Design & Creative
Graphic Design
Create professional posters, flyers, and digital assets for NGOs, businesses, and campaigns.
Prerequisites
No prior experience required — open to beginners.
Certificate
Awarded by Rescue Academy on successful completion of the program's assessments and final project.
Learn Online — Live Classes
Register, receive your schedule, and join live instructor-led Graphic Design classes on Zoom. Assignments, instructor feedback, and a certificate on completion.
Learn In Person
Attend Graphic Design classes in person in Juba with hands-on labs, instructor mentorship, and a certificate on completion.
What You'll Learn
- Design principles: contrast, hierarchy, alignment and space
- Colour, accessible contrast and typography
- Branding, logos and brand identity systems
- Print production: resolution, bleed, preflight and colour management
- Vector illustration, icons and ethical photo editing
- Packaging, signage, social media systems and motion basics
- UI design, design systems, portfolio and professional practice
Program Objectives
- Create clear, accessible layouts using design principles
- Design brand identities and complete identity systems
- Produce correct files for print, digital and physical products
- Create illustration, image and information design responsibly
- Work professionally with clients and build a portfolio
Who It's For
- Aspiring graphic designers
- Marketing and communications staff who produce materials
- Small business owners and freelancers
Where You'll Use It
- Print shops, agencies and media houses
- NGO and public health communications
- Small business branding and marketing
Curriculum
Instructor-led, practical training. Each level is a block of 4, 8 or 12 weeks; every module ends with a practical activity and an assessment, and every level with a project.
Module 1: Design Principles 10 h
Use contrast, hierarchy, alignment, proximity and space to make designs clear. 3 lessons
Module 2: Colour Theory and Typography 11 h
Choose colours and fonts that communicate well and are readable for everyone. 3 lessons
Module 3: Branding and Logo Basics 10 h
Understand brand identity and design a simple logo system and style guide. 3 lessons
Module 4: Print and Digital Formats 11 h
Set up files correctly for printing and for screens and social media. 3 lessons
Module 5: UI and Layout Basics 10 h
Plan screens and pages with wireframes, grids, spacing and accessible touch targets, and complete the level project. 3 lessons
Level project: Small Business Starter Brand Kit
Module 1: Layout Systems and Composition 15 h
Build structured multi-page layouts and stronger compositions. 3 lessons
Module 2: Vector Illustration and Icons 16 h
Draw clean vector artwork and design consistent icon sets. 3 lessons
Module 3: Photo Editing and Compositing 16 h
Edit and combine photographs professionally, non-destructively and ethically. 3 lessons
Module 4: Packaging, Signage and Merchandise 13 h
Design for physical products, large formats and branded items. 3 lessons
Module 5: Social Media Design Systems 13 h
Create template systems and simple motion graphics for consistent social content. 3 lessons
Module 6: Client Work and Feedback 17 h
Work with clients from brief to approval, and complete the campaign project. 3 lessons
Level project: Campaign Design Package
Module 1: Brand Identity Systems 22 h
Build identities from strategy to a full, flexible visual system and guidelines. 4 lessons
Module 2: Advanced Illustration and Image Making 22 h
Create sophisticated illustrations, image manipulation and information graphics. 4 lessons
Module 3: Design for Digital Products 22 h
Design apps and websites with research, prototypes, design systems and accessibility. 4 lessons
Module 4: Print Production and Colour Management 24 h
Manage print jobs from file preparation to finished product. 4 lessons
Module 5: Portfolio and Professional Practice 20 h
Present your work professionally and run design work as a business. 4 lessons
Module 6: Capstone: Complete Brand Package 30 h
Deliver a full brand identity for a client from research to final presentation. 5 lessons
Level project: Complete Brand Identity Package
Final practical project
Complete Brand Identity Package
A full brand identity for a real or detailed client brief: research and strategy, identity system, applications across print, digital, signage and merchandise, brand guidelines, production files and a portfolio case study.
Deliverables
- Brand strategy summary
- Identity system with applications
- Brand guidelines and production files
- Portfolio case study and presentation
Assessed on
- Strategically grounded and distinctive identity
- Consistent system across applications
- Production-ready, licensed files
- Professional case study
Worked Examples
A selection of the visual, practical examples used in this program's lessons — each teaches a different skill.
- Before and after Fixing the hierarchy of an event poster The same poster information arranged without and with a clear order of importance. Beginner · Module 1 · Lesson 1
- Worked calculation Checking brand colours for readable text Calculating contrast ratios shows which text and background pairs can be used. Beginner · Module 2 · Lesson 2
- Worked calculation How many pixels does a print need? Working out image sizes for an A5 flyer and a roll-up banner. Beginner · Module 4 · Lesson 1
- Annotated diagram An A5 flyer set up for print Where the bleed, trim and safe zone go — and what belongs in each. Beginner · Module 4 · Lesson 2
- Workflow From brief to approved design The stages of a client project and who is responsible at each. Intermediate · Module 6 · Lesson 2
- Troubleshooting tree Is this change request in scope? Deciding how to handle a client's request after work has started. Advanced · Module 5 · Lesson 3
Free Course: Graphic Design Starter
A free introduction to how designers think: layout principles, colour and type, brand identity, and preparing files for print and screen. Free, self-study, about 5 hours — no certificate. The full program above is taught live by an instructor, with practical assignments, assessments and a certificate.
- 1Free lesson 1Introduction to Graphic Design Principles
- 2Free lesson 2Color Theory & Typography
- 3Free lesson 3Branding & Corporate Identity
- 4Free lesson 4Print vs. Digital Design Formatting
- 5Free lesson 5UI/UX Design Basics
- Final checkQuick Quiz — Graphic Design Basics
Tools & Technologies
Primary Tools
- Adobe Photoshop — Photo editing, retouching, and raster-based composition Practice: Layers, masking, color correction, photo manipulation
- Adobe Illustrator — Vector artwork — logos, icons, and scalable illustrations Practice: Pen tool, vector shapes, logo construction
- Canva — Fast, template-based design for social posts, flyers, and everyday client requests Practice: Layout assembly, brand kits, quick turnaround design
Supporting Tools
- Figma — Wireframing and UI mockups with shareable, commentable links Practice: Wireframes, prototyping, 8px grid layouts, client feedback rounds
- Google Fonts — Free, license-safe typefaces for both print and web work Practice: Font pairing, typography hierarchy
- GIMP and Inkscape — Free, open-source alternatives for photo editing and vector drawing Practice: Practising core techniques without paid licences
Professional / Industry Tools
- Adobe Photoshop & Illustrator (full Creative Cloud workflow) — Industry-standard tools expected at agencies, media houses, and print shops Practice: Production-ready, print-safe, multi-format file delivery
- Page layout software (InDesign, Affinity Publisher or Scribus) — Multi-page brochures, reports and print production Practice: Master pages, styles, preflight and PDF/X export
Career Opportunities
- Freelance graphic designer
- Communications/media role at an NGO or media house
- Small design studio or print shop ownership
Practical Projects
- Design a complete mini-brand package (logo, business card, social media templates) for a local business or NGO
- Create a print-ready A5 flyer following professional pre-flight standards
- Adapt one existing design (poster or flyer) into three formats: print-ready CMYK, a compressed low-bandwidth WhatsApp version, and a social media post size
Problem-Solving Focus
Problem: A new small business or NGO has no visual identity and almost no budget for design
Approach: Build a lean brand kit — one logo with two or three simple variations, a two-color palette, and a single font pairing — that stays consistent whether it's printed on a banner or shared on WhatsApp.
Problem: A public health or civic-awareness campaign needs to reach an audience with mixed literacy levels
Approach: Lead with icons, imagery, and visual hierarchy rather than dense paragraphs of text, and test whether the main message is understandable in under five seconds.
Problem: Designs need to be shared over slow mobile data or WhatsApp, where large image files fail to send or take too long to load
Approach: Export compressed, low-kilobyte versions (adjusted JPG quality, resized dimensions) that stay sharp on a phone screen without the multi-megabyte file size of a print-ready original.
Problem: The same design needs to work as a printed A5 flyer and as a square Instagram/Facebook post
Approach: Design at print resolution and in CMYK first (where color accuracy matters most), then produce a resized, RGB-converted export for digital use — without rebuilding the layout from scratch each time.
Ready to register for Graphic Design?
Register — Learn Online Register — Learn In Person WhatsApp: +211926196668 Email: rescueacademy26@gmail.com