When it comes to visual content, a lot of us feel the same way. We know we’re not graphic designers, but we’d all love to be able to create high-quality images for our brand without having to: (a) spend a ton of money, and, (b) spend days learning how to use photo editing software. Introducing … Canva!
A free to use, online editing tool that allows you to create fun, on-brand media for your business.
Sounds amazing, right?! It is.
Are there any catches? There are not.
To explain this incredible online tool to you further, I’ve listed my top 5 reasons for loving Canva below. Have a scroll through them & learn why you should sign up for a Canva account today!
1. It’s easy & fun
The great thing about Canva is that everything is really user-friendly! From signing up & navigating the homepage, to the creative process & finally downloading your finished image.
This means – thank god – that none of us needs any previous experience creating artwork on graphic design programs. You simply need a bit of creative flair, and the ability to drag, drop, & click on your desktop or laptop.
For any of you who might still feel a bit hesitant about the whole thing, Canva is there to help you along the way – with pop-up hints & tips to make sure you get the most out of your design.
The entire Canva experience is simply awesome, and it makes creating artwork for your business/brand fun, quick, & easy – meaning that it’s also an absolute life-saver when it comes to saving you time in your busy day!
2. Designs & Templates
Let’s Get Designing…
Another reason I love Canva is because of its extensive selection of designs. Which offer business-savvy options, including: brochures, gift certificates, & posters. Giving you the power to create high-quality promotional content for your business within minutes!
But wait, it gets better.
In addition to these options, Canva has also acknowledged the difficulties we all face trying to ensure our images adhere to the many different social media file sizes.
Because of this, Canva’s designs also include up-to-date offerings for the likes of: Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, Google, Etsy, YouTube, LinkedIn & many more! Covering all aspects of these platforms – from cover images, to posts, to event banners – all at the click of a button!
Time For Templates
Once you’ve selected your design, Canva then offers to do a lot of the leg work for you! Presenting you with – literally – thousands of free-to-use templates for your images.
If you have a specific theme in mind for your content, then there’s even a search bar that lets you whittle down the options until you find precisely what you’re looking for!
I’d definitely recommend this feature – even if it’s just to get a ton of inspiration for your design! But don’t forget that you need to add your own brand colours, brand voice, and brand fonts to your artwork so that it sits in line with the rest of your brand content.
If you feel uneasy about using pre-made templates, then there’s always the option to start with (quite literally) a blank canvas, and build your artwork from there.
3. Free stuff!
A lot of the time when people say that things are ‘free’, there’s a moment of hesitation before the question rears it’s ugly head: “What’s the catch?”
In this case, there really isn’t a catch at all!
Canva genuinely provides tons of free photos, graphics, illustrations, icons, text options, templates, & background designs for you to choose from.
Admittedly, there are options amongst these for items that will cost you $1 each. But, quite frankly, even in our economic climate these prices won’t leave you hmmm-ing and hah-ing as to whether you should invest or not!
Something to consider…
Something to bear in mind is that these free options will be used by thousands of other company’s for their own content creation. So try to personalise the features as much as possible so that they sit in line with your brand.
Another way of using Canva’s free features but standing out from the crowd is to get creative! See how you can create unique visuals from their range of shapes and illustrations that no one else will have thought to use. It’s all about experimenting!
4. Editing options
When it comes to creating your work, something I love about Canva is its amazing range of editing options! As these not only give you the capability of personalising your artwork, they also allow you to get creative with Canva’s elements so that you can make your content stand out from the crowd.
Text options
When it comes to altering text, Canva not only supplies you with tons of fonts to choose from. But it also allows you to change the spacing between lines, and between letters. Meaning that you can choose an artistic free-hand font, whilst still making sure it’s readable for your audience.
Canva also allows you to change the colour of your font and gives you the option of making it any size you need – depending on its placement on your design.
Image editing
Editing photos couldn’t be easier on Canva! The tool allows you to crop your images on the page, and lets you alter how the image looks with its selection of filters.
So that you can edit elements in your design further, Canva also has a ‘Positioning’ tool that lets you decide precisely where you want certain features to sit on the page.
You’re also given the option of altering the transparency of elements in your design so that you can give certain things (such as your text) greater visibility on the page.
5. Pricing
As mentioned previously, Canva is a free-to-use online tool. However, there are options for paid upgrades or alternatives for you to use.
I really don’t see a problem with this structure. The free option for the site still offers you the entire range of designs and a list of templates longer than anyone can possibly count. There are also tons of free images to choose from for your designs, as well as all of the other features I’ve mentioned.
So, why choose to pay?
To put it simply, it’s better for business. Not only is there the option to create a ‘Brand Kit’ for your designs, but you’re also able to organise & share your designs with anyone you choose. Meaning that your work can become collaborative – an awesome feature for anyone who struggles to get the relevant people together!
What’s more, the paid-for version of Canva also gives you some bonus editing options – like resizing groups of elements together – making the process of creating artwork that bit easier.
It also gives you more of what you already have (400,000 more free templates, photos, and illustrations to be exact). Giving you and your brand the opportunity to make your mark and look that bit better than your competitors.
How do I choose?
If I’m being honest, it entirely depends on what you plan to use Canva for. If there’s only 1 of you in your business, & you don’t plan on using the tool for designing logos or sharing files, then there’s the chance that you simply don’t need the extra features.
I’d recommend trying out the free version first before diving into any pot of money you might have. If you find that it’s too restrictive for you and what you want to do, start off with a month of the paid version and go from there.
There’s a very little risk either way, so please don’t be put off from giving it a go!
