As an entrepreneur, there are a lot of creative elements needed to bring your brand’s look and feel to life. Logos, fonts, colors, messaging, imagery… we could go on, but we don’t want to be here for hours.
But one of the most crucial parts of your brand’s visual identity? Graphics. If you don’t happen to be a designer (like most other business owners), these can quickly become the bane of your existence.
Enter: Canva. A free and intuitive tool that lets non-designers design anything they want. Which, for business owners who can’t shell out the cash for a professional designer, is no less than a miracle.
However (and this is a big however), your graphics still need to look like they were designed by a professional. So, how do you do that, exactly? With these six tips for do-it-yourself Canva graphics, of course!
1. Start with a template
First thing’s first, there is no shame in starting with an already-designed template. In fact, it’s way better than starting with a blank screen — especially if you’re not a designer. That’s because high-quality templates are typically created by designers who really know their stuff.
On top of that, though, templates are one of the best go-to solutions for DIY graphics because:
- They help create a professional look and feel
- They save you tons of time that you would rather spend growing your business (or relaxing for a change because you deserve it!)
- They are virtually 100% fool-proof — all you have to do is add your own elements
- They can actually help grow your business
But if you’re still struggling to find templates that fit your brand’s look and feel, try checking out the 1,500+ templates we have at Styled Stock Society, like:
- Instagram templates (for posts and stories)
- Pinterest graphics
- E-books
- Online courses
- Digital guides
- Webinars + presentations
- Pricing guides
- Client pitches
- Media kits
- And much more
(Psst! All of these templates are free for Styled Stock Society members!)
Remember: Using templates doesn’t mean your graphics will look the same as everyone else’s. That’s because Canva lets you customize them! Speaking of…
2. Customize your brand fonts
One of the quickest ways to make your Canva graphics truly represent your biz is by adding your personal brand elements to it. First up: Fonts!
Whenever you add your own text to a template or graphic, make sure to switch it to your brand’s unique fonts. If you have different fonts for your headers, body copy, calls-to-action (CTAs), and more, be sure to stick to your style guidelines in your graphics, too.
Pro tip: With Canva Pro, you save even more time by uploading your fonts and logos to a Brand Kit. That way, you don’t have to change your fonts out every time manually — they’re already preloaded for you!
3. Make sure your text is easy to read
Once you’ve added your brand fonts, you want to make sure they’re easy to read. If you’re trying to say a lot in such a little space, it can quickly become way too much. Here are some things to keep in mind to make sure your graphics (and fonts) are readable:
- Make sure your fonts are actually big enough to read
- Less is more — try to minimize the amount of text on one graphic
- Leave room for whitespace (another reason why templates are great!)
- Format your text in a way that makes it easier to scan
- Use script fonts sparingly
4. Customize with your brand colors
Another way to make Canva graphics unique to your brand? Your color palette, of course! Background colors, icons, calls-to-action — these can all be updated in Canva with your brand’s unique colors.
Also make sure you stay away from colored text on colored backgrounds. If you have darker backgrounds, use white text. If you have lighter backgrounds, use black text. Your graphics will not only be easier to read, but they’ll be accessible for those who have vision impairments. If you’re still not sure if your text will be readable and accessible, do a quick check with this web accessibility tool to double-check your colors.
Another pro tip: Remember the Brand Kit we mentioned above with Canva Pro? You can also add your brand colors to it, making it that much easier to customize your graphics with your brand colors. Check out the video below to see how you can do it in just one click!
5. Add some on-brand imagery
If your Canva templates and graphics have images, make sure you swap those out with ones that fit your overall brand and the content. If you already have branded photography, great! If you don’t, we’ve totally got you covered with thousands of gorgeous stock photos (we’re talking 6,000+ images) that are anything but stock-looking.
We have countless collections ranging from professional and entrepreneurial to outdoorsy or bookish. Any of our photos can be used for any graphic for your chosen content topic. Wanna see for yourself? Check out all of our collection previews or become a member to start downloading them ASAP!
6. Save multiple sizes for different platforms
Nothing’s worse than finishing a graphic, getting ready to share it, then realizing you need to resize it dozens of times for each platform. Okay, dozens of times might be an exaggeration, but that’s definitely what it feels like sometimes.
So, to prevent this headache ahead of time, make sure you save the same graphic in all the different sizes you need in Canva. That way, you can avoid resizing mishaps that can compromise the quality of your graphic (like stretching it, shrinking it, making it blurry, etc.).
To save yourself even more time, Canva Pro makes it super easy to resize graphics with just one click — check it out below!
Ready to create branded (and beautiful) Canva graphics? Become a Styled Stock Society member today!
We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: We’re all about working smarter, not harder. For entrepreneurs, that means using amazing tools and resources (like Canva) to make your job that much easier.
Another way to do just that? Join the Styled Stock Society! As a member, you’ll get instant access to thousands of Canva templates and stock photos to create gorgeous graphics without shelling out tons of time and money. Of course, those aren’t the only perks of being a member. You’ll also get:
- Monthly caption guides with prompts, templates, and sample captions for every day of the year
- 100+ done-for-you Instagram graphics professionally designed just for Styled Stock Society members (and hundreds of others for any other platform!)
- Stock video clips, content planning worksheets, and more bonus resources added throughout the year
- Marketing toolkits to help you create webinars, challenges, and more!
Ready to get started? Become a member of Styled Stock Society now!
