10 Best Icon Design Courses and Certifications Online

Icon design is a critical aspect of creating visually appealing and user-friendly interfaces. In today’s digital age, businesses and organizations are constantly seeking new ways to improve user experience and engage their customers. Online icon design courses offer a convenient and efficient way to acquire the necessary skills to design icons that are aesthetically pleasing and functional. This article provides an overview of some of the best online icon design courses available, covering key features such as course content, level of difficulty, and instructor expertise.

Here’s a look at the Best Icon Design Courses and Certifications Online and what they have to offer for you!

10 Best Icon Design Courses and Certifications Online

1. Font Awesome Basics Guide 2022 by Learn Tech Plus (Udemy) (Our Best Pick)

The Font Awesome Basics Guide 2022 course, taught by Learn Tech Plus, is designed to provide individuals with the necessary skills and knowledge to master Font Awesome quickly and enjoyably. The course is suitable for both beginners and web developers with existing programming knowledge. By the end of the course, participants will be proficient in Font Awesome, even if they have no prior coding experience or knowledge.

The course will teach everything from the basics to advanced features, including setting up Font Awesome, social media icons, brand icons, and audio and video icons. Participants will also learn about the latest release icons. The course is designed to take participants on a step-by-step journey, allowing them to put their knowledge into practice immediately by working on a real-world project.

One significant advantage of mastering Font Awesome is the ability to add custom icons to one’s website and edit web pages when needed, without having to rely on others. The course is suitable for anyone interested in learning Font Awesome, whether they are web developers or not.

The course is designed not to overwhelm participants, and they will benefit from continuous support from the instructor to ensure their success. The course content includes an introduction, Sublime Text 3, Firefox, MAMP, Font-Awesome, and a conclusion. Participants will enjoy the learning journey and gain proficiency in Font Awesome.

2. Adobe Photoshop Icon Design Basics Guide by Learn Tech Plus (Udemy)

This course, titled “Adobe Photoshop Icon Design Basics Guide,” is offered by Learn Tech Plus and aims to teach Icon Design with Photoshop in a quick and enjoyable manner. The course is designed for both beginners and experienced users and promises to provide complete proficiency in Icon Design with Photoshop by the end.

The course requires no prior experience or knowledge and provides step-by-step guidance in Icon Design with Photoshop. It also includes projects for putting knowledge into practice and continuous support from the instructor.

The course covers the introduction to Icon Design, the creation of ten Icon Design Projects from scratch, and getting comfortable with Icon Design with Photoshop.

Enrollment in the course includes a 30-day money-back guarantee from Udemy. The course content consists of an introduction, Creative Cloud, Icon Design, Main Menu, Tools, Project #1 – iPhone App Icon, Project #2 – iPad App Icon, and Conclusion.

3. Design Launcher App Icons for iPhone (IOS) & Android Devices by Muhammad Ahsan Pervaiz (Udemy)

The “Design Launcher App Icons for iPhone (IOS) & Android Devices” course, led by Muhammad Ahsan Pervaiz, teaches students how to design sleek and elegant app icons for Android and IOS devices using Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop. The course includes examples of good and bad app icons, as well as detailed specifications for different IOS and Android app icon sizes. The Android App Icon Design section covers the whole process from sketching to creating shapes in Illustrator and generating different sizes for Android devices.

The course includes exercises in which students will design elegant IOS Mail app icons and two icons for a Hydration app. PSD files and resources for app icon creation are provided. The course is ideal for designers, Photoshop users, app developers, app designers, and anyone who wants to launch an app.

The course is divided into sections, starting with an introduction and moving on to design guidelines and specs for IOS app icons. The IOS Mail app icon is designed in Photoshop, and the Android App Icon Design section covers the Hydration app icon design process, including generating different sizes for Android devices. The course concludes with a “What’s Next?” section.

4. Icon Design in Adobe XD – From Sketching to Flat Icon Sets by Caleb Kingston (Udemy)

The course titled “Icon Design in Adobe XD – From Sketching to Flat Icon Sets” teaches the fundamentals of icon design and how to create a beautiful flat icon set. The course covers best practices on brainstorming icons, finding the right metaphors, sketching ideas, and designing high-resolution icons and simple icon versions that work on smaller screens. The instructor, Caleb Kingston, uses Adobe XD but also covers tools found in other design programs such as Adobe Illustrator, Sketch, Figma, Affinity Design, Invision Studio, and more.

The course content includes an overview of Adobe XD, understanding types of icons and when to use them, creating a design brief and planning icons for a consistent style and colors, researching icon metaphors and sketching ideas, setting up a workspace for icon design, creating and merging shapes to make complex icons, using transparency, balancing icon sizes and positions, creating a simple icon set, converting a filled icon set to outlines, and exporting icons.

The concepts learned in this course can be applied to various design fields, including web graphics, web design, interaction design, graphic illustration, and more. The course is broken down into several sections: Introduction, Getting Set Up, Understanding Icons, Planning your icons, Setting up your workspace for icons, Drawing icons, Icon balance and consistency, Creating an icon set, and Exporting your icons.

5. How to create flat design icons in 15 minutes in Illustrator by Dawid Tuminski (Udemy)

The How to Create Flat Design Icons in 15 Minutes in Illustrator course is designed to teach individuals practical Illustrator techniques and flat design fundamentals in a concise and easy-to-follow manner. The course instructor, Dawid Tuminski, takes students step-by-step through each design, building confidence and empowering them to create flat design icons independently. The course is suitable for individuals of all skill levels, including beginners, as Dawid provides clear and practical videos, leaving no room for confusion. The course content is divided into several sections, including an introduction to the basics of flat design and creating icons such as a lab flask, a beer mug, a barbecue, wine glasses, a sun, a dumbbell, sushi, a suitcase, a girl, a bird, a smartphone, an iOS-inspired calendar app icon, an Android Lollipop-inspired camera app icon, and a Windows Phone-inspired podcast app icon. Additionally, the course includes a bonus section and addresses frequently asked questions from students.

Each lecture in the course is a 15-minute gem packed with practical Illustrator and flat design techniques, such as long shadow effect, pathfinder, and pen tool. The course focuses on providing practical examples of how to get things done, building confidence in Illustrator and flat design. Students have reported a significant boost in confidence after completing the course and creating their own flat design icons in just 15 minutes.

The course instructor, Dawid Tuminski, is an excellent lecturer and provides a clear voice and easy-to-follow video tutorials. The course’s quality is consistently praised by students, who appreciate the concise, practical approach to learning Illustrator and flat design. The course is completely refundable, and students are covered by an unconditional 30-day 100% money-back guarantee.

In conclusion, the How to Create Flat Design Icons in 15 Minutes in Illustrator course is an excellent choice for anyone who wants to learn practical Illustrator techniques and flat design fundamentals in a fun and easy-to-follow manner.

6. FLAT ICON DESIGN IN POWERPOINT by Visual Deck (Udemy)

The course “FLAT ICON DESIGN IN POWERPOINT” is offered by Visual Deck and teaches how to design flat icons without any prior design skills. The course has a short and long description that outlines its objectives and topics covered.

The course is divided into several sections, starting with an introduction that provides an overview of what the course entails. The subsequent section is dedicated to “Getting the Basics Right,” which teaches the fundamentals of flat icon design.

The course then progresses to more specific topics, including designing business and office icons, food and beverages icons, medical icons, and education icons. Each topic is explained in detail, providing learners with the skills to create engaging and profitable icons.

The course concludes with a section on “Saving Icons As Vectors: Converting To EPS,” which teaches learners how to save their designs as vectors and convert them to EPS files.

Overall, “FLAT ICON DESIGN IN POWERPOINT” is a comprehensive course that provides learners with the skills to design flat icons quickly and efficiently, making it a valuable asset to any business or individual in need of engaging graphic design.

7. Design & Animate Icons in Illustrator & After Effects by Chethan KVS (Udemy)

The course entitled “Design & Animate Icons in Illustrator & After Effects” is led by instructor Chethan KVS. The course aims to teach complete beginners how to utilize Adobe Illustrator to design material icons and Adobe After Effects to animate them. The course begins with an overview of the Material Design Guidelines by Google and downloading resources.

The course begins with an introduction before moving on to the first section, which is designing the icons in Adobe Illustrator. Here, participants will learn how to create the five icons from scratch. Once the icons have been designed, the course will cover exporting and importing assets.

The third section of the course is devoted to animating icons in Adobe After Effects. Participants will learn how to bring the icons to life and add motion to their designs. The fourth section of the course covers finishing and exporting the animation.

The course concludes with a final section where participants can review what they have learned. The course is designed with complete beginners in mind, so no prior knowledge of Illustrator or After Effects is required. By the end of the course, participants will be able to create their own material icons and animate them.

8. Icon Animation in Adobe After Effects by M.S. Af (Udemy)

This course, titled “Icon Animation in Adobe After Effects,” is intended for individuals seeking knowledge on how to animate icons using After Effects. Animated icons are commonly found in motion graphics, infographics, apps, web and other media. This course aims to provide a good starting point for individuals interested in entering the field of motion graphics.

The course is instructed by M.S. Af and will begin by covering the basics of After Effects. This includes an introduction to the software and its various features. After the basics have been covered, the course will move on to interesting projects where students will learn how to animate multiple icons. The course will cover various attractive icons such as rocket, hourglass and fast food icons.

The course will be divided into different sections. The first section will introduce students to After Effects and its basic features. In the subsequent section, students will learn how to animate multiple icons.

9. Crafting Pixel Perfect Icons – The Right Way! by Icon Utopia (Udemy)

Crafting Pixel Perfect Icons – The Right Way! is a course offered by Icon Utopia. This comprehensive course is designed to teach individuals how to create sharp-looking icons. It is suitable for beginners as well as those who already have some experience in icon creation.

The course covers various aspects of creating pixel-perfect icons. Participants will learn about the concept of pixel-perfect, and how to set up Illustrator for a pixel-perfect workflow. They will also learn about the different types of icons, and how to build them.

One of the unique features of the course is that individuals will be able to practice creating three icons that cover every practical detail they need to know. The course also covers common problems that arise when adhering to a pixel-perfect workflow.

The course is divided into eight sections, including an introduction, understanding the pixel-perfect concept, setting up Illustrator for a pixel-perfect workflow, icons and how to build them, the most common problems when adhering to a pixel-perfect workflow, creating the project icons, the exporting process, and a conclusion.

Overall, this course aims to provide individuals with the skills and knowledge needed to create sharp-looking icons that are pixel-perfect. By the end of the course, individuals should have a solid understanding of how to create icons that look great and function properly.

10. Adobe Illustrator CC: Beginners | Workshop | Essentials by Kate Silver (Udemy)

The Adobe Illustrator CC: Beginners | Workshop | Essentials Course is designed for those interested in learning how to create illustrations, icons, logos, flyers, posters, and more. The course provides an introduction to the software and covers topics such as mastering the pen tool, vectors, image trace, gradients, and shortcuts.

The course is hands-on, with exercises to help participants fine-tune their newly acquired Illustrator skills. Participants will learn cool tricks and tips by working on a variety of projects, from drawing icons to creating more complex illustrations.

The course covers all the necessary essentials, including pixels vs. vectors, free templates, and shortcuts. Participants will create icons and illustrations with the pen tool, work with color palettes, and learn cool text techniques. They will also create a big flyer and learn how to duplicate and blend graphics, as well as saving and exporting their work.

Despite the intimidating Adobe Illustrator interface, the course is designed to put participants at ease within the first 5 minutes of the course. The instructor has pre-prepared all free templates, files, and fonts for easy editing. The course is aimed at complete novices, with no prior Illustrator knowledge required.

The course is divided into several sections, including an introduction and basics, the Pathfinder Tool, color, the pen tool, image trace, text, creating a flyer, saving and exporting, and what’s next. Participants will leave with a newfound understanding of Illustrator and the confidence to create their own designs.