It's funny - I never thought that as a designer I would almost exclusively be using Canva for my designs. I still use the Adobe Suite for some things, but my everyday design tasks are all in Canva. And I love it!
I started out creating templates in Illustrator and InDesign, but the problem I found was that unless you've been trained in those programs, or have a lot of time to figure them out, they really aren't user-friendly at all. The goal of my business is to help entrepreneurs save time with templates, and I felt like I was doing the opposite when I was offering my designs in Illustrator.
Enter Canva. I started using it on a whim to create some Instagram templates, and quickly found out how powerful of a tool it is. I'm constantly impressed by it, and as I said above, almost exclusively use it for all my designs needs. My template are now only available in Canva!
Today, I wanted to share with you why I think it's such a powerful tool for your business. Incase you're on the fence about using it or worried about the learning curve (spoiler alert: there basically isn't one), I'm hoping this post eases your mind and gets you excited to dig into Canva.
1. The design freedom in Canva isn't like any other
If you're a designer, you don't want anything holding you back when you've sat down to create a design - especially not the program you're using to design. It still shocks me how amazing Canva is when it comes to design - I can easily do almost everything I did in Illustrator or Indesig, but in a much simpler way! I can create my own elements, add any photos I like, and start with a blank layout. There are tons of fonts available, but you can upload any ones you'd like as well! And of course, you can find any color you're looking for.
2. There's basically no learning curve in Canva
You read that right! There really isn't a learning curve in Canva - it is SO simple to use. You can choose to learn to do things from scratch if that's your thing, but if you're looking to start with a template, the work is done for you! You can just simply add in your own text, change colors and fonts and you're ready to go. Seriously, you can create 10 Instagram posts in five minutes or less.
3. Canva is free!
Adobe Suite costs upwards of $50/month and that's just not feasible for some people. Canva can be used totally free - but keep in mind that if you'd like access to pro templates, elements, photos, fonts and more, you can become a Canva Pro user for $10/month. Which in comparison, isn't bad at all! But if you don't want to pay anything at all, you can be super successful in Canva for free!
4. There are beautiful templates available in Canva
The designers over at Canva offer many templates for you to use for free - but recently, Canva has partnered up with individual designers to create beautiful, pro templates that you have complete access to as a Canva Pro user. There are thousands and thousands to choose from - instagram templates, story templates, presentation templates, and more!
You can check at my Canva profile here - all free if you're a Canva Pro user!
5. Designer Canva templates are available for purchase!
Though there are many templates you can use for free inside Canva, you might not find everything you need. Luckily, you can purchase templates created by designers for all of your entrepreneurial needs. That's actually exactly what I sell - check everything out here! You'll find branding templates - like brand boards and pre-made logos, business templates - like client welcome packets and presentation templates, instagram and instagram story templates, and also website templates (not created in Canva).
And there you have it! That's my top 5 reasons why you should use Canva for your business. It truly is an amazing tool - it completely changed my business, and I know with my Canva templates, I've helped simplify a lot of other businesses. You definitely don't have to spend hours creating graphics or learning Illustrator to create great branding for your business - just u
This is a great program! But there is one minus in it, that images can not be saved in more than 5-6 formats. Of course you can use different online RAF converter to change the format, but it would be cool if it was a built-in feature.
Maybe I should write a letter to the developers about this?