Canva is an amazing content creation tool website that was launched in 2012. It is great for beginners and used by professionals too. You can use Canva for web and print media design and graphics; for example, you can make a Facebook cover photo or design an event flyer that you intend to print. There are virtually endless possibilities when you use Canva. Do you need to create social media posts for your business or personal blog? Do you need to make flyers, info-graphics, and other graphics? The fact that there is so much you can design on one site is very helpful, especially since Canva saves everything on your account.
In the fall of 2016, I began using Canva as the Vice President of Public Relations & Marketing for my university’s Student Activities Board. I had heard about it in a business writing course I took the previous school year, but I didn’t have a need to use it until I accepted that leadership role with SAB. I experimented with Canva during the summer that way I would feel prepared once the school year started; I was very amazed by all of the features Canva offered, and it’s been incredibly helpful to me ever since. After I graduated from college, I continued to use Canva in my first job with a local nonprofit. My previous experience helped me transition very well into designing web and print materials for the nonprofit.
By now, maybe you’re wondering if Canva could be a good fit for you to use for your business or your personal blog. Below I have shared some of the amazing aspects of Canva that I appreciate, which might help you decide.
1. Canva is incredibly user friendly. It might seem a little daunting at first, especially if you haven’t used something like Canva before, but trust me: it won’t take long before you feel like you’ve mastered it.
2. Canva provides a variety of upgrades, which could be free to you. If you run, or work for, a 501(c)3 nonprofit, then chances are you can get an upgraded form of Canva for free. The application process is simple; there are other options to upgrade, and you can check them out once you make an account. Canva does offer a 30 day free trial of their upgraded version. I used Canva all the time when I worked with the Kentucky Interpreter and Translator Association, and it was one of the best tools that I used with my job.
3. Canva has lots of features, templates, and photos you can use. The free version offers lots of great options, but you can get more if you upgrade. From documents to social media posts to marketing materials and events, you can use Canva in a variety of ways. I’ve used it to design social media posts and headers as well as event flyers for KITA or SAB. In addition, I have used Canva to design my own resume and invitations for family members’ events.
4. Canva has an app that you can use on the go! I prefer using my laptop when I use Canva because I can edit documents or social media posts better. The screen is larger on my laptop, so I can view the designs better; plus, I feel like it’s harder for me to move text or elements on my smart phone and adjust dimensions or spacing. I have used the Canva app before, and it was great when I was signing something very simple and quickly. Ultimately, it’s a preference and only you will know what works best for you.
5. Canva saves all of your designs and also lets you create a team to share your designs with other users. If your project needs to be shared with other members of your business or organization, then I really recommend using Canva. All of the members on your team will need a Canva account, or you can share the login information for your business’s account. You can add what designs you want to be saved in your team folder and other members of your team can view or edit the project on the go from their own computer or phone.
I recommend making a free account and testing Canva’s features. The only way you can really know if it will work for your needs is by experimenting with it, so I encourage spending a decent amount of time just trying it out. If it really isn’t what you need, or what you’re looking for, then that’s all right because there are tons of tools and apps that you can try. While Canva has worked exceptionally well for me, but it might not work for everyone based on their specific needs; I think it’s an excellent tool for basic content creation needs, but I think it is important to emphasize that Canva is not widely considered to be a graphic design tool like Adobe tools. To get a preview of designs Canva can help you make, view some of the designs in my portfolio.
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