What is illustration?

An illustration is an artful creation and visual explanation of words, concepts, or ideas, that is used to amplify the graphic look and feel of a published article, landing page, or goods and products. Illustrations can be used as visual hooks on posters, cereal boxes, printed materials like brochures and flyers, magazines, video games, and films. Illustrations are the drawings you find to make websites and apps more user-friendly, including emojis. Illustration is both the creation of and result of visual imagery that is used online to add graphic context to words and stories on the internet. In web articles, an illustration will attempt to add color to an essential element of the article. An illustration is typically created by an illustrator or increasingly, a graphic designer.

Why learn illustration?

Learning how to draw and create illustrations is a creative tool that can help you open up your imagination and creativity in both your personal and professional lives. Illustration is also useful as a skill in many professions. Learning how to illustrate also helps to open up the power of the right side of the brain, which is the creative side. This can help balance your logical, intuitive left-brain thinking capabilities. You can also advance your insights of illustration into online multimedia concepts.

What are typical careers that use illustration?

Among the typical careers for someone who is good at illustration can be a professional illustrator, a medical illustrator, a graphic designer, a creative web director, and similar roles that emphasize creativity and visual acuity. Illustrators can find work with publishing companies, web content agencies, and advertising agencies. Illustrators who work in digital medium can take on projects on a freelance basis for a wide array of clients.

How can online courses on Coursera help me learn illustration?

Taking online courses on Coursera about illustration can open up your talent base to understanding software programs like Adobe Illustrator, Adobe InDesign, and other leading software tools used in major companies today. When you take online courses, you can also gain an understanding of the history and evolution of type fonts, graphics, and use of color and space on both digital and print projects.

What are the benefits of taking an online Illustration course?

Online Illustration courses offer a convenient and flexible way to enhance your knowledge or learn new Illustration skills. Choose from a wide range of Illustration courses offered by top universities and industry leaders tailored to various skill levels.

What Illustration courses are best for training and upskilling employees or the workforce?

When looking to enhance your workforce's skills in Illustration, it's crucial to select a course that aligns with their current abilities and learning objectives. Our Skills Dashboard is an invaluable tool for identifying skill gaps and choosing the most appropriate course for effective upskilling. For a comprehensive understanding of how our courses can benefit your employees, explore the enterprise solutions we offer. Discover more about our tailored programs at Coursera for Business here .

Best Illustration Courses & Certificates [2025]

Explore the Illustration Course Catalog

Status: Free Trial
California Institute of the Arts
Graphic Design
Skills you'll gain: Typography, Design Elements And Principles, Graphic Design, Visual Design, Logo Design, Design Software, Digital Design, Creative Design, Graphic and Visual Design, Color Theory, Adobe InDesign, Photo Editing, Photography, Design, Style Guides, Branding, Peer Review, Art History, Design Strategies, Design Research
4.7
Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
21K reviews
Beginner · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months
Status: Free Trial
Status: AI skills
Adobe
Adobe Graphic Designer
Skills you'll gain: Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, Logo Design, Digital Design, Generative AI, Graphic Design, User Interface and User Experience (UI/UX) Design, Visual Design, File Management, Process Design, Design Reviews, Prompt Engineering, Image Analysis, Presentations, Client Services, Content Creation, Artificial Intelligence, Version Control, Branding, Storytelling
4.7
Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
1.1K reviews
Beginner · Professional Certificate · 3 - 6 Months
Status: New
Status: Free Trial
Skillshare
Kickstart Your Creativity with Procreate: Fun Objects
Skills you'll gain: Creative Design, Digital Design, Design, Storytelling, Design Elements And Principles, Creativity, Color Theory
Mixed · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks
Status: Free Trial
Adobe
Design Fundamentals with AI
Skills you'll gain: Typography, Logo Design, Digital Design, Creative Design, Visual Design, Branding, Graphic Design, User Interface and User Experience (UI/UX) Design, Color Theory, Content Creation, Creativity, Generative AI Agents
4.7
Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
856 reviews
Beginner · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks
Status: Free Trial
California Institute of the Arts
Game Design: Art and Concepts
Skills you'll gain: Animation and Game Design, Game Design, Animations, Prototyping, Conceptual Design, Video Game Development, Storytelling, Software Design Documents, Ideation, Visualization (Computer Graphics), Storyboarding, Design, Virtual Environment, Art History, Technical Design, Design Elements And Principles, Usability Testing, Creative Design, Design Strategies, Graphic and Visual Design
4.7
Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
4.1K reviews
Beginner · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months
Status: New
Status: Free Trial
Skillshare
Logo Design: From Concept to Client-Approved Work
Skills you'll gain: Logo Design, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe After Effects, Typography, Animations, Graphic Design, Motion Graphics, Branding, Design Research, Adobe Creative Cloud, Design, File Management, Brand Strategy, Brand Awareness, Legal Risk, Adobe Photoshop, Design Elements And Principles, Brand Management, Marketing Design, Color Theory
Beginner · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months

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Status: Free Trial
Michigan State University
Art for Games
Skills you'll gain: Unity Engine, Animations, 3D Modeling, Storyboarding, Color Theory, Animation and Game Design, Video Game Development, Game Design, Autodesk Maya, Computer Graphics, Visualization (Computer Graphics), Design Elements And Principles, Adobe Photoshop, Conceptual Design, Computer Graphic Techniques, Prototyping, Graphic and Visual Design, Virtual Environment, Design, Data Import/Export
4.5
Rating, 4.5 out of 5 stars
408 reviews
Beginner · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months
Status: New
Status: Free Trial
Adobe
Graphic Design
Skills you'll gain: Adobe Illustrator, Color Theory, Typography, Graphic and Visual Design, Graphic Design, Graphic and Visual Design Software, Design, Adobe Creative Cloud, Design Elements And Principles, Logo Design, Digital Design, Generative AI, Creativity
4.6
Rating, 4.6 out of 5 stars
77 reviews
Mixed · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks
Status: Free Trial
California Institute of the Arts
Fundamentals of Graphic Design
Skills you'll gain: Typography, Design Elements And Principles, Graphic Design, Visual Design, Design Software, Logo Design, Digital Design, Color Theory, Photo Editing, Adobe Creative Cloud, Creativity
4.8
Rating, 4.8 out of 5 stars
18K reviews
Beginner · Course · 1 - 3 Months
Status: Free
Coursera Project Network
Use Canva to Create Social Media Visuals for Business
Skills you'll gain: Social Media Content, Social Media, Facebook, Content Creation, Marketing Materials, Social Media Marketing, Instagram, Data Visualization, Graphic Design, Digital Publishing, Brand Management, Digital Marketing
4.4
Rating, 4.4 out of 5 stars
1.4K reviews
Beginner · Guided Project · Less Than 2 Hours
Status: Free Trial
California Institute of the Arts
UI / UX Design
Skills you'll gain: Information Architecture, Wireframing, User Interface and User Experience (UI/UX) Design, Persona (User Experience), Mockups, User Experience Design, Responsive Web Design, UI/UX Strategy, Adobe XD, User Interface (UI) Design, User Centered Design, Interaction Design, Prototyping, Graphic and Visual Design, Web Language, HTML and CSS, User Flows, Web Design, Design Elements And Principles, User Research
4.7
Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
8K reviews
Beginner · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months
Status: Free Trial
California Institute of the Arts
Introduction to Imagemaking
Skills you'll gain: Graphic and Visual Design, Photo Editing, Photography, Peer Review, Design, Design Research, Adobe InDesign, Storytelling, Creativity, Design Elements And Principles
4.5
Rating, 4.5 out of 5 stars
2.9K reviews
Beginner · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks