Setting Up Canva

By Michelle

Tips for the Graphic Design Amateur

With the ever-present need for more content creation, anyone with a small business has found themselves in need of quick, effective design work. As a person without a design background, the best tool I've found for design is Canva.

​If you don't know what Canva is, it's basically MAGIC.

Yes, that's hyperbolic, but also kind of true (no, they are not a sponsor...yet?). Canva is a design platform with editable graphics for both online and printed marketing. Simply put, they provide the pretty imagery, the fonts that compliment each other, the array of color palettes to fit whatever you're putting out there, and you provide the specific details in an easy to edit format.

Graphic made in Canva!

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When you have zero design experience or don't trust your abilities

First of all, I hope that heading does not ring true to you. Trust your abilities. You are an amazing, hardworking human being, and you know how to get stuff done. Now, if you're feeling less than confident about creating social media or printed content, let me offer a few tips to help you get started with Canva. 

Step 1. Create an account on canva.com (so easy!)

Step 2. Select a subscription.

You can go with the basic subscription (FREE) or Canva Pro ($119.40 if paid annually or $12.99/month). If you are a non-profit, just submit proof of your nonprofit status and you can subscribe to Canva Pro for free.

Definitely start with the basic and play around with the free designs. If you like what's offered, stick with basic. Once you start to feel a little confident in editing their existing designs though, you might start to want Pro. The question becomes "what's more valuable to you right now: time or money?" It's a question that comes up a lot in life, and here's Canva throwing it at you again. Rude (but, still great, I swear). 

I started out with Basic and loved it. No issues. But then, I began needing really specific images to help promote a company whose programs had to pivot during Covid (normally images would be captured in-house, but due to county mandates, that was no longer possible). I would type what I needed into the Canva search bar and a ton of stock photos and/or graphic elements would appear. I would think to myself "Great! I'll have this done in 10 minutes with all these options!" Then every image I clicked on would end up being for Pro subscriptions only. Guess what? There is no filter option to show you only the free images/graphic elements.

Scroll and click, Pro only.

Scroll and click, Pro only.
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Scroll and click, Pro only.

As my design needs and ideas became more specific, I found myself spending WAY too much time scrolling for a free image that met my vision. 

At first I was annoyed at feeling the need to upgrade. But after using Canva for free for a year, my confidence in knowing what designs/graphics/imagery were most effective had grown. It felt like investing in Pro simply to know I could grab any element I felt would work was well worth it. I have saved so much time since switching to Pro. If you have specific needs and don't have a lot of time to invest in content design, Pro is most likely for you. If you are a coffee shop, don't switch to Pro. They have so many great pictures of coffee in Basic. It's like Canva is saying what we're all thinking..."Thank you for providing us with caffeine, here's free content." 

Step 3. Start designing.

Hooray, the fun part! No more existential questions about time vs. money! Let's make pretty things.

You will login and immediately be drawn to the design templates. Fight the urge to dive right into templates. Instead, click on the Brand Kit option on the left side bar and upload any and all versions of your logo, your company color palette, and any fonts used for your company's branding. This makes all of those elements readily available when editing an existing Canva template. And if you don't have a logo/color palette/font for your company...Hi, we're Elle Creative.

Template time! In the template dropdown menu you will find designs already sized perfectly for whatever online or printed marketing materials you may need. Click on what you're looking for and browse the templates or click on a blank option (it will still be sized correctly for the medium you have chosen) and do a search for templates/images/graphic elements that fit your needs. And then have fun playing around! Start by staying close to the provided Canva design, but as you feel more and more comfortable, don't be afraid to stray and put your own style into it! After all, you know your business better than anyone else.
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Happy designing! 

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As always if you have questions or comments, send us an email to hello at ellecreative dot online. ​