Computer Graphics Self-Paced Course Instructions
It is imperative you read the course instructions below before starting the course.
Getting Started
Awesome, you have registered for your course and set up payment – nearly ready to roll, here is a quick checklist, run through it, and get started!
- Download the Software (instructions below)
- Request a student letter, generally needed to download the student version of the software.
- Read through course instructions, and expiry details, (all below).
- All filter details and suggested computer specs are listed below.
- Register for an account on Design Alive’s exclusive Forum – the Jewish Design Forum. (Sign up for an account in the top right corner)
- Still facing an issue? Use our help page so we can help you.
Upon setting up payment you will be automatically directed to your course where all the course material is available to start learning. You will also have received an email with a link to your course.
Alternatively, you can log in to school.designalive.com with the login details that you received via email
Username: Email address
Password: Check your emails
You will find your course in the left menu under ‘my courses’ or on the dashboard
Teachers Details
Email response:
Your teacher will be checking her emails daily and will do her best to answer questions as quickly as she can within 48 hours.
Course Expiration
Students who take the complete Computer Graphics course, Photoshop, Illustrator, and Indesign receive just over 12 months to complete the course. This is broken down to 9 months to complete both Photoshop and Illustrator and upon completion, you will receive access to Indesign for 4 months (You will need to request access from your teacher.)
Students who have purchased the courses separately will receive 6 months for Photoshop, 6 months for Illustrator and 4 months for Indesign. Please note purchasing the courses individually works out more expensive than the package Computer Graphics course.
This allows you ample time to complete the course. Please pace yourself so that you finish within this time.
Course Extensions:
If you did not manage to complete the course within the time frame, there is an option to extend the course for a monthly extension fee of $25 from when the course expires. You can extend your course for up to 6 months.
To rejoin the course 6 months after the course expiry there will be a fee of $100.
Pausing the course:
If you would like to pause the course due to an unexpected circumstance (such as getting married or birth), only upon approval from the Design Alive office you can pause the course for a $50 fee for up to 6 months where your access will be removed. Please email admin@designalive.com to request approval.
Once you have completed the course and all the coursework, you will receive a certificate and transcript.It may take some time for us to complete all your grading and process your certificate and transcript.
When does my course Expire?
Your course expiration date will appear in the right-hand menu bar as shown in the image below.
Software Details
- You will need to have the programs, Photoshop, Illustrator and Indesign working on your computer for the first class.
- The only legal way to obtain the software is via the Adobe.com subscriptions which give you to use all the Adobe software online.
- Anyone who offers to install it on your computer (for free or for a minimal charge) is likely to be installing a copied version.
Instructions:
- Sign up for a monthly subscription to Adobe Creative Cloud.
- The student edition of Adobe Creative Cloud costs $19.99 per month for the first year (price will be different for subsequent years).
- Terms and conditions can be found here.
- To sign up for the student edition, you will be asked for the name and address of your school. Please note that Design Alive does not appear on the list of schools on their website, and it is usually sufficient to write Design Alive, Manchester UK.
- If Adobe requests proof of student status please request using this link.
Course Instructions
Please note: You will only be assigned to Indesign once you have completed Photoshop and Illustrator. Please email admin@designalive.com to request access.
- Each class has a recording, homework assignment, and a quiz. Some classes have images you will need to download for classwork. Please do not proceed to the next class until you have completed the homework assignment.
- You should watch the class in one browser tab and open the course in another tab so that you can practice and see the course work easily while still watching the class.
- You do not have to wait until the teacher grades or replies that the homework is acceptable before proceeding to the next class.
- If your version of the software is program is not exactly the same as the recording, ( as sometimes small updates occur in the software) please do not stress as you will see the programs are all very similar and you will find your way around very quickly.
- The TEN MINUTE RULE: Please do NOT email the teacher questions until you have spent a minimum of 10 minutes trying to figure it out yourself.
- Please check the Jewish Design Forum for commonly asked questions about your course/homework.
- Your teacher will respond to emails within 24 hrs, (except those emailed Thurs eve till Sunday morning) but please continue with the course while you are waiting for a grade or response to your email.
- We suggest you create an email with all your questions as you listen to each class, and send it to your teacher as one email.
- It is to your disadvantage to merely listen to the classes without doing the assignments, as it is the practice that will determine whether you have grasped the concepts taught in class and help you absorb the material.
- Homework files can be submitted using the ‘Upload your files here’ slot in your course. There is a separate place for each homework assignment. Quizzes can also be answered this way.
- All your grades can be viewed online by checking the grade option in the left side menu.
- You have 1 year to complete the course and to receive grades and feedback from your teacher. Any homework or tests submitted after this date will not be graded.
Note: If you are taking Photoshop and Illustrator, we recommend alternating the classes starting with Illustrator rather than completing one program at a time, as many find that easier. Once you have completed both Photoshop and Illustrator, please request access to InDesign.
Filter/Whitelist Info
Design Alive recommends the following filters as students have been very happy with these filter companies and the support they provide.
- Techloq
- Gentech
- Nativ USA
- Netfree filter has also be approved for Design Alive but please note that having a filter which blocks skin content may be frustrating at some point
Before you begin the course please ensure that all the following sites below are unblocked: You can copy the list and send it to your filtering company.
- designaliveschool.webex.com
- webex.com
- designalive.com
- school.designalive.com
- for cisco webex- exclude multiple EXE
- You will need the cisco webex app working.
- autodesk.com (for Autocad students)
For more information regarding filter issues and troubleshooting please use this link
Tutor Assistance
If you require extra out-of-class assistance then we have tutors available to assist you.
The tutor is Yona Bauman: yona.designalive@gmail.com
The tutor can coordinate a live session with you if necessary. This is offered without charge providing tutoring support is not excessive. There is a link to book a tutor at the top of your course,
Computer Specs
Design Alive does not assist with helping you buy a computer suitable for the course, but below are suggested computer specs and details of a computer technician/salesperson who can help you.
Students doing 3D rendering or video editing/animation will need a top-end computer whereas students doing graphics only can get away with a slightly lower spec.
Please refer to these computer specs that are appropriate for all of our courses ranging from Interior & Graphic Design to the very robust 3D modeling applications (Autocad & Revit)
- An i7 or i9 CPU
- At least 16GB of RAM & 256GB of storage
- A 64-bit operating system
- A dedicated (internal) graphics card (ex. NVIDIA) – not integrated!
- Besides being more expensive, we do not recommend Apple especially because our instructors use a PC (and Revit is not supported on Macs.)
- While a 17 inch laptop is easier to see what you are designing, it would be too heavy to carry when visiting clients. Instead; we suggest a standard 15.6 inch screen and when working from home, you can opt for a secondary & larger 27” monitor (about $200).
- An (external) SSD drive to safely hold your projects and ensure that your computer does not get overloaded.
Design Alive has partnered with B&H Photo in NYC to handle all of these technical requirements and queries. They are a well-known and established company and are up-to-date with the most current specs and performance. Our contact is Boruch Berman and he can be reached at Boruchb@bhphoto.com. Please mention Design Alive when you send an email for his personal call back to select a machine that’s right for you (please do not call).
Here is a link to the current computers he currently suggests which are priced from low to high. Bear in mind that spending more money does not necessarily mean you are getting anything better and he will discuss this. Please feel free to do your own research for comparisons. (If this link becomes invalid then please let us know)
Please be aware that all class recordings, classwork and homework assignments are the property of Design Alive. No materials may be copied, reproduced, distributed, republished, transferred, sold, used to create derivative works, performed, posted or transmitted in any form or by any means, including, but not limited to, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written consent of Design Alive.
All downloads (recordings and assignments) must be deleted from your computer within 6 months of completing the course.