⚠️⚠️ Canva’s prices are about to change!
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In the age of social media, we understand the importance of publishing regularly, and of having editable designs for effective reuse and optimal visual consistency.
At Alexem Studio, we use Canva to provide you with designs you can use and modify (’cause not everyone owns Adobe software, right? 😋 ).
What is Canva?
Canva is an online design and visual communication tool whose mission is to make design accessible to all. Whether you’re a business, a freelancer or an organization, Canva simplifies the creation of visual content by offering a multitude of features.
A guide to help you!
We’ve put together a short online guide to Canva! Whether you’re a beginner or already familiar with design tools, this guide gives you an overview of Canva’s main features to help you get started.
- Access your visual identity in Canva
- Find your designs and files
- Tip: Work without loss
- Organize and create your designs
- Export and download your designs
Step 1: Access your visual identity in Canva
From reception
To find your visual identity, click on “Brand” in the menu on the left of your screen.
Did you know that you can add multiple visual identities to this tab? For example, for those with several sub-brands and large projects to manage. It’s at this stage that you can add a new resource, using the “Add resources” button in the top right-hand corner.
Once you’ve clicked on the “Brand” tab, you’ll find a list of your visual identity(s).
Click on the visual identity of your choice to discover logos, colors, fonts, images, graphic elements and icons.
From a design
The “Brand” tab is located in the small menu bar on the far left of the screen.
By clicking on it, you can access the elements and add them directly to your creation.
Step 2: Find your designs and folders
To create a visual, there’s always the purple button in the top right-hand corner.
You’ll then have several format choices to browse.
You also have the “Custom dimensions” option in the bottom left-hand corner.
To find visuals already created, click on “Projects” in the menu on the left of your screen. Here you’ll find all available folders and designs.
You can add a visual or a folder using the grey “Add new items” button in the top right-hand corner, below the title box.
Tip: Work without loss
If you want to work on a design you’ve already created, we strongly advise you to “work losslessly”. In other words, before modifying a page, copy it and work within the copy. This way, nothing is lost, and if you need to go back to the old visual or refer to the template, you always have access to it.
You can copy an entire design by clicking on the small dots at the top of each design and selecting the “Duplicate” option.
You can also copy a single page within a design by clicking on “Duplicate page” in the top right-hand corner of the visual.
Step 3: Organize and create your designs
Once you’ve created your first design, it’s important to get the name right.
To rename your design, you have 3 options:
- Access the name via “File” in the top left-hand menu. The name is the first option you can modify by clicking on it or on the pencil next to it.
- Click directly on the name, in the top menu bar, in the center, next to the user icon.
- When you’re on the “Projects” page, you can also click directly on the name of the visual or on the pencil to change its title.
To access design elements, all options are available in the vertical menu on the left of the screen.
The options that most concern and interest us are :
- Elements: containing various shapes, picture frames, graphic elements, lines and more.
- Brand: contains all the elements of your visual identity (logos, colors, icons, etc.).
- Text: contains your downloaded fonts, offering easy access to your writing styles.
- Import: allows you to add images and/or other elements from your computer.
Almost all elements can be modified in terms of color, size and more. By clicking on the elements, you’ll find the options available in the gray toolbar at the top of your design.
Step 4: Export and download your designs
Once your design is complete and to your liking, to download it, click on the “Share” button in the top right-hand corner of the screen.
In this window, you’ll find several options, including the one you need to click on: “Download”. You can then choose the file type, format and pages. See below the video for our tips on export parameters.
Once you’ve set all the parameters, click on the purple “Download” button. And voilà, you’ve got a new visual to match! 🙌
File type
- JPG : ideal for photos and images with color gradations. Use jpg for small files, perfect for websites or medium-quality printing.
- PNG: perfect for images requiring transparency or high fidelity, such as logos or graphics. png supports transparency and doesn’t lose quality with each save.
- PDF: the best choice for documents that need to be shared or printed while retaining their layout and formatting, such as forms or brochures.
- MP4: a versatile video format with good compression, ideal for online broadcasting while maintaining high quality. Use mp4 for videos on platforms like YouTube or for multimedia presentations.
- GIF: well suited to small animations or images requiring few colors. GIF files are often used for simple illustrations or animations on websites.
The format
You can download it in a different format if required. We advise you to keep the format at 1, because if you decide to export in 2x larger format, the elements may lose their quality. It’s important to check your exports to avoid any problems.
Pages to use for downloading
You can choose one in particular, several different ones, or download them all in a compressed folder.
