This collection of notes on graphic design is based on over fifteen years’ experience teaching graphic design concepts to many hundreds of beginning students at the university level. Grasping the fundamental techniques; concepts and principles of visual communication is absolutely critical, whether your personal goal is visual literacy or professional practice in design. The foundation is the most important part of the design education process and must be solid. Good strong, basics help the designer develop a problem-solving approach based on historical awareness and visual intelligence. The only alternative is a kind of visual naivety, at best shallow and at its worst absolutely dangerous. Graphic design can ill afford amateurs.