Learn how to draw and edit vector graphics using Adobe Illustrator. This course covers the basics and advanced features, including the Pen tool, effects, layers, masks, and more. Perfect for creating logos, icons, and packaging.
Begin your journey as a professional graphic designer by learning the essential skills and tools used by industry experts. Gain hands-on experience in Adobe Photoshop, InDesign, and Illustrator, and create a stunning portfolio to showcase your talent to potential employers or clients.
Build professional-level Illustrator skills and earn your Adobe Certified Professional credential through hands-on classes, private tutoring, and real-world projects. This certification program covers everything from vector drawing to logo design, giving you the tools to succeed on the exam.
With a history dating back to the 1980s, Adobe Illustrator continues to be an integral tool for digital graphic design today. Designers of all kinds rely on Illustrator's vector graphics format, which uses mathematical paths rather than pixels to define lines and shapes. This system allows for infinite scalability, making Illustrator a must-have for creating logos and other graphic designs that may need to be sized for projects ranging from business cards to billboards. Illustrator gives designers precise control over all of their objects, including typography, and its tiling capabilities make it a favorite for creating patterns for web-based projects, fabrics, and other projects.
What you’ll learn in an Illustrator class will vary depending upon the specific course’s level, scope, curriculum, and instructor’s individual approach. Some will deliberately teach graphic design principles, and many of the most basic Illustrator classes will touch on concepts such as color theory, typography, and balance. Unless an Illustrator course is for intermediate or advanced students, you can count on it beginning with an introduction to the application’s interface, tool menus, and workflow. You’ll then learn how to use the most essential tools, typically with a focus on Illustrator’s powerful Pen tool. You will also learn how to add color to your vector images, and depending on the scope of the class, you may discover how to create 3D graphics or patterns in the application.
Learning Illustrator will be easier for those who already have familiarity with Adobe Creative Cloud and other applications within it. Those with some knowledge of graphic design will likely pick up the tools and techniques of Illustrator faster than complete beginners to design and its tools within Creative Cloud. However, even beginners can usually pick up a basic familiarity with Illustrator—enough to feel comfortable experimenting on their own—with relative ease in a short course of just one or two days. An intensive bootcamp of three days to a week is typically necessary for Illustrator learners to become more confident users of the program. Some additional time in classes and practicing on their own is usually required for building a professional level of expertise in the application.
In-person and online classes are both valid ways to learn Illustrator, though one format may be better for your specific learning style, preferences, and circumstances than another. Due to natural geographical limitations, in-person classes offer a more limited number of choices than online ones. Meeting in a brick-and-mortar classroom with a live teacher on a set schedule, in-person classes are the most traditional learning experience and offer Illustrator learners an amount of accountability. Live online classes provide similar benefits such as meeting on a set schedule with a live instructor in a virtual classroom, but they also offer the convenience of allowing you to skip the commute and attend class from the location of your choice. Asynchronous online classes, also known as on-demand or self-paced, provide even more convenience, as they allow you to do all your coursework on your own schedule. However, many find that the lack of a live instructor in asynchronous classes is not worth the convenience of any lectures being pre-recorded.
Typically, the investment in a paid class is well worth it for developing a professional skill. However, many free online resources such as YouTube videos and Noble Desktop’s online tutorials, are available to support your Illustrator learning journey.
When learning Adobe Illustrator, learning other Creative Cloud applications to support your career or project goals is highly recommended. Aspiring Graphic Designers will want to learn Photoshop and InDesign, as mastery of these and Illustrator are required for most jobs in the field. Those who wish to go into motion graphics or animation will also want to learn After Effects and Premiere Pro so they can bring their Illustrator graphics to life with the illusion of movement and dynamic film editing. In addition, Illustrator learners will also want to ensure they have a strong understanding of graphic design principles, as knowing concepts like color theory, balance, and hierarchy will help them to make confident, informed decisions when creating patterns, logos, and other designs in the application.
Illustrator is a must-have application for designers and digital artists across industries. It’s one of several Adobe Creative Cloud applications vital to the marketing and advertising industry for Miami businesses of all kinds. Miami’s creative design services industry uses Illustrator in graphic design, motion graphics, and web design services in marketing campaigns, branding materials, webpage graphics, and other creative visual communication. Illustrator is especially vital to logo creation, thanks to its capacity for original illustration, complete flexibility in design, and infinite scalability. Miami’s large education industry also depends upon Illustrator for the development of training materials such as interactive textbooks, engaging presentations, and information infographics.
Illustrator is one of the three Adobe Creative Cloud applications vital to the field of graphic design. Graphic Designers partner Illustrator with Photoshop and InDesign to create dynamic visual communication featuring text and images. Illustrator’s vector files are essential to Graphic Designers who specialize in branding, as logos and related imagery often require scalability. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that businesses in Miami employ the seventh-highest number of Graphic Designers in the U.S. Graphic Designers can expect an average annual wage of around $63,000, somewhat higher than the national average.
Digital Designers perform similar responsibilities to Graphic Designers. However, their work is all made to be seen on a screen, while Graphic Designers design for both digital and print. The work of Digital Designers may bear significant similarities to that of UX and UI Designers, Motion Graphics Designers, or Digital Product Designers. Therefore, in addition to Illustrator, Photoshop, and InDesign, Digital Designers may also need expertise in other Adobe applications such as XD or After Effects. Illustrator will play a significant role in most Digital Designers’ day-to-day work, as it’s an ideal application for creating and manipulating illustrations that will look great on screens ranging in size from an iPhone to a billboard. Miami-based Digital Designers earn average salaries of $122,000, considerably higher than the U.S. average.
Whatever career path in design most interests you, you may consider working your way up to a Design Director position. This senior role requires both design and leadership skills, as well as several years of experience working in design. Throughout your journey to your Design Director role, you will use Illustrator to create vector graphics. Meanwhile, you will also have the responsibility of knowing Illustrator and other Creative Cloud products thoroughly enough to direct a team of designers collaborating to create large projects using multiple Adobe applications. With salaries sitting around $78,000 in the Miami metropolitan area, Design Directors in Miami make a bit under the U.S. average.
Noble Desktop, one of NYC’s top design and coding schools, offers high-quality classes in-person in Manhattan and live online for students in Miami and around the world. Noble’s Illustrator in a Day is a one-day crash course designed to quickly build confidence in beginners to the Adobe application. The course includes a proprietary workbook and the option to retake the course for free within one year for no additional charge. In this Illustrator class, you will learn to use the Pen tool to create straight and curvy lines, corners, and other fundamental tools of the application. Through hands-on practice guided by a live instructor, you will rapidly gain comfort experimenting with Illustrator on your own. At the end of the class, you’ll earn a verified digital certificate of completion.
Noble also provides a live online Adobe Illustrator Bootcamp for beginners to the application. No experience is needed to attend this course from the comfort of your home in Miami. Tuition for the bootcamp covers Noble’s proprietary Illustrator workbook, a free retake option, and a verified digital certificate of completion. Beginners are welcome to this Illustrator Bootcamp, where you will master several Illustrator tools and practice your new skills by creating several projects of your own. You will also learn about Clipping Masks, practice filling text with a photo, and discover how to create 3D images in Illustrator.
Software training center Ledet Training offers their beginner-level Adobe Illustrator 101 live online and in-person at several campuses across the country. Illustrator learners based in Miami can attend this class either live online from home or at Ledet’s Fort Lauderdale campus. This short course introduces beginner students to the fundamentals of Adobe Illustrator, including Artboards, Workspaces, and the Tool Palette. Students will also learn to use the Pen tool, Live Paint, and Photoshop’s color palette and patterns while working in Illustrator.
Certstaffix Training provides live online tech and business skill classes on more than 80 topics, including several Adobe Creative Cloud applications. Students in Miami may choose to attend this course either from home or from Fort Lauderdale, where Certstaffix provides a computer lab classroom. Through Certstaffix’s project-based curriculum, students will learn all the essentials of the Illustrator workflow and the basic tools required to create graphics for print and digital use. No experience is necessary to participate in this class, but self-taught learners are welcome to use it to fill gaps in their knowledge.
The Academy offers a catalog of nearly 200 IT skill development courses, including their Adobe Illustrator Core Skills: Level 1 class. The training center’s Miami campus on NW 7th Street hosts The Academy’s in-person level one Illustrator short course. Beginner-level students in this class will gain familiarity with the Illustrator interface before delving into the application's tools, panels, and workspaces. Participants will have a basic level of mastery and be ready for more advanced study by the end of the class.
After completing Adobe Illustrator Core Skills: Level 1, students are welcome to attend The Academy’s Adobe Illustrator Core Skills: Level 2. This fast-paced course also meets in-person in The Academy’s Miami classroom. Students can attend this class after The Academy’s Level 1 Illustrator class or after gaining the equivalent knowledge elsewhere. In this short course, participants will learn advanced features and functions of Illustrator such as objects, symbols, patterns, construction, and graphic styles.
If you are looking for Illustrator classes for multiple employees within your business or organization, Noble Desktop has solutions for you. Whether your whole team could use a brush-up on Illustrator or a few new hires need training in several Creative Cloud applications, you can find customized training solutions with Noble to help your team meet their goals.
Noble Desktop provides classes on Illustrator applications and related skill sets for individuals and teams. In-person classes run in Midtown Manhattan, while students in Chicago can attend from their office, home, or location of choice. Noble offers you the opportunity to buy discounted bulk vouchers for regularly running in-person and online classes that can meet your business’s needs for Illustrator learning. Alternatively, you can email Noble Desktop to begin planning onsite Illustrator corporate training customized to your team’s specific needs.