I Love Canva

Canva is one of my favorite tools. It’s easy to use, affordable, and accessible from anywhere. Since 2013, Canva has been steadily taking over design and creative spaces as it continues to expand its capabilities. Today, it supports millions of users, billions of designs, integrates with hundreds of apps, and puts limitless options at our fingertips. You no longer need to be a professional designer with a degree to create visually appealing graphics. For both personal and professional use, Canva has become the go-to tool.

We Got Lazy

Canva is for everyone (as it should be!). With billions of templates and recommendations, it can feel like you don’t need a designer. All the hard work has been done for you, just change a few colors, update your font, and you’re ready to go.

But here’s the problem: that same template you’re using has been used by hundreds of other people, across countless industries, and viewed by thousands of consumers. Somewhere along the way, your brand started to look just like every other brand out there.

That’s the price we pay for ease. We lose individuality and our voice in the marketplace.

Canva Templates Aren’t The Problem

It would be easy to look at a brand and say that branding is just the colors and fonts used, or that adding a logo to a design makes it branded. It might even seem like branding is easy. But branding isn’t just about fonts, colors, and logos, and it is definitely not easy. Branding is the perception of your brand. From voice, to look, to operations, every part creates a unique and desirable experience for your customer.

Templates aren’t the problem, but how we use them has become a problem. If your brand design offers nothing unique or interesting, how will people know that your company is something unique, desirable, or trustworthy? Templates are a great place to get assets for personal projects or inspire your next great design, but they are not the solution for branding your business.

leveraging canva

So if we’re not using templates, how should we use Canva?

1. Create Custom Templates
   Create your own, easy-to-access and deploy assets based on your branding
2. Collaborate With Designers
   Work with designers to create a brand suite and complete your branding kit
3. Get Inspired
   With thousands of templates, it is easy to get inspired and pull in new ideas to your template

What’s Next?

Canva is one of the best design tools we have! How you use it matters because your brand matters. Not sure how to use all the great tools in Canva? No problem! They provide in-depth tutorials about design, their platform, and even generative AI. Find their training program HERE.

Looking for someone to help you define your brand? I would love to help. Reach out on my Contact Page!