Ever wondered what the building blocks of a branding project is? If your mind went straight to logos, then think again! This class taught by Khadija El Sharawy, takes a deep dive into one of the most essential parts of the design process: the brand moodboard! This class is not just designed to guide you to creating a compelling and cohesive moodboard for your brand but also contains all the necessary steps before it.

Join your instructor Khadija as she takes you through a fictional client branding process using a fictional brief packed with real-world tips to prepare and shape you into a confident and strategic brand designer. What will I learn in this class? * An understanding of why moodboards are important and strategic for any branding process * A detailed and thorough questionnaire example of what questions to ask a client before beginning a project * How to build an air-tight brief and strategy extracted from the questionnaire answers * A walk-through and insights on how to find and hunt for visual references using specific guidelines and categories * How to compile, filter and fine-tune your visual references on Adobe Illustrator * Using my specific format, you'll learn how to build your moodboard and visually manipulate your references * How to put it in a presentation format and tips on presenting to a client What tools do I need for this class? 1. Adobe Illustrator (this is where we'll construct the moodboard) 2. Adobe Photoshop (optional; it's mainly to manipulate your photo references if need be) 3. Keynote (I use this to present my work, but it's optional; you can stay and export straight off of Adobe Illustrator.) Who is this class for? This class is open to all levels of designers. Whether you're a beginner designer or a working professional, this class will not just help you learn and polish your moodboard curation skills but it will also teach you how to strategically build a brief and a strategy for a brand which will completely transform your design process. Why should you take this class? Being a skillful designer is only half the work. Great designers are also great strategists. This class will serve as an essential foundation to your design skills by being able to understand a brand, how to dissect keywords from a client, compile a brief and build a strategic visual moodboard. This class will leave you feeling more confident as a designer. Instructor bio: Khadija “Dija” El Sharawy is a British-Egyptian freelance graphic designer based in Cairo. After three years at a leading branding agency, she launched her solo career in 2020, specializing in brand identities, packaging design, and animation. Her work blends creativity with storytelling, bringing brands to life in meaningful and dynamic ways. Notable clients include Coca-Cola, where she designed limited edition cans. Passionate about both branding and motion design, Dija loves sharing her skills and creative journey to inspire and support other designers as they grow their craft.

IMPORTANT UPDATE:

Brand Illustration: Create Stylized, Unforgettable Imagery will close for enrollment on Nov. 8, 2026. If you are interested in earning a Specialization Certificate, please upgrade or apply for Financial Aid in each course of the specialization by Nov. 8, 2026, if you have not already done so. After Nov. 8, 2026, students will no longer have access to courses they have not paid for. If you are a Coursera for Business learner, you can continue to use your sponsored credit. In order to earn a Specialization Certificate, you will need to complete all graded assignments, including peer reviews, by October 7, 2027. After that point, no new assignment submissions will be accepted for Certificate credit. Create truly original brand illustrations that stand out from the crowd with award-winning artist Roman Muradov as your instructor! Whether for a personal project or client illustrations, it can be increasingly tricky to find a style that feels truly unique to you as an artist. Join Roman as he shares his personal process for breaking free from the expectations that surround creating illustrations for brands, allowing you to create unexpected visuals that tell a cohesive and compelling story (whether for a corporation, a neighborhood business, or even a planet). From first sketch to final presentation, you’ll discover how to: * Craft a character to anchor your brand visuals * Create loose, quick thumbnails that spark creativity * Make a rough mockup to help clients visualize your work Plus, Roman shares a detailed case study of how he created the brand identity for the project management app, Notion, so you can see how to apply your learnings to real world projects. Perfect for illustrators or designers who are familiar with typical client work and are looking for a way to reinvent their creative approach, Roman’s unique point of view will unlock your ability to get a little bit weird with your next project and create a visual story that will be impossible to forget. This class is geared toward creatives with some experience working with clients and who are familiar with the common processes of client work, though students of all levels are welcome. Instructor bio: Roman Muradov is an Illustrator and cartoonist from Moscow, Russia, currently living in San Francisco. Clients include the New Yorker, New York Times, Penguin, Google and many others. Featured in the Society of Illustrators (Gold Medal), ADC Young Guns, American Illustration and numerous other shows.

Have you ever walked by a supermarket aisle and fell in love with the packaging design of a product? A beautiful tin of tea, a mesmerizing chocolate package or perhaps a fun, bold and attractive soda? Have you ever wondered what's the design process behind it?

This class, taught by Khadija El Sharawy, will leave you with a newfound love for packaging design; it takes a deep dive and covers it all from packaging concept to competitive analysis to execution to brand activation. Khadija is excited to be taking you on this ride to show you her process on how to redesign this famous chocolate bar from concept to execution. What will I learn in this class? * Understanding the three principles of packaging design to get a good understanding on what separates good packaging from great packaging (supported by examples and award-winning designs) * Develop an eye for critical thinking by learning how to analyze an existing product, dissect its visual assets and objectively evaluate what's working and what can improved. * Sharpen your strategic skills by understanding competitor brands' patterns, their position in the market and how these insights will help you develop your design for your product * Curate a moodboard and how to pull out visual references that will help your concept Transform your concepts and bring them to life by thumbnail sketching and refined sketching; each with a different function that will get you closer to your design outcome * Execute your concept and sketch on Adobe Illustrator where I'll be taking you through building, crafting and designing your package –front and back. * Learn how to mockup your package design on Adobe Photoshop by using shadows, light, textures and so much more to enhance and polish the overall presentation of your package design * How to think like a strategist and develop activation ideas for the brand beyond the package itself Who is this class for? * Beginners who are curious about the overall process of packaging design as it covers so many tips and strategic insights in the beginning, however for the execution part, it is designed for intermediate designers * Seasoned designers who want to level up their execution and strategic skills in packaging design What skills do I need in order to take this class? * Good to excellent knowledge in Adobe Illustrator * Good knowledge in Adobe Photoshop Instructor bio: Khadija “Dija” El Sharawy is a British-Egyptian freelance graphic designer based in Cairo. After three years at a leading branding agency, she launched her solo career in 2020, specializing in brand identities, packaging design, and animation. Her work blends creativity with storytelling, bringing brands to life in meaningful and dynamic ways. Notable clients include Coca-Cola, where she designed limited edition cans. Passionate about both branding and motion design, Dija loves sharing her skills and creative journey to inspire and support other designers as they grow their craft.