Instructional Design Best Practices

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Designing Graphics for Online Learning

Julia.S.167
Julia.S.167 Posts: 4
edited March 2023 in Social Groups

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, which is an important consideration to remember when designing online courses. You can use visual elements to bring learning to life, improve retention, and aid in creating a consistent and professional learning experience.

Let’s explore some sites that you can use to source free images and icons, as well as programs that will help you design effective graphics and visuals for your next online course.

Images & Icons

Some of the websites that I commonly use to source images and icons from as an instructional designer include:

While you need to be mindful of the terms of service and any requirements for attribution, many of the images on these sites can be used in your courses and modified if necessary.

Designing Visuals

Once you have found your images and icons, you can use the following programs to modify images and icons and/or design graphics and visuals for use in your course. Remember that all non-decorative images must have associated alternative text to make them accessible to all learners.

  • Canva is a free graphic design tool that offers easy-to-use templates for various types of graphics (e.g., infographics, presentations, etc.). The website includes both free and paid templates.
  • PowerPoint can be used to edit and combine images, but this is not a free tool.
  • Pixlr is a free online photo editing tool. You can use Pixlr to apply filters and effects to images, add text to an image, crop an image or remove its background, or combine multiple images into one file.
  • GIMP is another free online photo editing tool.
  • MS Paint allows you to quickly resize and crop images. This tool is available on Windows computers.
  • Google Drawings can be used to create diagrams, charts, and infographics, but it is only accessible to those with Google accounts.  

Below I have included some images that I edited using the tools described above.

  • I used PowerPoint to extend the image’s background and add text. The original image is from Pexels.
Visuals can help to enhance storytelling in eLearning, making the content more engaging and memorable for learners.
  • I used PowerPoint to add a transparent blue overlay to the image and some text underneath. The original image is from Pexels.
Edit visuals so that they match your organization’s branding and create a cohesive experience for learners.
  • I used a free Canva template to create the following infographic.
Ensure that images are relevant to the course content, clear and simple to understand, consistent, and high quality to avoid blurry or pixelated images.

Are there any other programs or tools that you frequently use when designing visuals for your online courses? Please share them in the comments!

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