There are many reasons why online courses will benefit for a great graphic design. We are highly visual people. That means we are more stimulated by the visual element in the things that we see. This places a huge importance on the graphic design of your elearning course.
Think about this. When you are in a hurry to learn, would you rather stare at a page full of texts? Or would you rather look at a series of photos? It is a lot easier and faster to understand a concept through photos rather than text. That is a given. That alone should be enough reason for you to take graphic design seriously.
Take note that graphic design goes beyond the use of visual elements. It is not just about using images but more of knowing how to strategically place them throughout the course. Obviously, you have to use text as well and even some audio elements. All of these should blend well with each other. That is what a graphic designer can help you with.
Here are a couple of reasons that proves why you need to pay attention to the graphic design of your online courses.
It can serve as a guide. A great elearning course is something that is used by learners on their own. While an instructor or some support will always be necessary, the course should allow easy navigation. The course should provide focus points that the learner will automatically zoom in when they look at a page. A graphic designer can easily accomplish this because they know the right color or font that will highlight the important points in a course. Placing ideas on top or in the center will affect how the learners will view a concept. A highlighted text will immediately get their attention because it is obviously an important part of the course.
It can promote the relationship between ideas. Use the same font, color or placement for important topics because that will help learners associate the key points of the course. Using patterns and being consistent with some layouts will allow learners to immediately recognize what is important in the page. It will also make the course seem organized and easier to look at. If there are opposing ideas, the graphic design will dictate the use of contrasting colors and patterns.
It can help learners understand concepts better. Finally, a good graphic design should help learners understand the lesson. It does not matter if the concepts are difficult to understand. A graphic designer would know how to highlight the important parts so one glance will give the learners an idea about what it is about. After all, a picture can paint a thousand words. Visual elements can explain complex lessons can concepts better. It can also be presented in a tabular form. Infographics can help deliver lengthy topics more effectively. These are only some of the examples of how graphic design can help learners understand the lesson better.
These three reasons should be enough to convince you that online courses need a good graphic design to be a success. Admittedly, it takes some skill and creativity to pull this off. However, if you know the learners and the content, then you should be able to add the elements that will make the course visually appealing. Just remember to keep things simple and uncluttered. Not only that, trust your gut instinct. If you find it hard to understand the lesson, then the learners will probably feel the same way.
Image courtesy of Stuart Miles for FreeDigitalPhotos.net