text, retrieving and saving files. Familiarity with other Adobe software applications is helpful.

You will need to have a login to a personal or work provided Adobe account to participate in this class. The college does not have access to manage your Adobe account and is unable to provide support.

For in-person classes:

You can get your FREE Adobe login here. No software purchase is required – you only need a login. This login will allow you access to the software in our computer labs. If you have an account that has been provided to you by your employer, be sure to verify that you have permission to utilize that account off-site. Otherwise, you can create a personal account for use in class.

For online classes:

You will need to have your own license for the software on the computer you will be using to attend the class. Adobe offers a free 7-day trial for Creative Cloud which includes all of their software programs. You can sign up for a free trial here. You can only request a free trial once, and it is good for all software programs. After your free trial expires, you will have to purchase software for any future classes or use of any Adobe products.

Intended Audience:

Anyone whose work involves communicating effectively via print and web. This course is appropriate for users of any version of Illustrator.

Course Length:

2 days (14 hours)

Updated: 2/25/2026