Canva: Great Design, Less Effort

There are a lot of free design tools out there, but I am sure you don’t have the time to check them all to see which one works best. I have used a few of them, so I will share one that you won’t go wrong using and save you time exploring the long list of alternatives. 

What is Canva?

Canva is one of the popular design platforms out there. It allows users to create designs for absolutely anything, from logos, social media posts, ads, prints, documents, etc. This article will give you reasons why you should be using it.

Features and Benefits

Let’s take a look at some of Canva’s features and see their benefits:

• Interface – Canva has an intuitive interface. It has a menu at the top where you can access the design and templates, features, learning tools, and other things. You can also search the site using the search bar, whether you are looking for a specific design or a template.
• Editing – Canva contains many templates, shapes, and images. You don’t have to start from scratch when you design on the platform. You can start with a template, which can be specific to the platform you want to use your design, Facebook, Pinterest, Youtube, etc. You can change the color of any object in your design. You can adjust the color of your images to your liking as well. You can also use the available elements and make changes to those elements.
• Animations – Animated designs work better than static ones, especially for advertising purposes. Canva allows you to use premade animations. These animations can be part of the template already, which you can view using the Play symbol in the design. If you don’t want the premade animations, you can create your own animation style. You can use the Animate option in the menu to animate any design aspect. There are categories of options that you can choose from. Even with the free options, there are already plenty of choices.
• Elements – Even if Canva is not a graphic design software, you can add audio and videos to your design, greatly enhancing the quality. It makes your design stand out on social media platforms.
• Branding Kit – If you use your designs for your business or your clients’ business, the brand kit feature in Canva will be handy for you. It allows you to stay on brand in all your designs by setting your brand fonts, colors, logos, and templates. Your brand kit is easily accessible and ready to use in the design area.
• Content Planner – If you want to use your design in your social media marketing, the content planner feature will simplify it for you. You won’t need to download your designs from Canva and post them on your social media profile. Instead, you can schedule it using Canva itself. Content planner allows you to schedule posts to Facebook groups and pages, Instagram business accounts, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, etc. 
• Mobile Application – Canva allows you to edit your designs from your mobile phone. That adds flexibility to your project.

Disadvantages and Limitations

Now, let’s look at the disadvantages and limitations of Canva.

• Subscription for the great features – The free subscription already contains enough for basic users. However, if you are a heavy designer and want more options, you will need a subscription, which allows you to access all the templates, branding kit, and content planner. You may be able to get the subscription for free if you are a teacher or a non-profit organization.
• Source file not available – the designs you make are editable only on Canva. However, it should be a big problem if you are a typical user. 
• Internal storage only – Canva is not integrated with storage platforms like Google Drive, Onedrive, etc. Depending on your requirement, it may not matter.
• Mobile App Capability – As is often the case, the mobile application has fewer features than the web version.

Recommendation

Canva is a great online tool that makes designing simpler for everyone. It is best suited for those doing internet marketing, social media management, blogging, or anyone needing basic designs. However, it is not a primary tool for professional designers as it is not really a graphic design software.

There is no risk in trying it to see if it fits your needs. The free version may already be sufficient for your needs. However, Canva offers a 30-day trial for its pro-version. It is worth taking since it can give you enough time to test its capabilities thoroughly before deciding to get the subscription.

You can get your Canva account here.