How to “Canva” …!

I’ve pretty much been a creative individual my entire life … from doodling as a child, to sketching and writing as a teen, to growing into adult-hood as an accomplished graphic designer. With that being said, there sure is no shortage of programs out there when it comes to creativity. My main favourites are all included in the Adobe Creative Suite. I have lived and breathed these programs for … well many, many years! Until recently that is.

About 6 months ago, I was looking for a new creative outlet. One that let me have my creative freedom but was easy to use on the fly. Especially when time was of the essence or my creativity was running dry (which is rarely ever but I have tired days just like everyone else). One of those creatively struggling days led me to Canva. I didn’t understand what all the hoopla was about until I signed up (free one-month trial by the way, just sayin’) and dug right in. Ohhhh… the ease of use and their magical resize button … I must admit I was in creative heaven.

Okay, I won’t leave you in suspense any longer! Here is the nitty-gritty on how to “Canva” …

For starters, Canva has an amazing feature of providing pre-sized templates for things such as social media graphics, invitations, eBook covers, letterhead, presentations and even dazzling up your resume with creative flare. With the sizing factors already taken care of that’s an ease in the design process on its own. No more having to worry about Facebook (just an example – not a shot) changing its cover image size or Pinterest changing its post size. Phew! One less thing to worry about! Yay to being back to stress-free!

Staying on the topic of templated sizes, once your design is built and you are ready to launch it into the world, Canva has this amazing feature (like truly irresistibly amazing) called “Abracadabra Resize”. And yes, it is as wonderful as it sounds! So, say for instance you created a new business card and you want to showcase it as a new post on one of your social media channels. Well guess what?! While your business card file is open, you can click the “Resize” dropdown to find an amazing list of options to resize to. Check off the one(s) you are wanting the file resized to then go down to the bottom and click that magical green “Abracadabra button”. And its truly an abracadabra moment because your file has been resized to spec! No joke! Now keep in mind you will have to do some fiddling around with the layout to make the adjustments look seamless, but “yes” it is that simple.

Now when it comes to actually being creative (after you have chosen your templated size) there are only a zillion other options to choose from and have fun with. Things like choosing a predesigned layout to fool around with by changing font styles, colours, images and icons. The same as you would in any other traditional design program. Or perhaps you are using Canva in replacement of one of your traditional programs by starting with a blank page. Let’s say, for example, you are starting with that blank page … if you click on the “Elements” tab on the left of your screen an array of options will come up like items such as free photos, grids, frames, illustrations, charts and so on. There are 24 under this tab to be exact. You can now go into each one and explore a whole other layer of design aspects to add to your design. In most cases all the elements are free which is nice and easy on your credit card but if you are looking for something specific there are paid options available. If you look just past the “free” section of photos within the list then next set start at only $1.00. Canva truly is thinking of us … so cheap and an amazing opportunity. Or perhaps you are truly good at stock photo hunting online or have a subscription to one of those delicious sites, there is an option under “Uploads” for you to upload your own choices. And this is not limited to just stock photos. You can even upload your logo! Can’t get any better than customizable options all around!

Speaking of customized options … Canva is truly great about keeping it real with your own brand and team. There are side bar options for you to create folders to keep yourself organized, perhaps have your brand and your client’s brands separate as well as an option to share with your team and have them share with you. A collaboration for team work all on its own. You can now say goodbye to sharing huge design files via email or Dropbox and share in Canva. Ohhh … ease of teamwork! Such a timesaver!

I know this information is exceptionally exciting and I have honestly only skimmed the surface of what Canva can truly do but I want to give you the opportunity to dig in on your own … experiment, play and have fun finding a new level of staying creative just as I did!

Lastly, if you are an avid Canva user, or perhaps a new one and are excited to share some of your creative talent, please feel free to share them in the comments section. I would absolutely love to see what everyone’s been up to!