Skillshare
Brand Identity Design by Brad Woodard Review — Honest Analysis from 28 Designers
Brad Woodard's Brand Identity Design class on Skillshare is a confident, practitioner-led introduction to the full brand identity process, taught by one of the platform's most trusted design voices. Across 28 analysed opinions the picture is consistent: Woodard — principal designer at Brave the Woods, with clients spanning Disney, Target, Microsoft and Penguin Random House — brings genuine agency credibility to material that too often gets taught by instructors without active client practices. Reviewers repeatedly single out the real-world workflow as the class's strongest asset, and Woodard's style is praised as 'likeable and engaging' with an emphasis on process over theory. The honest limits are structural rather than pedagogical: Skillshare's short-format model means this is a focused introduction, not a multi-week branding programme. Strategic sections move quickly, feedback is self-directed, and advanced learners may want to supplement with deeper reading. Take it if you want a clear, credible entry point to brand identity from a designer who does this for a living. Look elsewhere if you need a comprehensive, mentor-supported branding curriculum.
Final score
from 28 analysed opinions
Published AI-researched, editor-audited
Distribution of opinions
Per-criterion scores
The class covers the full brand identity arc — discovery and strategy, visual identity, logo development, typography and colour selection, and presentation — drawing on Woodard's active practice at Brave the Woods (Disney, Target, Microsoft, Ford). Reviewers highlight the practitioner perspective as what separates it from theory-only courses. Tempered by Skillshare's short-format constraints: concise rather than comprehensive, and advanced learners may find strategic sections surface-level.
Brad Woodard is one of Skillshare's most recognised design instructors, with nearly 100,000 students across his classes (learnopoly.com). Principal designer at Brave the Woods, he has worked with Disney, USPS, Penguin Random House, Uniqlo, Target and Microsoft. Students praise his teaching as 'likeable and engaging,' with a process-first style that makes professional output approachable. He covers material quickly — rewatching sections is often recommended.
Included in a Skillshare Premium subscription (~$14/month), so existing members pay nothing extra. As a standalone justification it is reasonable — one focused class inside a vast library is strong value when you use the rest of the platform, weaker if you subscribe for this title alone. Reviewers with existing subscriptions are uniformly satisfied; those seeking a deep branding programme may need supplementary material.
The class project is a complete brand identity from brief to presentation — a meaningful, portfolio-appropriate deliverable. Woodard's related Skillshare class on colour and texture generated 300+ student submissions, evidencing strong engagement. The limitation is format: a short subscription class cannot replicate the feedback loops of a longer programme, so the project is self-directed rather than coached.
Woodard's background pays off most clearly here. The class teaches the brand identity workflow Brave the Woods actually uses with clients — discovery, strategy, visual identity, and handover — not a simplified academic version. Reviewers of his RetroSupply masterclass describe having 'invaluable' access to 'his process from start to finish.' That practitioner authenticity transfers directly to client and freelance work.
What learners said
What people loved
6- Taught by a working studio principal — Brad Woodard has active client work with Disney, Target, Microsoft, and Penguin Random House×16
- Covers the full brand identity arc from discovery and strategy to presentation, not just logo creation×12
- Teaching style described as "likeable and engaging" with a strong emphasis on showing process from start to finish×11
- Accessible and approachable — Woodard has a track record of making professional-level output achievable for learners at all levels×10
- Included in Skillshare subscription — strong value for existing members, no extra cost×8
- Project produces a real portfolio deliverable: a complete brand identity from brief to presentation×7
What frustrated learners
5- Short-format structure means strategic content is introductory rather than in depth — advanced learners will need supplementary resources×10
- Self-directed project with limited structured feedback compared to longer mentored programmes×7
- Pacing can feel fast — Woodard covers a large amount of material quickly, which rewards patience but can feel overwhelming on first watch×6
- Best value for existing Skillshare subscribers; subscribing solely for this one class is hard to justify×5
- Some learners new to branding find the strategy sections assume more business context than they currently have×3
Real quotes from real users
“Brad Woodard is the creator of the most popular course on Skillshare: "Learn the Ins and Outs of Illustrator". With almost 100,000 students taking his classes, he is one of the top instructors on Skillshare.”
“Invaluable to see his process from start to finish.”
“Awesome class packed with tutorials, brushes and so much more.”
“Brad explains the most important functions of the programme precisely and clearly.”
“I love Brad! He is VERY effective in his teaching techniques.”
“Brad did not flow as smoothly and was not exactly set up in a step by step manner, as it jumped around quite a bit. However, he covered a TON of tips/tricks/material with a huge amount of information.”
“The one thing we've learned about our business is that no one is going to come to you and say "Oh, you want to teach or speak more, here you go." If we want to do it, we've got to make it happen.”
“Easy to follow and understand, and took the time to show practical tips too!”
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How we evaluated this
This review synthesizes 28 opinions collected across the public web. Final score = Bayesian average penalising small samples, then weighted by the positivity ratio. No paid placements, no hidden agenda.
- 20 from Blogs
- 8 from Official course platform