Canva has been helpful to freelancers when it comes to crafting designs instantly without Adobe tools knowledge. But, how can you design better with Canva if you’re a stranger in graphic design? Using Canva doesn’t mean you are knowledgeable and expert with graphics design. With the best Canva templates, it enables anyone to create a good design fast. In addition, Canva provides many templates to change colors, fonts, add or remove elements, and so much more. And, if you want to design something that looks good, these four tips will surely help you!
4 Tips to Design Better with Canva
1. Choose the correct design dimensions
On the Canva homepage, choose the design type you’d like to work with. There are specific dimensions set for each graphic type. There are two ways to get started, no matter what kind of design you need, whether a social media post, flyer, or anything else. First, you will choose from the available pre-made templates. Another way to start a blank design is to create by selecting a custom size and then inputting the size of your design.
2. Choose a background
Your design’s background can be anything. It can be an image, or it can also be a pattern or a color. And suppose you like to use color combinations. In that case, a color palette tool will suggest fantastic color combinations to make your design great. However, if you want to use a white background, you can also do that. To change your background color, click the Color Picker tool in the toolbar at the top of the editor. Then, type the hex number of the color you want or merely choose by clicking the color. And if you want to use an image as your background, you will first add a grid from the elements. Then, upload a photo that you like or choose from the stock photos. On top of that, you can add filters to change the photo’s brightness, saturation, and clarity. These really help, especially when your are layering text and elements.
3. Add your elements
Elements make your design more appealing. You can use text, photos, icons, or illustrations in your design. But, always remember to use these elements to make your design nice and not miscommunicate the meaning of the design.
“Consider the balance and composition of all the elements in the design. When you’re laying out your elements, ask, are the elements balanced? Are they centered? And ensure they’re not too close to other elements or the edge of the page.”
Canva graphic designer Lynneal Santos shares this tip. She suggests always keeping your design simple and don’t overload it with so many elements. As a result, your design will not confuse the visual message of the image. Designers refer to this as a visual hierarchy. This involves the order of elements according to their importance. For you to see what works best, experiment with the size, color, and placement. Consider using Canva’s frames to insert a photo into your design. You’ll find them under “Elements” on the sidebar. Utilize negative space to your advantage. Alternatively known as white space, negative space is any part of a design free from text, images, or embellishments. It helps create groupings, adds accents, and improves legibility, so designers adore it.
4. Choose the right fonts
The look of your fonts can have a significant impact on your design. Choosing one font is hard enough. You may need to use a combination of fonts. But, never use more than two fonts in a design. This is because too many fonts tend to make a design look messy. Also, you want to choose complementary fonts, which add visual interest while working well together. There are hundreds of pre-set font combinations available in Canva. Click on the Text tab in the sidebar to find them. Or you can create your own combination. Again, simplicity is best: if you choose an elaborate font, ensure you pair it with a simpler font to balance your design. Canva’s Font Combination tool can help. Typographic hierarchy establishes the order of importance given to different design elements. By applying different fonts, colors, and scales to your text, you can dramatically change the message of your design. I hope these four tips will help you design better with Canva. Canva has been playing an essential role in our freelancing careers. Free accounts are available, but premium accounts offer more benefits. Check out Surge Youtube for more freelancing tips and guides.
