ilovecreatives – Graphic Design Course

Here’s What You Get:

The ilovecreatives – Graphic Design Course is a premium self-paced online design program created by ilovecreatives and taught by the agency team behind ilovecreatives Studio. The course is designed as a “virtual apprenticeship” focused on practical, real-world graphic design skills rather than traditional academic theory.

Course Overview

The program targets:

• Complete beginners
• Freelancers
• Career switchers
• Recent design graduates
• Business owners wanting branding skills
• Junior designers improving portfolios/workflows

The teaching style is heavily:

• Hands-on
• Portfolio-focused
• Community-driven
• Career-oriented
• Creative-agency inspired

According to the official site, the course emphasizes learning through actual design deliverables and real-world projects instead of passive tutorials.

Main Curriculum

The course is divided into several core sections:

1. Design Tools

Students learn practical workflows using:

• Figma
• Adobe Illustrator
• Photoshop
• Branding tools
• Layout systems
• Typography applications

The focus is on creating real deliverables instead of isolated software exercises.

2. Design Process

This section teaches:

• Brand identity systems
• Client communication
• Creative direction
• Moodboards
• Concept development
• Presenting and selling design work

The instructors emphasize how professional designers approach projects strategically.

3. Portfolio Development

A major selling point of the course is portfolio building:

• Personal portfolio website creation
• Case study presentation
• Recruiter-focused portfolio reviews
• 1:1 feedback from teaching assistants

The course repeatedly stresses that portfolios matter more than degrees for many design jobs.

4. Career & Freelancing

Students also learn:

• Freelance pricing
• Agency workflows
• Client management
• Contracts
• Proposal templates
• Career growth strategies
• How to get design jobs or raises

The course includes spreadsheets, Notion templates, and business resources for freelancers/agencies.

Included Features

The official package includes:

• Lifetime course access
• Discord community
• Live workshops
• Assignment reviews
• Resource libraries
• Templates and tools
• Bonus design assets
• Portfolio feedback sessions

There are also guest workshops featuring alumni and industry creatives.

Instructors

Key instructors include:

• Puno Puno
• Mindy Nguyen
• Sarah Sarazen

Their background is more agency/creative-industry focused than academic design education.

Strengths

Commonly praised aspects include:

• Strong creative aesthetic
• Beginner-friendly teaching
• Portfolio-building support
• Practical assignments
• Community access
• Real-world freelance/business insights
• Creative motivation and accountability

Many students say the course helped them:

• Build confidence
• Create portfolios
• Understand client workflows
• Transition into freelance or creative work.

Criticisms & Downsides

Some criticisms from designers and Reddit users include:

• Expensive compared to alternatives
• Self-paced format requires discipline
• Not accredited
• Heavy emphasis on a trendy visual style
• May not fully replace formal design education
• Some users felt cheaper alternatives exist

A few Reddit commenters also questioned the academic depth and typography quality shown in promotional work.

Best For

This course is best suited for:

• Aspiring freelance designers
• Visual creatives wanting a portfolio quickly
• Social-media-native creatives
• Beginners who learn best through projects
• People attracted to modern branding aesthetics
• Career switchers entering design

It may be less ideal for:

• Deep academic design theory
• Traditional corporate design training
• Advanced typography/history-focused education
• Budget-conscious learners

Overall Impression

The ilovecreatives Graphic Design Course is essentially a creative-industry bootcamp focused on:

• Portfolio creation
• Agency-style workflows
• Freelancing
• Modern branding aesthetics
• Community learning

Its biggest value appears to be the combination of:

• Structured projects
• Feedback
• Portfolio support
• Creative community access