CourseVerdict

Graphic Design Bootcamp: Create Projects Right Away! vs Adobe Illustrator CC – Advanced Training

Same Bayesian formula, same rubric — so the difference in scores reflects the difference in the courses, not the difference in how we evaluated them.

Udemy · Design

Graphic Design Bootcamp: Create Projects Right Away!

4.1/ 5 · 32 opinions
22 positive7 neutral3 negative/ 32 total

Daniel Walter Scott (Udemy) · Design

Adobe Illustrator CC – Advanced Training

4.4/ 5 · 38 opinions
29 positive7 neutral2 negative/ 38 total

Per-criterion

Content quality4.0 / 5

Covers Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign from scratch in 15.5+ hours across real-world projects — poster, logo, brochure and more. The project-first structure is consistently praised for making techniques stick. Capped because the format is application-led rather than principle-led (design theory is thin), some screencasts predate 2023 Photoshop AI features, and the bootcamp pace can leave nuance behind.

Instructor4.4 / 5

Derrick Mitchell is a working Creative Director with agency experience and brand credits (including an internship at Seven 2 Interactive, where he worked on campaigns for MTV, Nintendo and Netflix). Students consistently call him clear, practical, genuine and passionate. The course was developed with co-instructor Jenna Martin; reviewers praise the combination as clear and relatable. The 4.4 instructor rating on Udemy is consistent with these descriptions.

Value for money4.5 / 5

Udemy's listed price is over $100, but persistent sales bring it to $10-15, making three Adobe apps plus a Facebook community with 19,000+ members a very competitive offer. The updated November 2023 version extends shelf life. Capped marginally because a Udemy certificate carries limited hiring weight, and the sales model creates artificial pricing pressure.

Portfolio output4.3 / 5

Real deliverables anchor every section — you produce an event poster in Photoshop, a logo in Illustrator and a brochure in InDesign rather than watching disconnected demos. Students describe leaving with tangible pieces and a framework for approaching client work. Reviewers specifically cite Derrick breaking down his workflow as valuable because it teaches professional process, not just button clicks.

Real-world use3.8 / 5

The three apps covered are the industry standard for print and marketing design, and the project deliverables are types a freelancer or in-house designer would encounter in week one. The honest ceiling is that the course teaches how to execute in the tools without deeply covering why certain design decisions work — graduates often need to supplement with a dedicated design-theory resource before their work looks truly professional.

Content quality4.5 / 5

Covers the full advanced Illustrator toolset — pen tool mastery, complex paths, advanced typography, colour theory, logo design, packaging, pattern design, and complex illustration workflows. The curriculum is dense without being padded; reviewers describe it as genuinely comprehensive for the intermediate-to-advanced level. The main gap is limited coverage of screen-first digital workflows (UI, web) relative to the depth given to print and vector.

Instructor4.7 / 5

Daniel Walter Scott is an Adobe Certified Instructor and Adobe Certified Expert with over 16 years of design experience. His teaching is praised across thousands of reviews as crystal clear, professionally paced, and attentive to the edge cases where learners get stuck. The Adobe certification is not cosmetic — it translates into accurate, current, and authoritative instruction on the tool.

Value for money4.5 / 5

Priced at $19.99 on frequent Udemy sale (the effective purchase price for nearly all students) for a comprehensive advanced course with real-world projects and lifetime access. At sale price this is the strongest value-per-hour advanced design course available on any major platform. Full list price ($100+) is never what anyone pays, which matters for how you should think about the Udemy pricing model.

Portfolio output4.3 / 5

Multiple real-world projects throughout — logo design, packaging mock-ups, pattern systems, complex vector illustration — rather than isolated exercises. Reviewers describe finishing the course with a small body of work they can use in a portfolio. Some exercises feel more like skill-drills than finished pieces, but the balance across the curriculum is strong.

Real-world use4.2 / 5

The skills covered — pen tool precision, colour systems, typography workflows, file structure for print — are what working graphic designers and illustrators use daily. Reviewers in professional design roles describe the course as directly applicable to client work. The print and vector orientation limits applicability for UI/UX designers whose primary output is screen-first.

Scoring methodology applies identically to every course on the site — see the formula.