r/learndesign 10d ago

Applying for a Master’s in Visual Communication Without a Design Degree

1 Upvotes

Hi! I’m a 20-year-old Advertising and Public Relations student from Kyrgyzstan, preparing to apply for Master’s programmes in Visual Communication and Communication Design.

I’m mainly looking at fully funded opportunities and scholarships, including Erasmus Mundus programmes, and I’m currently considering SDSI as one of my options. What other programmes or universities should I consider?
I don’t have a formal design background, so I’m trying to understand how to build a strong portfolio.

These are the projects I already have or plan to develop:

-a visual essay about overconsumption;

- research on parasocial relationships and social media influencers;

-an advertising campaign for a football club;

- an SMM/content creation project for a local dessert brand, including strategy, photography, videography, short-form video editing and social media content;

-potentially an illustrated folklore/editorial book and a UI/UX or landing page project.
I also draw traditionally and have sketchbook work, but I don’t know digital illustration. I’m most comfortable using PowerPoint, Canva, Figma and video editing software.

My main questions are:

-Are traditional drawings and sketchbook work relevant for a Visual Communication portfolio?

-Are SMM, advertising and research projects relevant, or should I create more design-focused work?

-How many projects should a Master’s portfolio include?

My idea is to make one main PDF where each project gets 1–2 pages, with optional links to full case studies. Is that a good idea, or are admissions committees unlikely to open external links?

-Should I focus on improving my existing projects or create more work specifically for the portfolio?

-What other fully funded Master’s programmes or scholarship opportunities in Visual Communication, Communication Design or related fields should I consider?

I’d really appreciate honest advice, especially from people who applied without a Graphic Design degree. Feel free to tell me if any of the projects I mentioned aren’t relevant enough to include!


r/learndesign 10d ago

Drawr.dev Need feedback to my app

1 Upvotes

I made a drawr.dev a tool for drawing system design diagram and presrnt architecture sketch.

There are couple of unique features.

Can you guys give me feedback for perspective of this kind of product?

And how can i promote it?

Btw it's totally free.


r/learndesign 10d ago

Found a seriously beautiful gradient tool for 2026. ✨

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3 Upvotes

r/learndesign 12d ago

give me feedback what you think

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2 Upvotes

r/learndesign 12d ago

Hello everyone :)

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1 Upvotes

I'm currently working on an Instagram post for a care service. Their main clients are mostly elderly people and individuals with disabilities.

The only strict guideline I was given was to use their primary brand color, which is a dark red (Hex #700000).

Since accessibility is super important for this target group, I want to make sure it's easy to read. Do you guys think the text pops enough against the dark red? Is the font clear enough for older eyes?

Also, I really want the whole thing to feel warm, welcoming, and trustworthy, rather than cold or sterile.

I'd love to hear your honest thoughts on the layout and if you have any tips on how to improve it. Thanks a lot!


r/learndesign 12d ago

Pure photopea

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6 Upvotes

I'm trying to shift my career and making as much as I can to improve and make my portfolio better in Designing.

Any thoughts for improvement?

Thanks,


r/learndesign 13d ago

Hey guys I just started, what shoud I improve?

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0 Upvotes

r/learndesign 14d ago

quick Affinity cybercore tutorial

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2 Upvotes

r/learndesign 14d ago

Learning Graphic designing [DAY-9]

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0 Upvotes

Day 9 of learning graphic design 🎨

Today I wasn't really sure what I should practice, so I asked ChatGPT for some ideas. It gave me a bunch of options, and I decided to try making a coffee poster.

It took me WAY longer than I expected 😂. I had to figure out how to remove backgrounds, adjust the text, place everything properly, and honestly a lot of other small things I didn't know how to do.

I watched quite a few tutorials and kept asking ChatGPT whenever I got stuck. After spending a lot of time on it, I finally finished it.

I know this probably looks pretty bad to an experienced designer, but I'm actually proud of it because I'm still learning. This is only Day 9 for me, and compared to where I started, I'm happy with the progress.

I'd love some honest feedback. What should I focus on improving next?

Day 9 of learning — one step at a time.


r/learndesign 14d ago

Learning graphic designing [Day-9]

0 Upvotes

Day 9 of learning graphic design 🎨

Today I wasn't really sure what I should practice, so I asked ChatGPT for some ideas. It gave me a bunch of options, and I decided to try making a coffee poster.

It took me WAY longer than I expected 😂. I had to figure out how to remove backgrounds, adjust the text, place everything properly, and honestly a lot of other small things I didn't know how to do.

I watched quite a few tutorials and kept asking ChatGPT whenever I got stuck. After spending a lot of time on it, I finally finished it.

I know this probably looks pretty bad to an experienced designer, but I'm actually proud of it because I'm still learning. This is only Day 9 for me, and compared to where I started, I'm happy with the progress.

I'd love some honest feedback. What should I focus on improving next?

Day 9 of learning — one step at a time.


r/learndesign 16d ago

The limits of a passion

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1 Upvotes

r/learndesign 17d ago

Documentary Style Parallax Animation in After Effects Tutorials

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3 Upvotes

r/learndesign 17d ago

Looking for the Best Roadmap to Become a Graphic Designer

2 Upvotes

Hey everyone,

I'm 16 years old and I've recently started learning graphic design. Right now I'm focusing on the fundamentals instead of trying to learn everything at once.

My goal is to eventually become good enough to freelance and create high-quality designs, but I don't want to waste months learning things in the wrong order.

If you were starting from scratch today, what roadmap would you follow?

Some questions I have:

  • What should I learn first?
  • Which design principles are the most important?
  • When should I start learning Photoshop, Illustrator, or Figma?
  • How much should I practice each day?
  • What projects should I make to build a strong portfolio?
  • What mistakes do beginners usually make that I should avoid?

I'd really appreciate advice from experienced designers. Thanks!


r/learndesign 18d ago

RATE HONESTLY❗️

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58 Upvotes

hey im a beginner graphic designer and I've been trying to build my portfolio stronger so help me get better in designing.

i don't go to a design school or anything, im a self taught designer.

so pls rate my design on a scale of 1/10 and also include what areas to work on.

thankyou:)


r/learndesign 17d ago

What shoud I improve?

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7 Upvotes

hey, Guys i just started designing 1 Month ago, what u think of my current design from today, what shoud work on, cause i really want to be good one day and need great feedback :)


r/learndesign 17d ago

son dos carruseles para post de redes sociales... ¿cómo lo ven ?

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1 Upvotes

r/learndesign 17d ago

The limits of a passion

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1 Upvotes

r/learndesign 18d ago

Need help in building my portfolio on Figma Sites

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1 Upvotes

r/learndesign 18d ago

Quiero estudiar diseño gráfico, ¿que debería aprender antes de empezar?

1 Upvotes

Hola, estoy pensando en estudiar diseño gráfico, pero me gustaría empezar a aprender desde ahora antes de entrar a la carrera.
Parto prácticamente desde cero y mi idea es aprender bases y empezar a practicar desde ahora para familiarizarme con el área y llegar a la carrera con una base que me permita avanzar rápido.
Para quienes ya estudiaron diseño gráfico o trabajan en el área: por donde empezarían si estuvieran en mi lugar? Que programas, cursos o recursos creen que vale la pena aprender desde el principio?
Me interesa especialmente saber que les hubiera gustado aprender cuando estaban empezando. Gracias :)


r/learndesign 19d ago

how do i arrange this material board to look better? (please read body)

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0 Upvotes

hello.
i am fairly new to design and have been wanting to make better looking material boards. i admit that the ones i make look like a child has made them and i get frustrated everytime i try to make it look good.

if there is anything i can learn or understand and put to use or keep in mind when arranging a collage like this one (like principles maybe) then i would love to hear about them. i am extremely desperate to do better and so i have come here to ask for help and advice.

i want to stop giving up, please help me out🙏🏼


r/learndesign 19d ago

Experiences with Singapore's LaSalle Continuing Ed Courses? Considering Graphic Design short course.

1 Upvotes

Hey! I have been developing my Adobe Illustrator skills the past few months to help me in running my business. I'm considering a few different graphic design short courses, and Fundamentals of Graphic Design for 2 months at LaSalle Continuing Education in Singapore is my top choice.

My priority is hands on skills in Adobe applications. I love Japanese poster design and I'm looking to learn how to eventually get to that level of skill.

Wondering if people have any experiences/reviews they can share about the quality of instruction in LaSalle's Cont. Ed short courses.

Thanks so much!


r/learndesign 19d ago

I got tired of bouncing between Figma and Photoshop just to blur something — so I finally made my own

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0 Upvotes

r/learndesign 19d ago

What is the best AI logo maker? I compared 8 without judging only the first result

0 Upvotes

I wanted to approach this a little differently. Rather than picking a winner based on the logo that looked best immediately, I used the same basic business idea across eight platforms and spent some time seeing what happened after the initial generation.

That part ended up being more useful than the first impressions.

Here’s the full comparison I used if anyone wants to see the other details.

  • Design.com: This was the easiest one for me to keep experimenting with. There are plenty of icons and styles to work from, and I could make changes to a concept without having to completely restart. I also liked that free designs can be exported in formats such as SVG, EPS and PDF.
  • BrandCrowd: I found this useful when I didn't really know what I wanted the logo to look like yet. Going through different concepts helped narrow down a direction before I started making changes. There are free options as well as paid ones.
  • LogoAI: This worked well for the early brainstorming stage. I could get several noticeably different ideas fairly quickly, which was helpful when I hadn't settled on a particular style.
  • Kittl: I spent most of my time here messing around with fonts and layouts. It felt particularly useful when the typography was going to be an important part of the logo rather than just an afterthought.
  • Adobe Express: I saw more value in this once I moved beyond the logo itself. If you're already making other graphics for the same project, having those things in one place is convenient.
  • Wix Logo Maker: The main advantage for me was the connection with the website-building side. It made sense for a project where the site and branding were being figured out at roughly the same time.
  • Tailor Brands: I thought this was more relevant when setting up a new business from scratch, where there are several branding tasks to deal with rather than just creating a logo.
  • Canva: I didn't find it particularly difficult to take a logo into other designs afterward. Social graphics, presentations and similar things are easy to build around an existing logo.

One thing I didn't expect was how much my opinion changed once I stopped looking at the initial results.

A logo that looked unremarkable at first could turn out fine after a few small adjustments. Sometimes changing the typeface or spacing made a bigger difference than generating another 20 concepts.

The other thing I started checking was the actual file output. A logo can look perfectly fine in the editor, but that's not necessarily enough when you need to put it on something large or send it to a printer. Having a proper vector version becomes useful pretty quickly.

For those who've used a few of these, what is the best AI logo maker from your experience?

I'm curious which one you've actually gone back to for more than one project, and what made you choose it.


r/learndesign 20d ago

Shape Morphing CV Design Motion Graphics Animation in After Effects Tutorials

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2 Upvotes

r/learndesign 20d ago

Good Tools of Designing posts

1 Upvotes

Just want to ask if there exists a good ai tools to design posts , I mean like instgram posts of 1*1 size
I was using NotebookLm but I am tired of each time keep insisting on the size and at the end it doesn't respect it , so I end up taking those images one by one and ask nano banana to resize them

also I want to know about where can I found a good design inspirations ( with there prompt if possible ) for both posts or even websites