Canva, A Must-Have Tool for Bloggers
Blogging

Canva, A Must-Have Tool for Bloggers

Canva is one of the most amazing discoveries that I found online.

A Facebook friend recommended the use of this app in June 2017 but I didn’t give it much attention because I don’t know what to use it for aside from making a resume. When I returned and became active with Bitlanders, I found out that I could use it to create graphics for my blog.

I started experimenting with the different templates available on the site. Slowly, I learned how to create graphics and other designs which I used for my social media engagement. I am currently using this app for almost all of my blog graphics designs.

How I Figured Out the Idea of Having a Uniform Blog Graphics

Prior to this discovery, I had encountered difficulties in setting up the featured image. I just couldn’t figure out which image will appear on the preview. It took me some time to discover that vertical images will tend to appear as a preview image or the image which was uploaded last in case all the images used were horizontal. When I visited my Pinterest account, I saw that almost all of the images are vertical. That was when I checked on my Canva and learned how to create blog graphics. It was a great accomplishment when I saw uniform blog graphics in my Bitlanders’ account.

You will be amazed by the wide selection of designs available at your fingertips. Designing can never be this fun and easy with Canva!

What Is Canva?

Canva is a graphic-design tool website, founded in 2012. It uses a drag-and-drop format and provides access to over a million photographs, graphics, and fonts. It is used by non-designers as well as professionals. The tools can be used for both web and print media design and graphics. Source

One of the things I like most about this app is the fact that even if I am using the free version, I could say, that I am satisfied with the outcome every time. I don’t have any prior knowledge in photoshop or any design app but I found Canva so easy to use. The drag and drop feature makes it easy to do the project with a great result.

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Canva Features

  • Free members are given access to 2 folders that we can use to organize our designs.
  • We have access to 1GB storage for photos and assets
  • Members have the access to ver 8,000 templates
  • We can upload our own photos
  • We can also purchase unique photos for our projects starting $1.00

On the other hand, Canva for Work offers much greater benefits.

One of the good things about Canva is the availability of templates which can be utilized for a variety of uses.

Templates For Our Project Designs

We can customize the dimension or we can use the ready-made templates. The easy-to-use templates are using standard sizes for the social media sites we intend to use our projects. No need to make guesses on the sizes we need to use. Everything is set and we can only pick-up the template and make some adjustments and we’re ready to go.

Social Media Posts

Whether we need to use the post for marketing purposes or for personal use, we can rely on the ready-made templates. Twitter Posts (1024 px x 512 px), Pinterest Graphics (735 px x 1102 px), Facebook Post (940 px x 788 px), Facebook App (810 px x 450 px), Tumblr Graphic (540 px x 810 px), Instagram Post (1080 px x 1080 px).

Documents

Create an attention-grabbing resume, awesome presentations, invitations and other documents which you could download and print. Canva has a variety of designs to choose from. Unique designs and easy-to-use platform.

Blogging and eBooks

Templates for blogging needs such as eBook covers, Wattpad Book Cover, blog banner and other blogging needs are also available in Canva. If you want to create infographics, it is a good place to consider.

Marketing Materials

There is a wide selection of pre-made templates for marketing materials such as posters, menu, flyers, brochures, gift certificates, business cards, and even logo and labels. Get ahead of the competition!

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Headers, Facebook Cover and Banners

Creating Headers and Facebook covers is just another easy task. You don’t have to spend endless time figuring out how to make awesome materials for your social accounts and blogs. We can create these easily with the drag and drop feature of the site.

Event Invitations and Programs

Be noticed and stay ahead of the game. Easy to make invitations and programs can help you manage your time and spend enough time for the growing of your business

Ads

Facebook ad, wide scraper, large rectangle ad, and leaderboard ad templates are also available.

Everything you need as a blogger and even for personal use can be found in Canva. A little touch of creativity, a little time and some amount of patience will let you complete work in no time.

How To Use Canva

Creating a design with this app is easy. Like I mentioned above, we can do it even without prior experience in design.

Here are the simple steps to achieve an awesome blog graphic design:

1. Create an Account

If this is your first time using Canva, you can start by creating an account with www.canva.com. Choose from the listed options the reason why you would like to create an account. Choose from the different options available to create an account. You can open an account using your Facebook account, Google, or your own email. If you opted to use Facebook or Google+ to open an account, you should allow access to the chosen site. On the other hand, if you choose to use your email, simply fill out the necessary details. Open the confirmation link sent to your email. Follow the steps and log in to your account.

2. Choose or Create Your Design

Ready-made templates with standard dimensions are available based on the sites or purpose we intend to use them for. You can also create your own size and opt to start on a blank template.

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3. Choose the Elements

The elements include free photos, grids, frames, shapes, lines, illustrations, icons, charts and I love Canva elements which could help you in creating an awesome piece of work.

4. Add Text

You can add your own text by simply clicking the desired size and editing it based on your preferences. You can also use the ready-made text templates. Adjust and tweak your designs using the menu just above the canvass.

You can choose your font, adjust the size and color of the text, and use other functions to achieve the desired result. The darg and drop feature of Canva makes it so easy and convenient to use.

5. Add Background

Another feature which you may want to consider is adding a background to your project. Choose from a wide variety of designs which can add life to the project.

6. Use Your Own Image

There are 10,000 images within the site. However, if you intend to use your own photo for the project, you can simply upload it to the site from your computer.

Canva for Mobile

The site has recently introduced Canva for Mobile intended for people on the go. For bloggers who love to travel or for those who simply prefer to use mobile, this app is for you.

Some Points for Improvement

Having Canva around helped me in many ways. Being a blogger which requires innovative skill, it is a great asset to have. However, just like any software, there are still some improvements which the site needs to do.

  • Limited storage for free users
  • Has no option to remove image background.
  • GIF and videos should be considered
  • Frequent lags should be reduced.

On the final thought

Canva is an indispensable tool. With the wide amount of projects that we can do with it, there is no doubt that it is an awesome program one should never go without.