Learn Design Theory

Discover the principles and practices that make great design with our design theory tutorials. Master everything from color theory to design trends.

Getting started with Theory

  • Teach Yourself Graphic Design: A Self-Study Course Outline

    Teach Yourself Graphic Design: A Self-Study Course Outline

    Sean Hodge
  • Rebellious Design: Brutalism Meets 90s Graphic Design

    Rebellious Design: Brutalism Meets 90s Graphic Design

    Laura Keung
  • All Theory tutorials:

    1. How to Create Textured, Geometric Objects in Adobe Photoshop

      How to Create Textured, Geometric Objects in Adobe Photoshop

      Tutorial Beginner

      In this tutorial, instructor Melody Nieves will show you how to create four textured geometric designs in Adobe Photoshop.

    2. Envato Tuts+ Community Challenge: Created by You, January 2017 Edition

      Envato Tuts+ Community Challenge: Created by You, January 2017 Edition

      Tutorial Beginner

      Welcome to our monthly feature of fantastic tutorial results created by you, the Envato Tuts+ community! Check out this set of results and join in for the...

    3. How to Create a Surreal, Emotional Scene With Adobe Photoshop

      How to Create a Surreal, Emotional Scene With Adobe Photoshop

      Tutorial Intermediate

      In this tutorial I'll show you how to create a surreal, emotional scene featuring a woman carrying a cage. First we'll build the background using sky and...

    4. History of Art: Asian Art

      History of Art: Asian Art

      Tutorial Beginner

      As the Earth's largest continent, Asia holds the heart of many creatives, from India and Indonesia, to Central Asia, and so much more. So let's voyage into...

    5. How to Create a Traditional Chinese Bird and Flower Painting Using Gradient Mesh

      How to Create a Traditional Chinese Bird and Flower Painting Using Gradient Mesh

      Tutorial Advanced

      In today's tutorial, I'm going to show you how to create a peony—China's national flower—in Adobe Illustrator using the Gradient Mesh Tool.

    6. How to Create a Unicorn Illustration in Adobe Illustrator

      How to Create a Unicorn Illustration in Adobe Illustrator

      Tutorial Beginner

      Learn how to create a unicorn illustration using basic shapes in Adobe Illustrator. The result is so amazing that it actually looks as if you used the Pen...

    7. International Artist Feature: Turkey

      International Artist Feature: Turkey

      Tutorial Beginner

      For this article in the international artist series, we turn to Turkey, featuring six artists who create fantastic work, from illustration to graphic design...

    8. How to Create a Vintage Camera in Adobe Illustrator

      How to Create a Vintage Camera in Adobe Illustrator

      Tutorial Beginner

      In this tutorial we're going to create a fantastic vintage camera with simple shapes and flat colors, getting a very retro appearance inspired by the Leica...

    9. How to Create a New Year's Celebration Icon Pack in Adobe Illustrator

      How to Create a New Year's Celebration Icon Pack in Adobe Illustrator

      Tutorial Beginner

      Since the New Year is right around the corner, I thought it would be nice if we spent some quality time together creating a little celebration-themed icon...

    10. How to Create a Christmas-Themed Icon Pack in Adobe Illustrator

      How to Create a Christmas-Themed Icon Pack in Adobe Illustrator

      Tutorial Beginner

      Believe it or not, Christmas is once again almost here, which means that as with every year, Santa is hard at work making preparations for one of the busiest...

    11. How to Create a Festive Mandala Style Coloring Book Page in Adobe Illustrator

      How to Create a Festive Mandala Style Coloring Book Page in Adobe Illustrator

      Tutorial Intermediate

      In this tutorial, I will show you how to use symbols to create a fun and festive mandala coloring book page in Adobe Illustrator.

    12. How to Create a Geometric Collage Text Effect in Adobe Photoshop

      How to Create a Geometric Collage Text Effect in Adobe Photoshop

      Tutorial Beginner

      Use selection and move tools to divide text into segments and fill them with parts of an image to create a geometric collage text effect.