Styling with CSS – Layouts and Visual Design

Overview

This course features Coursera Coach! A smarter way to learn with interactive, real-time conversations that help you test your knowledge, challenge assumptions, and deepen your understanding as you progress through the course. In this course, you'll master CSS to create visually stunning web pages with effective layouts and design elements. Starting with the basics of styling, you’ll learn how to use CSS rules to manipulate text, images, and elements to craft well-organized and visually appealing web designs. As the course progresses, you’ll dive into layout systems such as Flexbox and Grid, which will enable you to design responsive and flexible web pages for a range of devices. The course begins with the essentials of CSS, including selectors, writing rules, and styling elements like colors, fonts, and widths. You will apply these concepts as you build projects like a storefront website, using CSS to style multiple pages, including the homepage, about page, and contact page. Then, you will explore advanced layout systems such as Flexbox and CSS Grid to create sophisticated, responsive designs. You'll also learn how to use transitions and animations to enhance the interactivity and user experience of your pages. This course is perfect for beginners who want to learn CSS and web design fundamentals. No prior knowledge of CSS is required. By the end of the course, you’ll be able to create fully styled, functional websites with engaging layouts and dynamic effects.

Syllabus

CSS Basics

In this module, we will cover the essentials of CSS, from writing basic rules to using selectors for styling HTML elements. You’ll learn how to set widths, define font sizes, and apply color in your designs. You will also kick off your first project, the "Store Front" website, and apply these CSS fundamentals to style your pages.

CSS Styling Elements

In this module, we’ll explore key CSS styling elements such as the Box Model, text styling, and customizing lists and tables. You’ll also dive into the display property to control the layout of block and inline elements. You’ll continue building your "Store Front" project, applying these concepts to create a polished and functional design.

CSS Layout Systems

In this module, we will dive into CSS layout systems, including Flexbox and Grid, to create complex, responsive web designs. You’ll learn how to structure your layouts using these systems and apply them in the "Search Engine" project, designing a layout inspired by Google’s homepage with a combination of Grid and Flexbox.

CSS Transitions and Animations

In this module, we will focus on adding dynamic visual effects to your web pages using CSS transitions and animations. You’ll learn how to animate elements with keyframes, apply smooth transitions for hover effects, and use pseudo-classes to improve user interaction. This will all come together in the final CSS project, where you’ll build and animate a website with engaging, interactive elements.