Graphic Design with Canva & Adobe Tools
Design flyers, logos and social posts in Canva — and get paid in naira and dollars for it.
- Free
- Beginner-friendly
- 5 weeks · ~4 hrs/week
- 7 lessons
- ~2 hours
- Certificate on passing the project
Free account required to open the lessons. No card, no fees.
About this course
Learn practical graphic design hands-on, starting in Canva and stepping up to Adobe Express, Photoshop and Illustrator (plus free Photopea and GIMP). You'll master the design principles that make work look professional — layout, contrast, hierarchy, colour and type — and produce the exact things clients pay for: flyers, social posts, logos, business cards, banners, menus and CVs. By the end you'll have a portfolio and a pricing plan to earn from Nigerian SMEs on WhatsApp (₦5,000–₦50,000 a job) and global clients on Fiverr and Upwork in dollars.
Every flyer at the bus stop, every birthday post on your status, every logo on a branded okada jacket — somebody designed it, and most were made by an ordinary person with a phone and free Canva. That person got paid. That's you, this week.
What you'll learn
- Core design principles — layout, alignment, contrast, hierarchy, white space
- Colour & typography that look professional
- Canva end-to-end — templates, brand kit, magic tools, exporting
- Designing flyers, social posts, logos, business cards, menus & CVs
- Stepping up to Adobe Express, Photoshop, Illustrator (+ Photopea/GIMP)
- Sourcing free assets legally & building a portfolio
- Pricing and finding clients on WhatsApp, Fiverr & Upwork
Course syllabus — 7 lessons
- Why graphic design pays — and how Canva makes you a designer this week11 min
- The five rules that separate professional design from 'village graphics'14 min
- Colour and typography that make you look like a pro13 min
- Canva end-to-end: templates, brand kit, magic tools and exporting14 min
- Designing what clients actually pay for: flyers, posts, logos, cards, menus and CVs15 min
- Stepping up to Adobe — and the free tools that match them13 min
- Free assets, a portfolio, and getting paid: pricing and finding clients14 min
Your project
Design a small brand pack for a sample Nigerian business — logo, social post and flyer — in a portfolio link
A single shareable link (Behance / public Canva or Drive folder / portfolio site / Instagram post) containing three designs for one invented Nigerian business — a logo (transparent PNG, shown on light and dark), a 1080×1080 social post, and an A5/A4 flyer — all using consistent brand fonts and colours and real ₦ content. Include the short note covering the business, your colour/type choices, tools used, and your pricing plus client-finding plan. If any piece is hosted separately, include all the links.
Certificates on Skillnaija are earned, not issued for attendance: you submit this project, it is graded against a rubric, and passing issues a certificate anyone can verify.
Frequently asked questions
Is Graphic Design with Canva & Adobe Tools free?
Yes. Graphic Design with Canva & Adobe Tools is completely free on Skillnaija. You need a free account to open the lessons, and there is no charge for the course, the project, or the certificate.
How long does Graphic Design with Canva & Adobe Tools take to complete?
5 weeks · ~4 hrs/week. There are 7 lessons, about 2 hours of material in total. You learn at your own pace and your progress is saved.
Do I need any experience to start Graphic Design with Canva & Adobe Tools?
Beginner-friendly. You can start from scratch — no prior experience is assumed.
What will I learn in Graphic Design with Canva & Adobe Tools?
You will build practical skills in Core design principles — layout, alignment, contrast, hierarchy, white space, Colour & typography that look professional, Canva end-to-end — templates, brand kit, magic tools, exporting, Designing flyers, social posts, logos, business cards, menus & CVs, Stepping up to Adobe Express, Photoshop, Illustrator (+ Photopea/GIMP), Sourcing free assets legally & building a portfolio, Pricing and finding clients on WhatsApp, Fiverr & Upwork. Every lesson is written for a Nigerian context, with examples drawn from how the work is actually done and paid for here.
Do I get a certificate for Graphic Design with Canva & Adobe Tools?
Yes, but it has to be earned. You complete the course project — Design a small brand pack for a sample Nigerian business — logo, social post and flyer — in a portfolio link and submit it for grading. Passing the project issues a verifiable certificate; finishing the lessons alone does not.
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Ready to start Graphic Design with Canva & Adobe Tools?
It's free, it's self-paced, and it ends with something you can show an employer.
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