Design basics for marketing and communication teams

Create clear, on-brand visuals and short videos for social media and internal communication.

Many organisations rely on staff outside marketing to produce posters, social posts, presentations and short videos. Without basic design skills the results look inconsistent and take too long. This programme teaches practical design principles and how to apply them in accessible tools such as Canva and Adobe Express, always within your brand guidelines. Participants leave with templates, a review checklist and the confidence to produce clean, professional content quickly.

Who it is for: Marketing, communications, human resources (HR) and admin staff who produce visual content without being full-time designers.

What it covers: Design principles: layout, type, colour and space; Working to brand guidelines; Social media posts, flyers and simple video; Planning and reviewing content.

Design principles: Layout, alignment and white space, Typography and hierarchy, Colour and contrast, Images and icons that support the message.

Working with your brand: Reading and applying brand guidelines, Building reusable templates, Logos, photos and approvals, Accessibility basics.

Everyday formats: Social media posts and stories, Flyers, posters and invitations, Simple infographics, Short videos and captions.

Planning and review: Writing a simple design brief, Content calendars, Peer review checklist, Exporting the right sizes and files.

Outcomes: Visuals that look consistent and professional; Faster turnaround on everyday design requests; A shared checklist for reviewing content before it goes out.

Which software do you teach? Mainly Canva and Adobe Express because they are quick to learn. We can include Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator basics if your team uses them.

Will this replace a designer? No. It helps non-designers produce everyday content well, so your designers can focus on larger work.

Can we bring our brand guidelines? Yes, please do. We build exercises and templates around them.

Is video covered? Yes, short social videos and captions, using simple editing tools.

Contact OPDEV UAE · ask@opdev.ae · United Arab Emirates (WhatsApp +44 7440 585456)