Are you looking to become a branding expert or perhaps simply want more clarification on how to grow your brand?
Our compilation of the best free branding courses online will get you up to speed in no time.
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What is branding?
There is a sweeping ambivalence about what branding truly is and its role, especially among small businesses and startups. It’s easy to dismiss its concept and reduce its idea to logos and color schemes, but what plenty of people don’t know is that its coverage transcends aesthetics and style.
For starters, branding isn’t only how entrepreneurs make their business out to be; it includes everything an enterprise does and all they claim to achieve as an organization — even if it means only one person manages the entire venture. In other words, your brand is the collective perception of your customers and workforce toward your business. It is the look, personality, and principles carried out by your business.
All that said, it’s become even more critical for the modern entrepreneur to aptly and accurately define who they are as a business and what values they stand on. Strong branding doesn’t only set you apart from your competitors, it also helps cement your credibility in the industry, therefore shaping the kind of consumers who support and believe in you.
For this particular article, we’re talking about the top 12 best free branding courses as well as premium options across multiple learning resources online.
So if you want to learn branding, here are the top online branding courses to take in 2022 from online course providers such as Skillshare, Coursera, Udemy, Domestika, Creative Live and Masterclass.
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Top 12 Best Free Branding Courses Online (+Premium Options)
Below are the best free branding courses online, both free and premium. While some are free, you may have to pay additional fees for the certificate.
- Branding Your Creative Business: Define Your Brand – 4 Week Free Trial then $19/mo.
- On the Power of Personal Branding session – Personal Branding – $15/month
- Personal Branding: Crafting Your Social Media Presence – 4 Week Free Trial then $19/mo.
- The Staples of Branding: From Purpose to Product – 4 Week Free Trial then $19/mo.
- Business Branding: The Complete Course Part 1 – Strategy – $89
- Business Branding: The Complete Course Part 2 – Expression – $89
- Branding & Marketing for Startups: Learn How To Stand Out – $89
- Branding Specialization on Coursera – Free 7 day trial then $49/mo.
- Brand and Product Management – Free 7 day trial then $49/mo.
- Brand Management: Aligning Business, Brand and Behaviour Free 7 day trial then $49/mo.
- Branding 101: The Complete Toolkit – $13/mo.
- A Brand Called You – Personal Branding with Debbie Millan – $13/mo.
- How To Develop and Market Your Brand – $13/mo
- Diane von Furstenberg’s Tips for Designing a Brand Identity – $15/mo.
- How To Develop and Market Your Brand – $15/mo.
See here for our list of the best brand strategy courses and the best logo design courses online.
Top 12 Best Branding Courses Compared
| Course | Instructor & Provider | Length | Cost |
| Branding Your Creative Business: Define Your Brand | Faye Brown, SkillShare | 8 Lessons (57 minutes) | 4 Week Free Trial then $19/mo. |
| On the Power of Personal Branding session – Personal Branding | Kris Jenner, MasterClass | 11 video lessons (1 hour 46 minutes) | $15/month |
| Personal Branding: Crafting Your Social Media Presence | Kate Arends, SkillShare | 14 Lessons (1 hour & 8 minutes) | 4 Week Free Trial then $19/mo. |
| The Staples of Branding: From Purpose to Product | Jeff Staple, SkillShare | 4 Lessons (58 minutes) | 4 Week Free Trial then $19/mo. |
| Business Branding: The Complete Course Part 1 – Strategy | Steve Houraghan, Udemy | 3.5 hours | $89.99 |
| Business Branding: The Complete Course Part 2 – Expression | Steve Houraghan, Udemy | 4 hours | $89.99 |
| Branding & Marketing for Startups: Learn How To Stand Out | Mac Piechota, Udemy | 1.5 hours | $89.99 |
| Branding: The Creative Journey Specialization | Various, Coursera | Approximately 3-5 months to complete | Free 7 day trial then $49/mo. |
| Brand and Product Management | Luis Rodriguez Baptista, Coursera | Approximately 14 hours to complete | Free 7 day trial then $49/mo. |
| Brand Management: Aligning Business, Brand and Behaviour | Nader Tavassoli, Coursera | Approximately 17 hours to complete | Free 7 day trial then $49/mo. |
| Branding 101: The Complete Toolkit | Danielle McWaters, Creative Live | 2 hours & 34 minutes | $13/mo. |
| A Brand Called You – Personal Branding with Debbie Millman | Debbie Millman, Creative Live | 4 hours & 47 minutes | $13/mo. |
| How To Develop and Market Your Brand | Sandra Coan, Creative Live | 1 hour & 19 minutes | $13/mo. |
5 Best Branding Course Providers Online
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Below we’ve shared the top 5 reputable online branding course providers to start teaching yourself branding.
- Skillshare – Short classes (Four week free trial then $10/month)
- Coursera – More in-depth specializations
- Udemy – Extensive range
- Domestika – Shorter classes
- Creative Live – Short to mid-length classes
You could also consider getting a branding book to teach yourself. We recommend Branding in 5.5 Steps to start off with.
Top Free Branding Courses on Skillshare
You can get access to these free branding courses by using Skillshare’s two week free trial. As these are short courses, you will be able to finish them before the trial is up.
1. Branding Your Creative Business: Define Your Brand
Discover how to better brand your business through better messaging
Duration: 8 Lessons, 57 Minutes | Experience Level: Beginner | Price: 4-Week Free Trial then $19/mo | Author: Faye Brown
It’s easy to get lost in translation when the word “branding” is thrown around so casually. Both beginning entrepreneurs and seasoned business leaders may find that determining their venture’s actual voice may not be as easy as it sounds. Selling products and services is one thing, but letting one’s business resonate intimately and personally with one’s target market is another.
For this course, sought after brand designer Faye Brown tackles the nitty and gritty of brand definition, what steps leaders may take to understand their business message better, and why defining your business is crucial in communicating with your audience.
2. On the Power of Personal Branding session – Personal Branding
Duration: 1 hour and 46 minutes | Experience Level: Beginner | Price: $15/month | Author: Kris Jenner
All around you and with everything you purchase, you’ll come across various brands that are noteworthy in their own way. If you want your brand to shine among these brands in competitive industries, then you must learn to develop and enhance brand strategies. Along with this, you must also improve your conceptual, analytical, and decision-making skills.
Learning branding is more effective when you learn from an expert like Kris Jenner, who is the matriarch of one of the most influential families and a momager. She’s here to share her journey and teach how to crack through all the grinds to gain success in branding despite the struggles.
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“On the Power of Personal Branding” features 11 video lessons with a total duration of about 1 hour and 46 minutes. This course focuses on personal branding and its importance and will aid in making your vision a reality.
3. Personal Branding: Crafting Your Social Media Presence
Learn how to create, evolve, and leverage your online personal brand for growth
Duration: 14 Lessons, 1 hour & 8 Mins | Experience Level: All levels | Price: 4-Week Free Trial then $19/mo | Author: Kate Arends
When approached with the right strategies, social media can build empires and extend networks. Whereas the idea of becoming an internet personality existed only for entertainers and artists much earlier on its advent, the times have changed in that the digital space now makes personalities out of professionals, too.
Whether you’re a startup founder or a marketing maven, there’s definitely space for your personal voice to shine, as well. With a decade’s worth of experience, internet powerhouse Kate Arends discusses in her course helpful tips and valuable insight on what it means to let social media platforms help improve your individual career.
4. The Staples of Branding: From Purpose to Product
Learn how branding starts from the products you produce to the vision you align with your workforce
Duration: 14 Lessons, 1 hour & 8 Mins | Experience Level: Beginner | Price: 4-Week Free Trial then $19/mo | Author: Jeff Staple
Product-based ventures pose a lot of stress and joys entrepreneurs who run serviced-based enterprises may not share. Considering how today’s business climate is saturated with a lot of worthy competition, it’s critical that the items you put out add value to your customer’s lives and carry the purpose and reflect ideals.
To make a positive impact, you will want your brand to be known not only for quality output but for the purpose you serve, as well. For his course, streetwear icon, Jeff Staple, talks about how to aptly tell a tale with what you sell, what it takes to come up with a snappy logo, and how to build a brand from the ground up.
Most Popular Branding Courses on Udemy (Paid)
5. Business Branding: The Complete Course Part 1 – Strategy
Learn how a build a strategic brand from the ground up
Duration: 52 lectures, 3 hours & 23 minutes | Experience Level: Beginner – Intermediate | Price: $89.99 | Author: Steve Houraghan
Branding can be complex science to both new and seasoned entrepreneurs. As a result, not too many leaders know how to start, what to do, or what strategies to follow to optimize a more cohesive market presence.
For Part 1 of this course, marketing strategist Steve Hourgahan tackles how to hold your audience’s attention, position your brand effectively to stand out on its own, and a lot more critical aspects of defining what your business is and keeping your customers glued and interested.
6. Business Branding: The Complete Course Part 2 – Expression
Learn how to express your brand with advanced messaging & storytelling frameworks
Duration: 48 lectures, 4 hours 11 minutes | Experience Level: Beginner – Intermediate | Price: $89.99 | Author: Steve Houraghan
Taking off from where Part 1 ends, Steve Hourgahan extends the conversation to brand psychology, neuroscience, color theory, brand identity design, and more. Perfect for creatives and business leaders looking to elevate their marketing game, this course captures the elemental blocks that comprise branding’s politics.
Enrolees who successfully finish the course can also take home a certificate of completion, making this course suitable for anyone interested in backing up their branding efforts with paperwork.
7. Branding & Marketing for Startups: Learn How To Stand Out
Learn top brand design strategies to build physical product brands
Duration: 40 lectures, 1 hour & 58 minutes | Experience Level: Beginner | Price: $89.99 | Author: Mac Piechota
One of the most important things in branding is identifying your target market and learning to speak their language, and sparking their interests. In his course, Mac Piechota details what to do to stand out among competition to charge more, how typography affects your overall aesthetic, and what to teach your team to better your collective approach to marketing as an organization.
Because Piechota understands that branding is seldom a one-person team, he also articulates what it means to work with other creatives to bring out the best in your business.
Learn Branding Online with Coursera (Free)
Although these branding courses from Coursera are free, with the free version of the course you won’t have a completion certificate, something which may be important if you are after an official recognition.
8. Branding Specialization
Become a branding specialist by mastering identity, strategy, marketing & customer experience
Duration: Approximately 3-5 months | Experience Level: Beginner | Price: Free to Enroll | Author: María Eizaguirre Diéguez, Pedro Cifuentes Huertas, Brian Hallett & Michael Thompson
More than anything, branding is a creative journey that may take time and a lot of effort to fine-tune correctly. As market trends evolve and consumer needs differ from time to time, it is vital that business people understand what level of relevance their business plays in the market.
For this course, industry leaders Maria Eizaguirre Dieguez, Brian Hallett, Pedro Cifuentes Huertas, and Michael Thompson discuss how to produce meaningful content, what it takes to develop a competent, creative pitch, and how curating a pleasant customer service experience speaks volume about your business values.
The Branding Specialisation course covers 4 modules:
- Brand Identity & Strategy
- Brand & Content Marketing
- From Brand to Image: Creating High Impact Campaigns That Tell Brand Stories
- Branding and Customer Experience
BONUS: Coursera Plus – Get the ‘Branding Specialization’ Course and 3000+ more courses
You can learn branding online with Coursera and you can get it for free for 7 days as a trial. Or for $49/month. Or for $499 a year with Coursera Plus where the true value is.
With Coursera Plus, you can access the Branding Specialization and 3,000+ other courses in various domains including business, computer science, health, personal development, humanities, and more.
- See our related post: Best Coursera Courses for Designers & Creatives
Coursera Plus will save you money if you are planning on taking multiple courses over the year.
A ‘specialization’ such as their 4 part branding specialization course takes an average of three months to complete, so that would save you approximately $130 over three months or $520 over the year.
For example their Branding Specialisation course covers 4 modules:
- Brand Identity & Strategy
- Brand & Content Marketing
- From Brand to Image: Creating High Impact Campaigns That Tell Brand Stories
- Branding and Customer Experience
9. Brand and Product Management
Understand the cruciality of product management and its association with branding
Duration: Approximately 14 hours | Experience Level: Beginner | Price: Free | Author: Luis Rodriguez Baptist
Brand strategies can be challenging to develop, especially when you don’t have the right tools and data to guide you. What’s more, people often a misconception that branding is solely about what consumers think a business is about. In reality, branding also covers what your team members think about your business and the culture you foster within your organization.
Marketing professor, Luis Rodriguez Baptista, tackles in his course how to establish a clear blueprint of your branding principles to help actualize the brand you deem your enterprise to possess.
10. Brand Management: Aligning Business, Brand and Behaviour
Discover why company behavior is indicative of how brands are perceived
Duration: Approximately 17 hours to complete | Experience Level: Beginner | Price: Free | Author: Nader Tavassoli
While branding is largely about how you make your business out to be, it isn’t any less about customer experience, too. The encounters you cultivate for both your consumers and your team members are just as integral in creating a familiar brand that people can trust and support.
For his course, business leader Nader Tavassoli discusses how you can foster desirable engagements with clients while maintaining healthy boundaries, what branding means in today’s context, and what others can do to help support affected brands.
Top Branding Lessons on Creative Live (Paid)
11. Branding 101: The Complete Toolkit
Learn the essential branding techniques
Duration: 2 hours & 34 minutes | Experience Level: Beginner | Price: $13/mo. | Author: Danielle McWaters
For a brand to thrive, leaders must put out a strong business message, functional aesthetics, a cohesive customer experience strategy, and core values that gravitate toward empathy, honesty, and a commitment to extending nothing less than quality products and services.
In-demand marketing creative, Danielle McWaters, talks about the nitty and gritty entrepreneurs can expect in their expeditions to building an authentic brand people appreciate and believe in. As the course name implies, expect to cover everything a young business leader may need to learn about in the name of branding.
12. A Brand Called You (Personal Branding) by Debbie Millman
Understand how your personal brand can attract more clients
Duration: 4 hours & 47 minutes | Experience Level: Beginner | Price: $13/mo. | Author: Debbie Millman
In developing a brand you can only hope people will love and support; it’s easy to forget that your personal charisma and energy play a huge factor in your overall business identity.
For her course, design and brand icon, Debbie Millman, tackles how to improve the way you relate with others, what communication tactics best work in your favor, and how vital it is to understand your own personal brand before you can build the image of an enterprise.
13. How To Develop and Market Your Brand
Discover how to make the most of developing your brand
Duration: 1 hour & 19 minutes | Experience Level: Beginner | Price: $13/mo. | Author: Sandra Coan
Entrepreneurs who often fail to appreciate the power of strong brand positioning often don’t understand that a reliable business identity can be determinative of sales, too. The more highly customers think of your products, the more likely they’ll keep on supporting it.
Film and photography artist Sandra Coan discusses in her course what it takes to build a brand, what it means to connect to audiences, and why braving calculated uncertainty to meet clients where they are is the best way to strengthen relationships and keep abreast evolving marketing trends.
14. Branding Essentials for Designers
Understand how to build a long-lasting brand with visuals and strategy
Duration: 5 hour & 16 minutes | Experience Level: Beginner | Price: $13/mo. | Author: Stanley Hainsworth
Whether you’re just starting or are already in the branding industry, the branding course by Stanley Hainsworth does a great job of driving in everything branding-related. If you’re a newbie designer wondering about the role of branding in marketing or a veteran looking to brush up on the fundamentals, this course is a perfect choice.
Hainsworth was the creative chief for Nike, Lego, and Starbucks for a period of time, and he will help guide you through the strategies. You will learn the brand identity and how to create a long-lasting and meaningful brand. Other lessons include Branding Essentials for Designers, walking you through brand visuals, and fostering an environment for your creative process.
The fundamentals are irreplaceable, and through this course, Hainsworth guides you through all the fundamentals of brand design with an expert lens.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is branding?
Branding is the process of giving meaning to a specific organization through brand design and marketing to shape the public mindset of a particular organization, company or individual to improve the perception of their product, service, individual or organization.
What is product branding?
Product branding is the process of designing and marketing your product to help it stand out from competitors. The method of product branding can be all-encompassing, from the overall product design to specific branding like the packaging or labeling.
Are there any good courses for personal branding?
Personal branding is crucial when it comes to networking and getting opportunities. Personal Branding: Crafting Your Social Media Presence by Kate Erands is a great course for those looking to get started.
What is brand marketing?
Brand marketing is the process of promoting and improving the relationship of the brand with its users. While most branding in marketing relies on the products or services, brand marketing relies on the brand itself and the company's relationship with its consumers, the products, and the services, which is used as proof of quality.
Do branding courses help you get hired at marketing or design firms?
Yes. Although experience and education play the primary role in getting you hired, getting a certificate in branding can improve your chances and help you stand out among the candidates that apply.
What are some essential tools for brand design?
When it comes to brand design, some necessary tools to have would be Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator. Afterwards, a good color palette or color scheme that best represents the brand’s core values. You can check out some of the best color palettes here.
Which is the best course for learning personal branding?
Personal Branding: Crafting Your Social Media Presence - 4 Week Free Trial then $19/mo is one of the best courses to learn personal branding.
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Top 12 Best Free Branding Online Courses to Teach Yourself
All in all, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach to branding, and finding your business’ voice and banking on it to reach your market can be a challenging thing to do. With so much noise in consumerism today, it can be difficult to breeze through business and succeed the way household corporations do.
But with the right tools and resources, picking up what works for your business and building a community and culture that highlights what your enterprise is about shouldn’t seem like an impossible task.
If you’re determined to improve your branding efforts, you’re bound to find an online course on this list that speaks directly to you.