Today's audiences crave custom, quality visual content delivered with intent—but they don't respond to one-off content pieces the way they used to. Gone are the days when a single infographic could garner thousands of views and backlinks. Today, audience expectations have grown and with that, successful brand marketers are combining 12–14 types of visual content into single campaigns to meet those expectations. This means that the growing demand for skilled designers will continue long into the future. To remain relevant, designers will be expected to both art direct and execute on these campaigns, stretching their skillsets across dozens of visual content mediums.

In this course, Amy Balliett—CEO of the visual communications agency, Killer Infographics—provides an in-depth look behind the curtain of visual campaigns. She shares her experiences and the lessons she learned from developing over 100 visual campaigns for Fortune 1000 clients and nonprofits, explaining how to develop a successful campaign from start to finish. She walks through how to concept and plan a campaign, and how to pitch that campaign to clients and colleagues. Amy also takes you through how to develop a visual language to guide your campaign, and shares how to avoid common pitfalls.

Creativity is the top skill that companies seek in their employees, but as leaders, how many of us optimize our own creative skill-building? In this course, instructor Denise Jacobs identifies how to shift into a creativity mindset, ignite and up-level your own creative thinking, and cultivate creative confidence in your teams. Denise begins with ways you can develop a creativity-thinking mindset, prevail over perfectionism, and lay a foundation to amplify creative thinking. She steps you through techniques to ignite your creative spark and up-level your creative problem-solving. Denise concludes by teaching you ways you can build creative confidence in yourself and your teams. By building your creativity-thinking skills, you can become a connected and trusted role model, able to spark change that transforms workplaces for the better.

If you’re already familiar with DevOps practices and are wondering if these methods can apply to databases as well, this is the course for you. In this project-focused course from CloudSkills, instructor Michael Levan reveals how DevOps for databases is not all that different from what you might already be doing. Michael starts off with some basics of DevOps for databases, like why it’s important, and the tools you use in DevOps today that can be used with databases. He then gets into the project, showing how to create a MySQL database with Terraform, and how to take that same Terraform configuration and automate, via CI/CD, the MySQL dataset creation with Azure DevOps. If you’ve been wondering why you might want to use DevOps for databases, this course provides some answers—you no longer have to hold up app delivery; collaboration between teams means better deployment outcomes, procedures, and automation—along with a project you can work on that illustrates these benefits.

Note: This course was created by CloudSkills.io. We are pleased to host this training in our library.

Containers are an amazingly versatile and powerful tool in the DevOps toolkit that can remove or smooth over a lot of the usual pain points in application development. Instructor Josh Samuelson goes over what containers are, where and when you can use them, and how to manage them well. Josh begins with a thorough explanation of what containers are, why you should use them, and how containers differ from VMs. He covers using containers in development, packaging, and production, with examples and factors to consider for each. Josh concludes with an in-depth look at how you can use Docker Swarm, Kubernetes, Mesos, and cloud container solutions to manage your containers effectively.

Software containers are the future of app deployment—and an instrumental component of any DevOps strategy. They package everything a program needs to run, allowing developers to move applications from one environment to another relatively hassle free. In this course, cloud-computing luminary David Linthicum dives into the exciting world of software containers. David goes over the basics of containers, including an overview of the fundamental steps involved in building container-based software, followed by some examples of real-world applications that leverage containers. The course concludes with container standards and best practices, and the tools, processes, and skills a DevOps professional needs to work with them.

DevOps describes a culture and set of processes that bring development and operations teams together to simplify software development. It allows organizations to create and improve products at a faster pace than they can deliver with traditional software development approaches. And it’s gaining in popularity at a rapid rate. In this course, programmer Dipali Kulshrestha covers the concepts of DevOps with hands-on demos to create and automate CI/CD (continuous implementation and continuous delivery) pipelines. She covers AWS services like CodeCommit, CodeBuild, CodeDeploy, and CodePipeline, and how to implement DevOps with AWS offerings to increase security, scalability, reliability, and simplicity of the development processes.

The move towards a more digital workplace affects everyone, from newly remote employees to frontline workers. With technology being such a critical part of how we do our jobs, having accessible solutions is essential to providing an inclusive workplace. In this course, join Hector Minto, an accessibility evangelist at Microsoft, as he shares how to use accessibility solutions across your tools and processes. Hector covers the importance of accessibility, as well as how modern trends have brought accessibility to the forefront. He also shares technology solutions for each type of disability and provides best practices for developing more inclusive experiences in your meetings, emails, presentations, and social media posts. After taking this course, you’ll have the tools you need to start creating a work environment that is inclusive.

Note: A version of this course with audio descriptions is available in our library.

Cultivating a professional network online is a key component of career advancement and landing new job opportunities. In this course, career coach Christopher Taylor covers why networking is valuable and shares ways to connect with decision-makers in any industry. He discusses which tools and platforms are most effective for digital networking, and provides specific steps for reaching out and being successful at connecting. Plus, learn about what it means to create a personal brand, and how to be intentional with personal branding.

Digital disruption is changing every business. Only a decade ago, the auto industry was well-defined by players such as GM, Ford, and Toyota. Today, these companies compete with newcomers such as Uber and Lyft, which sell transportation services—not cars. Similar dynamics are playing out in retail, banking, education, and even construction. This course examines how digitization reshapes the opportunities and threats facing companies—and how you can harness the power of digitization to win. Join Anil Gupta and Haiyan Wang to learn how to develop your own digital strategy. Discover how to harness artificial intelligence, use new platforms to beat the competition, and digitize products, services, and other elements of the value chain: design, development, sourcing, production, and distribution.

Dr. Christina Greer, renowned author, educator, and expert on American history, Black ethnics, and public policy, provides an engaging course intended to show that conversations about race and racism can be healthy, productive, and impactful. Christina delves into important topics such as the reasons people may be uncomfortable talking about racism, best practices for speakers and listeners, the real-life impacts of racism, and how conversations can lead to action.

So you’ve built an Android app, and you’re ready to share it with the world. Now what? There are many ways you can distribute your app, and in this course, Jon-Luke West shows you how to use the primary distribution channel, the Google Play Store, as well as the Amazon Appstore. Jon-Luke covers how to prepare the app for distribution by cleaning up and optimizing the code, creating a security certificate, and uploading an APK file. He then shows how to create multiple flavors of your app to include different features, how to register as a Google Play and Amazon developer, set the app description and pricing, and publish the app. Lastly, Jon-Luke looks at the post-publishing aspects, including how to track app usage, usage statistics, revenue, and crash reporting.

A lot of the power of Git—especially when you need to untangle something—is hidden in the command-line interface (CLI). While CLI terminal software may seem intimidating, instructor Melanie Panem shows you ways to make your command-line interface environment more friendly and approachable to work in. Melanie explains various Git GUI software options and compares terminal program options. She walks you through the different shell environments and the common tools you might need. Melanie goes over the standard settings and preferences that are probably already available on your terminal, then dives into using and customizing a rudimentary version of your terminal’s shell, Bash. Once you’ve seen what Bash can do for you, she describes newer shells like Zsh and fish, which can be used to make Bash more efficient. Melanie finishes up by showing you the commands you need for CLI and Git.

Words matter. For as much as words can make a positive impact with an audience, they can also divide and alienate us. Now more than ever, it’s critical for marketers to intentionally use inclusive language. In this course, Andrew McCaskill, Senior Director of Global Communications at LinkedIn, shares practical guidance on this critical topic. Andrew outlines the basics of inclusive language, and he provides a framework to evaluate your marketing assets, such as checking for stereotypes and gender-inclusive language. If you’re looking for a guide to help you navigate the critical aspects of diversity and inclusion, join Andrew in this course.

Django is a robust and powerful framework with a lot of moving parts. Although starting a new project can be quite easy, there is a lot to uncover. This course teaches fundamentals, such as what a framework is, what an HTTP request is, and how Django replies to HTTP requests. Software developer and podcaster Leticia Portella walks you through each step of building a working system that can create, edit, and list books per user with an authentication system. Topics include getting started, creating users and data, ORMs, creating a dynamic template, Django class-based files and static views, and so much more!

During his time as CIO of Facebook, Tim Campos doubled the company's productivity. In this course, adapted from the podcast How to Be Awesome at Your Job, Tim shares his productivity tips, explaining how to streamline your workflow and work smarter. Tim emphasizes that everyone stands to benefit from learning how to use technology, explaining how tools such as automation software can greatly streamline your workflow. He discusses how to be deliberate in how you schedule your days, as this makes it easier to filter out distracting requests and get things done. Plus, learn how to strategically schedule your time based on your personal preferences and avoid burnout by taking time to pause.

This course was created by Pete Mockaitis of How to Be Awesome at Your Job. We are pleased to offer this training in our library.

Maps are a common design task, not to mention a lot of fun, but how can you create a simplified map in Adobe Illustrator? In this course, instructor Tony Harmer shows you, step by step, how to create a simplified map to mark a route, show a location, or act as a guide. Tony begins by defining a map and explaining some intellectual property rights that you may need to consider. Then he explains several basics, such as color schemes, styles, and masks, that you will need in creating your map. Tony walks you through each step to create a simplified map, then concludes with a detailed discussion on building pictorial maps.

A sketch is a great starting place, but lighting, color, and detail are what take your illustrations to the next level. In this course, Von Glitschka shows you how to use lighting effects, colors, and a great variety of detailing methods to your designs with Adobe Illustrator. Along the way, Von reveals his insights on the creative process and shares creative works that demonstrate the techniques he’s teaching.

Discover how to build web sites, prototypes, and more in this course on Adobe Dreamweaver CS6. Author James Williamson shows designers how to take control of their site by properly naming and structuring files and folders; how to create new documents and web pages from scratch or with starter pages; and how to add content such as text, images, tables, and links. James also provides a background on the languages that power projects built in Dreamweaver—HTML and CSS—and introduces the programming features in the application, for developers who want to dig right into the code. The last chapter shows how to finesse your project with interactive content such as CSS3 transitions and Spry widgets.

If you’re creating a website and considering content management systems, chances are you’re considering using Drupal. But is this free, open-source CMS the right choice for you? In this course, instructor Rod Martin covers the essential concepts and knowledge you need to get started with Drupal 9. He starts with the basics, explaining the terminology unique to Drupal. He then shows how to install Drupal in order to follow along with the optional exercises, explains the best ways to plan your Drupal website, and then covers the administration interface. After this course, you’ll have a solid base to get started in Drupal, and be ready for the next course in the Drupal 9 Essential Training series. Note: This course was created by OSTraining. We are pleased to host this training in our library.

While content and fields don’t sound like the most exciting part of a website, these are absolutely core to the entire understanding of how to use a content management system like Drupal. In this course, Rod Martin gives an introduction to the idea of structured content and content types in Drupal. Rod demonstrates the importance of categorization by creating a number of different types, then adds fields that will hold the data for each content type. He also introduces the WYSIWYG editor, shows how to configure text formats, and highlights the importance of planning out your content types to ensure the completion of all the tasks you set out to complete. At the end, he shows how to quickly test the content created throughout the course. Note: This course was created by OSTraining. We are pleased to host this training in our library.