Visualising Your Brand: Engaging Design for Online and Print

Overview

This practical one-day workshop is designed for business owners, managers and anyone who wants to confidently create professional-looking visual materials without a dedicated design team. Combining clear, actionable design principles with hands-on exercises, the session takes participants from understanding the basics of layout, typography and colour through to applying these rules to real-world online and print projects.

Across the day, participants learn how to build a cohesive visual identity, communicate their brand values effectively, and make design decisions that look polished and professional. Through guided exercises, easy-to-use free tools, and practical examples, you’ll gain the skills to create graphics, social media visuals, presentations and printed materials that work for your business.

Whether you’re starting a brand from scratch or refining existing guidelines, this workshop offers a highly practical, engaging and empowering way to upgrade your design skills and make your visual communications more effective.

What you'll learn...

• Core design principles - Understand layout, typography, colour and composition to make your visuals look cohesive and professional.

• Building a visual identity - Apply simple rules to create or refine a brand identity that communicates your values clearly.

• Design for different media - Learn key differences between online and print design, and how to make your visuals effective across platforms.

• Quick and accessible tools - Explore free and easy-to-use tools that make the design process faster and more approachable for non-designers.

• Practical application - Create real examples for your business or projects, from social media graphics to print materials, and gain confidence making design decisions independently.

Who is this for?

Participants: Gain practical design skills you can apply immediately, creating professional-looking materials that strengthen your brand and communicate your message effectively.

Employers: Benefit from staff who can produce clear, consistent, visually appealing communications without relying on a dedicated design team or outsourcing. This means saving time, reducing costs, and enhancing your brand presence across online and print channels.

Why is this important?

Strong visual communication is one of the most important skills for any business today. Whether you’re sharing your brand online, creating marketing materials, or producing internal documents, well-designed, thought-out visuals help your message stand out and feel professional and personable.

About the Tutor

An award-winning artist, illustrator, designer, animator, songwriter and digital content creator, Nicholas Stevenson brings industry experience and creative passion to their teaching.

As well as being the Course Leader for our BA (Hons) Digital Content Creation degree, Nicholas co-organises CMYK Festival of Print and Illustration and works with an impressive line-up of industry partners in his freelance practise. Previous clients include Google Arts & Culture, The New York Times, Bloomsbury, Domestika, and more.