Can I Learn Design On My Own?

No matter what resources you choose to use in your education, learning design—or any discipline of the field—is an immense undertaking. If you simply wish to gain a broad overview of the topic or answer a question or two about design tools or techniques, then learning design on your own may be feasible. However, to learn design independently to a professional level is a significantly challenging—and for most, impossible—endeavor. While numerous free resources are available online, including seminars, tutorials, YouTube videos, and design blogs, self-learners often struggle with staying motivated, identifying the most effective learning path, and finding professional mentors to answer any questions.

Learning design with a live instructor, whether through in-person classes or live online courses, offers numerous advantages critical for meeting your design goals, especially if those include launching a new career in graphic design, user experience (UX) design, digital design, or another related sector. Expert guidance, immediate feedback, and structured learning paths can accelerate your progress toward mastering design and help you avoid common pitfalls. This article will help you understand the advantages and drawbacks of self-teaching, what tools are available for self-teaching, and the alternatives available to learning design on your own.

Advantages of Self-Teaching Design

The most prominent advantage of self-teaching is that it allows learners to create a flexible educational experience tailored to their specific objectives. This may be especially desirable for those who thrive as independent learners or who have busy schedules requiring them to move at a pace that may not work with the set schedule of a live online or in-person class. Self-teaching can also be a cost-effective option for the budget-conscious, as free resources—even supplemented with self-paced classes—are obviously more cost-effective than tuition for a high-quality live design training course.

Self-learning design also appeals to those with specific, often smaller-scale learning goals easily met with free resources like YouTube videos on an overview of graphic design principles or free seminars on Photoshop like on Noble Desktop’s and Adobe’s websites. Others may choose self-teaching because they struggle to find a design class that meets their objectives and suits their schedule and budget. Those considering self-teaching because they’ve yet to find a quality design class may wish to consider learning design in a live online class or using Noble Desktop’s Classes Near Me tool to find live online and in-person design classes in their area.

Design Self-Teaching Tools

Those considering self-teaching will likely be interested in the many free design learning resources available online. These range from free videos on YouTube and design blogs to free online design seminars on Noble Deskop’s website and tutorials hosted by Adobe. Additionally, Noble Desktop provides free articles for design learners in their Learn Hub, which answer many questions a beginner may have or may arise at any point in their education. Working designers often write articles on Medium, host their own blogs, post vlogs on YouTube, or even publish weekly podcasts covering topics pertinent to those interested in learning design.

While these resources can be valuable for those needing to answer a quick question or looking for a broad overview of a topic, many will find they need to dig a little more deeply to meet their design learning objectives. On-demand classes offer those interested in self-learning an option to do just this. These courses are also known as asynchronous or self-paced classes and feature a fully packaged all-in-one curriculum that the learner can begin as soon as they enroll—or anytime in the future that suits their schedule. Any lectures are prerecorded, which allows students remarkable flexibility, but the lack of the ability to ask questions and receive answers from a live instructor in real-time or participate in class discussions is the payoff. Many learners—especially aspiring designers seeking comprehensive design training that will prepare them to be desirable job candidates upon graduation—will skip on-demand classes in favor of live online or in-person courses, knowing the benefits of the guidance and mentorship of an expert instructor and the additional career support offered by many of these courses.

Drawbacks to Learning Design on Your Own

Self-teaching design can be a frustrating experience, especially for beginners navigating the complexities of its concepts, tools, and techniques for the first time. Without expert guidance, it's easy to develop bad habits or misunderstand crucial concepts that could significantly hinder an individual's progress. Self-learners may spend hours trying to figure out a technique that an experienced instructor could explain in minutes. Additionally, self-learners often struggle to create a structured learning path, potentially missing essential skills or wasting time on outdated materials or less relevant topics.

Another significant drawback to self-teaching is the lack of timely, professional feedback on the learner’s work. Design is a field where a second pair of eyes offering constructive criticism is crucial for growth. Without it, self-learners may unknowingly make avoidable mistakes or be unable to avoid common pitfalls. Self-learners will also miss out on valuable networking opportunities and industry insights from interacting with instructors and peers in a structured learning environment. For those aiming to start a design career, self-teaching can also make breaking into the industry extremely challenging, as they cannot provide themselves with the career support and portfolio-building assistance offered by live online and in-person classes.

Alternatives to Learning Design on Your Own

While free design learning resources are abundant, they are unsurprisingly limited in scope and are unlikely to provide sufficient training for most people to meet their goals. They will undoubtedly fall short for aspiring designers wishing to work in any sector, as free resources simply do not cover the material or offer the support to guide learners to a professional level of expertise in design. Live online and in-person classes led by expert instructors provide the training and support needed to help students achieve their objectives, whether they are looking to learn the basics of graphic design in a short introductory course or to reach job readiness in web design, digital design, or another sector in a comprehensive certificate program. While a set schedule and live instructor benefit students at any level with any goals, they are vital for beginners and those learning design to launch a career. 

Learning with a live instructor offers numerous advantages over self-teaching. Structured courses, like those offered by Noble Desktop and other professional training centers, provide a clear learning path with expert guidance. These classes, whether short courses, in-depth bootcamps, or certificate programs, offer real-time feedback, interactive lessons, and the opportunity to ask questions as they arise. The set schedule helps maintain motivation and ensure steady progress through a curriculum that follows a logical order proven to support learners’ success. Aspiring designers will be grateful for the career support provided by live courses, including one-on-one mentorship, resume-building assistance, and guidance through building the professional portfolio vital to impress hiring managers from the graduate’s first day of hunting for a designer job.

Learn Design Skills with Noble Desktop

Design and coding school Noble Desktop provides a vast menu of design classes led by live expert instructors whether you choose to attend in-person in NYC or live online from anywhere in the world. Their flexible scheduling options allow you to participate as a full-time or part-time student, ensuring you can meet your learning goals no matter your current calendar. Noble Desktop provides classes in various scopes and design-related topics, from beginner-friendly short courses on tools like Photoshop or After Effects to comprehensive career-focused certificate programs in various design disciplines, including graphic design, web design, UX/UI design, motion graphics design, and video editing. Noble keeps their class size small to ensure all learners can receive personalized guidance and immediate feedback from their expert instructors, all of whom are experienced industry professionals invested in the success of their students. In fact, Noble Desktop’s dedication to helping their students achieve their goals is evident in its many perks, including verified digital certificates of completion, free retakes of all their courses within one year, and one-on-one mentorship in all career-focused certificate classes. 

If you’re interested in learning design skills to launch a career as a Graphic Designer, you may wish to enroll in Noble Desktop’s Graphic Design Certificate program. Students in this course will learn essential graphic design principles and turn them into practical knowledge through extensive hands-on projects, creating projects such as signage, infographics, product packaging, logos, and branded merchandise. Students will be job-ready by the end of the certificate program, having built expertise in Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign, and they will have a professional quality portfolio ready to showcase their design skills to prospective employers alongside their impressive verified certificate of completion for the program.

Noble Desktop’s Digital Design Certificate program will arm you with the design skills you need to work in digital design, user interface (UI) design, web design, or graphic design. In this certificate program, you’ll learn the core tools of the trade—Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, and Figma—and key digital design concepts and theory. With no coding required, this program allows you to focus on what matters to you—designing aesthetically pleasing and functional user interfaces, websites, and other digital products. Like all of Noble Desktop’s Certificate Programs, the Digital Design Certificate features one-on-one mentorship for career support, portfolio-building assistance, and a verified digital certificate of completion.

Noble Desktop’s Motion Graphics Certificate program offers practical training in motion graphics and visual effects using Adobe After Effects, Premiere Pro, Audition, and Cinema 4D in After Effects. With the help of your expert instructors, you’ll develop skills in motion graphics design, animation, and video production. With career support, portfolio-building assistance, and a free retake option, students will be ready to impress hiring managers looking for a new entry-level Motion Graphics Designer.