That’s okay, you can learn how to use Canva for free and sample lots of their features.
WHAT IS CANVA?
I’m super-juiced you asked! Canva is a design tool for the non-techy, non-designer, all-everything-else business owner whose budget can often be explained by a three-letter acronym: DIY. So yeah, consider this Canva Guide your latest gift from me, Socially Nina, your fairy-digital Pink Boss!
If you can click, click, click… double-click… drag and drop…
right click… you can use this Canva tutorial.
Yeah, it’s that easy. Super-duper easy, trust me. Awesome yet simple — and quick — graphics are minutes away, thanks to this online design tool.
Canva has lots of images, templates, and graphics, and they’re great for inspiration. All you have to do is select a design and replace it with your own colors, text or images.
Ready for some design magic?
WHY CANVA?
Canva is a perfect digital tool for beginners and novices. If you spend just 15 minutes a week playing around with Canva and learning from this Canva Guide, you will be in a position to get your business looking right.
Canva that lays everything out for you: the fonts, the colors, the shapes, the images where they need to be, all in a template created by experienced designers. More than a million photographs, graphics and fonts.
Utilize the design templates to quickly customize graphics to suit your branding needs.
BUT WHAT ABOUT…?
I know what you’re thinking. And the answer is: no, you don’t need Adobe Illustrator. It’s not for you.
Yes, Adobe Illustrator is a superior design product; in the hands of a professional graphic designer. Meanwhile, you’re a small business owner, looking to save a few bucks on graphic design until the time comes (and the budget) to hire a pro. You don’t have months, years to master graphic design. After all, this is just one of a gaziillion DIY projects you’re taking on in your solopreneurship.
That’s why Canva, and it’s simplicity, is best, and this Canva Guide is your gateway to start designing. After all, it’s better to master 100 percent of Canva’s capabilities than 15 percent of Adobe Illustrator.
Besides, don’t you have a conference to speak at later this month? And don’t they need your social media banners like yesterday?
Message from Fairy-Digital Pink Boss: “Here you go hun. I know you were struggling with designs — and you didn’t want to spend those extra coins on a designer — so use this. Thank me later.”
Benefits of Canva
- Pre-sized social media images.
- Designer templates get your graphics started.
- Lots of size and shape options.
- Search for stock images and pay a small fee to use – or use the free stuff.
- Save your images to edit or download later.
- Easy to make multiple, similar graphics from a template.
Sound useful? Check out this beginner’s guide on how to use Canva!
Disclosure: If you make a purchase after clicking links in this article, I may make a referral fee, at no cost to you.
How to Use Canva Step by Step
Let’s start with something simple. How about a quote graphic?
Step 1: Select Size and Shape
Head over to Canva.com. If it’s your first time, you’ll have to set up an account.
Click the ‘create a design’ button in the top right corner.
You can pick from ‘custom dimensions’ or a range of pre-selected sizes. Canva makes it easy to start your design by including templates for the optimal sizes on many social media platforms.
We’ll grab an Instagram post for this example.
You can also select things like a Pinterest image, a Twitter post, a Facebook post, or more.
Step 2: Set your Background
With the blank canvas in front of us, let’s choose a background.
You can pick a plain color or pattern. There are abstract images and even photos to choose from.
You could also select a photo and add this to the background. This includes photos you upload.
Textures like this gradient one are fun. We’ll use this one.
Step 3: Add Your Text
Go to ‘text’ on the left-hand menu and there are options to choose a simple text box. Or some font combinations and effects.
Choose a font combination idea to start with. Type in the quote you want to use.
Select the one you want and then use the round dots in each corner to make it bigger
Little purple lines will appear to help you get it in the center.
Step 4: Add Your Name or URL
To add your URL or blog name to the graphic, select a text box and move it to the bottom.
You can change the size and also match up the fonts with the ones used. Just select the font menu or the size menu along the top.
Step 5: Finish and Save
Give your quote a name so you can spot the file on the computer. It will default to the words on the screen or sometimes ‘untitled’.
Then use the ‘download’ button to download it. Select your favorite format.
Your quote is ready to use!
Using Canva Templates to Make Designs in a Flash
While designing from scratch is simple, as a Canva beginner, templates are crucial.
As you learn to use Canva, you may find you don’t need them.
But if you are making a lot of fresh pins for Pinterest or regular Instagram content, they’re a big help.
There are two main options for templates. Canva provides a whole range inside the app. Or you can buy high-quality third-party templates and upload them.
One of my favorites comes from Simple Pin Media. Kate Ahl and her Simple Pin Media team have served hundreds of Pinterest accounts, so they really know what works.
And now you can get their pro designer Tina’s templates to customize for way less than it costs to hire a pro! Check out Simple Pin’s Canva templates now.
Disclosure: If you purchase, I may receive a referral fee at no cost to you.
You can also see loads of templates in Canva.
You do need to personalize them though as LOTS of people are using them!
But they’re a good starting point if you’re stuck.
Here’s a short video showing how to create a flyer in Canva.
Step Three – Choose Background Color
Choose your background color by clicking “background.”
I chose the light color gradient background.
Step Four – Add Text
Add your text to your Canva graphic. You can choose from premade font combinations, or if you have a branding font, you add it to Canva, and it will show under your business name like mine does in this image.
Choose which font you would like to use by clicking on the font. It will then add it to your canvas. I chose the “Merry Christmas” premade font.
You will see lines appear after you add your font to your blank canvas. Start typing your own text into the blue box. You can drag the outside of your text box (the blue lines) to make your graphic bigger or smaller by placing your cursor over one of the edge markers (dot and horizontal line).
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You can click on your box and purple lines will appear. These purple lines are to help you center your text.
Next, add your URL to the bottom of the graphic by following the above step. I simply chose a smaller front.
Step 5 – Saving Your Project
Before clicking the download button to save, make sure you change your file name at the top (next to SHARE) using keywords. Finish and save by clicking the Download button. I always choose “JPEG.” PNG images can slow down your website and take too long to load. Then click the Download button at the bottom. This will save it to your device.
Once you get the hang of it, you can create your very own premade templates. That way, all you have to do is change your text, image, and colors. This is very handy when having to create fresh pins for Pinterest.
You can also purchase premade Canva templates and download them straight to your Canva account for those of you who do not want to spend the time creating your own graphics.
I have premade templates that are easy to customize, and you can use them with the free version of Canva. Get yours HERE.
I hope this tutorial, How To Use Canva For Beginners, encourages you to take a look at Canva and give it a go! If you are starting out and would like to test drive Canva, you can do so for free. Then, once you are comfortable, you can upgrade your Canva package. This will include millions of images, allow you to add team members, and so much more! What are your thoughts on Canva? Do you currently use Canva? Comment and let me know!
