Good morning, everyone!

Today’s topic is something I’m really excited to talk about because I’m so passionate about graphic design tools. My hope is to make your job easier when it comes to designing your website, blog, social media posts, etc! The one stop shop for all of my design work is done with……………

CANVA!

Canva is by far my favorite software (canva.com) for making graphics, mockups, newsletters, logos, you name it! I’m not even getting paid to say this! (lol) It can be used for soo many different things. One thing that’s super important with your brand is consistency with color schemes, fonts, and images. Canva makes it SUPER easy to organize your creations and use consistent templates, so your fans and followers can really identify with your brand and know what to expect from you. In following posts I plan to really break down features that can be done within Canva, but today’s post is just more of a general post about it to familiarize you.

Here are my favorite things about Canva:

The unlimited variety of templates, elements, and photos!

When I first started creating my art to sell on Etsy, I needed a way to display my creations. Since they’re not physical products and are sold as digital downloads, I had to display them digitally rather than taking actual pictures of a painting. Canva was the perfect solution to creating art mockups. You’re able to search an unlimited number of frame/room mockups to click and drag your images into! Here are a few of those mockups I was able to create in Canva by searching “Room Mockups” in the photos section.

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#block-yui_3_17_2_1_1610740144954_6067 .sqs-gallery-block-grid .sqs-gallery-design-grid-slide .margin-wrapper { margin-right: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px; }

When it comes to templates you can use, there are so many options. Below are some of my favorites that I like to use for graphics on my website or in my blog post cover images! All of the images, fonts, and colors are totally customizable and it’s a creative business owner’s playground! Every creation is also really easy to save and go back to to reuse over and over again to keep your brand consistent.

#block-yui_3_17_2_1_1610740144954_11174 .sqs-gallery-block-grid .sqs-gallery-design-grid { margin-right: -20px; }
#block-yui_3_17_2_1_1610740144954_11174 .sqs-gallery-block-grid .sqs-gallery-design-grid-slide .margin-wrapper { margin-right: 20px; margin-bottom: 20px; }

Canva is so user-friendly.

This is such a huge plus in my opinion when it comes to design software. I’ve used so many different creative tools that weren’t anywhere NEAR as easy to use as Canva. Starting out, I was far from an expert. If this wasn’t such a user-friendly app, I’m not so sure I would’ve stuck with it. There’s a Canva version for mobile/tablet as well, but I have to say that I only use it on my laptop because it’s the most user-friendly version. If you’re able to make great designs on your iPad though, more power to ya. I’m telling you…if I have a really easy time using it, you totally will too!

Canva is always up to speed on the design trends.

If you feel like you’re stuck when designing, don’t fret! Canva is always showing off design trends and giving the users ideas on great looks for their graphics or templates. It always sparks my inspiration when I open the website. You want to be careful though to not sell any of the photos/templates in the Canva library and claim them as your own. It’s perfectly fine to use it to display something you’re selling, but you never want to claim one of their images as your own. If you create something, always be sure to put your own spin on it or modify something appropriately before selling it. You never want to be selling someone else’s work for profit.

The free version is great- the paid version even better.

I always love an app that’s free and also fully loaded! You can go really far with the free Canva version, but I choose to pay monthly in order to have access to everything it offers (which is a TON). If you’re just starting out in business and not sure you wanna invest the money, no problem! You will have access to plenty to get started. If or when you do decide to upgrade, the money is totally worth it.

Well, thanks so much for reading my two cents on my favorite graphic design tool! Stay tuned for more blog posts on diving in depth with Canva features, tips & tricks. What are some of your favorite tools to use for design?

↓ Check out the shop

for the full list of Canva designs! ↓