Master the Timeless Craft of Print Design
Discover the satisfaction of creating beautiful printed materials that people hold, read, and treasure. Learn to blend traditional design principles with modern production workflows for professional results.
Return to HomepageWhat This Journey Offers You
This course is designed to help you develop expertise in print and publication design, where thoughtful layout and typography create experiences that engage readers and communicate effectively. You'll gain skills that remain valuable as long as people value physical media.
Technical Proficiency
Master the specialized skills required for professional print production. You'll learn to prepare files correctly, understand color management, work with printing specifications, and navigate the technical requirements that ensure your designs translate beautifully to physical media.
Layout Excellence
Develop the ability to create layouts that guide readers naturally through content. You'll understand grid systems, hierarchy, pacing, and how to balance text and imagery in ways that make publications both functional and visually compelling.
Typography Mastery
Learn to make typography decisions that enhance readability and create appropriate tone. You'll understand font selection, spacing, hierarchy, and how to set type for extended reading in ways that serve both content and aesthetic goals.
Production Knowledge
Gain understanding of the print production process from paper selection to binding methods. This knowledge helps you make informed design decisions and communicate effectively with printers, ensuring your vision translates successfully to finished products.
We Understand Your Challenges
Perhaps you're comfortable designing for screens but print feels like unfamiliar territory with its own rules and requirements. Maybe you appreciate beautiful publications but aren't sure how to create them yourself. These concerns are more common than you might think.
The Technical Mysteries of Print
Print design involves technical considerations that don't exist in digital work. Terms like bleeds, color spaces, resolution requirements, and paper weights can feel overwhelming when you're just trying to create something beautiful. Without understanding these elements, it's difficult to prepare files correctly or make informed design decisions that account for physical production realities.
Creating Engaging Multi-Page Layouts
Designing single pages is one thing, but creating cohesive multi-page publications requires understanding pacing, consistency, and how readers move through physical materials. You want to create magazines, books, or brochures that feel professionally designed, but knowing how to maintain visual interest across many pages while ensuring readability and flow isn't straightforward without guidance.
Bridging Design Intent and Physical Reality
What looks good on screen doesn't always translate to print as you envision. Understanding how colors shift, how paper affects appearance, and how binding impacts layout requires knowledge that comes from experience and learning from others who've navigated these challenges. You need clear guidance to avoid costly mistakes and create work that meets professional standards.
Our Practical Approach to Print Design
We've structured this course to demystify print design by combining foundational principles with hands-on experience. Each element builds on the previous one, creating comprehensive understanding of how to create professional publications that work in the physical world.
Print Production Fundamentals
Begin by understanding the technical foundation of print design. We'll explore file preparation, color management, resolution requirements, and how to set up documents correctly from the start. You'll learn the terminology and technical specifications that professional designers use daily.
This practical knowledge ensures your designs are production-ready and helps you communicate effectively with printers, avoiding common pitfalls that can compromise your work or inflate costs.
Typography for Print
Develop expertise in print typography, which has different considerations than screen type. Learn to select appropriate typefaces, set type for extended reading, create hierarchy that guides readers naturally, and handle the spacing details that distinguish professional from amateur work.
Through exercises focused on different publication types, you'll understand how typography choices support content and create appropriate tone for various contexts from formal to casual.
Layout Systems and Grids
Master the grid systems that create consistency and visual harmony across multi-page publications. You'll learn to establish layout structures that provide flexibility while maintaining cohesion, understanding when to follow the grid and when breaking it creates effective emphasis.
Projects include magazine spreads, book layouts, and multi-page brochures that help you understand pacing, rhythm, and how readers navigate physical publications.
Production Experience
Gain real-world understanding through print shop visits and hands-on exposure to physical production. You'll see how your digital files become printed pieces, understand paper selection, experience different finishing techniques, and learn to make design decisions informed by production possibilities.
This practical exposure bridges the gap between design theory and production reality, giving you confidence to specify materials and processes appropriately for different projects.
Your Seven-Week Learning Experience
Over seven intensive weeks, you'll develop print design capabilities through a combination of technical instruction, creative projects, and practical exposure to production processes.
Week by Week
Week 1: Print Fundamentals
Establish technical foundation including file setup, color management, resolution, and print specifications. Learn the terminology and technical requirements that ensure your designs translate successfully to physical media.
Week 2: Typography Essentials
Explore print typography including font selection, type setting for readability, hierarchy creation, and spacing refinement. Work on exercises that develop your eye for typographic detail and understanding of how typography affects reader experience.
Weeks 3-4: Layout Development
Learn grid systems and layout principles through magazine spread and brochure projects. Understand how to create visual interest while maintaining readability, balance text and imagery effectively, and guide readers through multi-page content.
Week 5: Production Knowledge
Visit print facilities to understand production processes. Learn about paper selection, binding methods, finishing techniques, and how production choices affect both design possibilities and project costs. This practical exposure informs better design decisions.
Weeks 6-7: Portfolio Projects
Complete comprehensive publication design projects suitable for portfolio inclusion. Create multi-page documents that demonstrate your technical proficiency, design sensibility, and understanding of print production requirements. Present finished work and receive final feedback.
Focused Learning Environment
Our small class sizes ensure you receive attention to detail that's especially important in print design where technical precision matters. You'll work alongside others who share your interest in physical media, creating a community that appreciates the craft of print design.
Instructors bring practical production experience and can answer specific questions about technical challenges you encounter as you develop your projects.
Practical Application
Between sessions, you'll work on projects that reinforce technical skills and creative principles. The workload is designed to be manageable while providing enough practice to build confidence and capability.
Access to examples, templates, and reference materials supports your learning, helping you understand professional standards and best practices for different publication types.
Your Investment in Professional Skills
This investment supports your development of print design capabilities that remain valuable throughout your creative career.
What's Included
14 Hours of Instruction
Two-hour sessions twice weekly covering technical and creative aspects of print design with experienced instructors
Technical Feedback
Individual attention on your projects ensuring technical accuracy alongside creative development
Print Shop Visits
Hands-on exposure to production processes, equipment, and materials that inform better design decisions
Publication Projects
Multi-page layouts including magazines, books, and brochures suitable for portfolio presentation
Production Resources
Templates, specification sheets, and reference materials for different print production scenarios
Software Training
Professional instruction in layout software and proper file preparation for print production
If the investment feels like a stretch, please reach out to discuss payment arrangements that might make the program more accessible. We're interested in supporting serious learners who value the craft of print design.
Next session begins: December 2025
How Your Skills Will Develop
Print design requires both creative and technical development. Here's what you can reasonably expect as you progress through this program.
Early Progress: Technical Foundation
In the first weeks, you'll notice technical concepts becoming clearer. File preparation, color management, and production specifications that initially seemed complicated will become more intuitive. You'll understand the language printers use and feel more confident preparing files correctly.
This technical foundation develops relatively quickly with focused instruction, giving you confidence that your designs will translate successfully to physical media.
Mid-Course: Layout Proficiency
As you work on multi-page projects, you'll develop understanding of how layouts flow, how to create visual interest across spreads, and how to guide readers through content effectively. Your eye for typography and spacing will become more refined through practice and feedback.
Many students report that their appreciation for well-designed publications deepens during this phase, as they understand the decisions behind what makes layouts work successfully.
Production Understanding: Practical Knowledge
The print shop visits provide invaluable context that connects design decisions to physical reality. Understanding how your files become printed pieces, seeing different papers and finishes, and watching production processes gives you confidence to specify materials and make informed decisions.
This practical exposure bridges the gap between theory and practice in ways that purely classroom learning cannot achieve.
Program Completion: Professional Capability
By the conclusion, you'll have created print-ready publications that demonstrate both creative and technical competence. More importantly, you'll understand the process, possess the technical knowledge, and have the confidence to tackle print design projects independently.
While mastery develops over years of practice, this program provides solid grounding and the framework to continue developing your capabilities through real-world projects.
Our Commitment to You
We're confident in this program because we've seen it successfully prepare many students for print design work. Here's what we commit to providing.
Clear Curriculum
Before enrolling, you'll receive detailed information about what technical skills you'll develop, projects you'll complete, and what production exposure you'll gain. We believe in transparency about program content.
Experienced Guidance
Our instructors bring practical print production experience and understand the technical challenges you'll encounter. They're committed to your development and responsive to technical questions throughout the program.
Open Communication
If the course isn't meeting your expectations or you're struggling with concepts, we want to know. While we can't solve every concern, we're genuinely interested in making the program valuable for participants.
Pre-Enrollment Discussion
Schedule a conversation to discuss your design goals, current experience, and whether this course is appropriate for you. There's no pressure to enroll, just an opportunity for informed decision-making.
Our Promise
We promise to provide thorough instruction, constructive feedback, and practical production exposure throughout your learning journey. What we can't promise is that the technical aspects will be effortless or that mastery comes without practice. Print design requires attention to detail and commitment from both instructor and student, and we're ready to invest in learners who value this craft.
Your development in print design matters to us, and we'll support you throughout the process.
Ready to Learn Print Design?
Getting started is straightforward. Here's what happens when you reach out to us.
Initial Contact
Fill out the contact form or email us. Share your design background, what interests you about print design, and what you hope to achieve. We typically respond within one business day to arrange a conversation.
Exploratory Conversation
We'll have a relaxed discussion about your design goals, current experience level, and whether this course is a good fit. You can ask questions about the curriculum, technical requirements, or any concerns you have. No pressure, just honest dialogue about whether we're the right choice.
Program Details Review
If it seems like a good match, we'll provide comprehensive information about the upcoming session including dates, times, and detailed weekly outline. Take time to consider whether the commitment feels right for you.
Enrollment and Preparation
When you decide to enroll, we'll complete registration and provide preparation information. You'll receive a welcome email with everything needed to start confidently, including software setup and what to bring to your first session.
Questions Before You Start?
Common questions we address include software requirements, whether design experience is necessary, how technical the program is, and what to expect from print shop visits. Whatever's on your mind, we're happy to discuss it.
The easiest way to get clarity is simply to reach out. Every question helps us understand how to support you better.
Begin Your Print Design Journey
If you're ready to develop professional print design skills and understand the craft of creating beautiful physical publications, we'd be glad to discuss whether this program aligns with your goals.
Schedule a DiscussionNo pressure, just a friendly conversation about your design aspirations
Explore Our Other Courses
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