5 Hacks to Make Designing With Canva Easier Than Ever
Looking to spice up your graphic design game without spending hours bringing your designs to life or contracting out to a professional designer for every little project? Canva is here to save the day! With an easy-to-use interface and endless design possibilities, Canva has become the go-to tool for all kinds of creatives from designers to photographers.
But there's more! In this blog post, we're going to share some of the best Canva hacks to take your designs from "meh" to "marvelous". So sit back, relax, and get ready to take your Canva game to the next level!
Hack #1: Rounding text
Instantly elevate any design by swapping regular rectangle text boxes for rounded text! This tool lets you do anything from adding a slight curve to a subtitle to making an entire circle of text or a line of wavy words.
Here’s how you can do it:
First, create a text box by clicking on the "Text" button in the left-hand sidebar (psst – you can also create a brand-new text box simply by pushing the "T" key on your keyboard!) and type in your desired text
Click on the "Effects" button (it looks like a magic wand) located on the top menu bar and select "Rounded" from the list of effects
Use the slider to adjust the degree of rounding to your liking. Pro tip: The higher the percentage, the more obvious the curve will be
Play around with the "Spacing" and "Line Height" options to fine-tune the look of your rounded text
Get creative with different fonts, colors, and backgrounds to make your rounded text pop
Hack #2: Use Keyboard Shortcuts
We touched on this one briefly, but you can use a wide variety of keyboard shortcuts in Canva to speed up your design process. With these Canva shortcuts, you can navigate the platform like a pro and impress your friends with your lightning-fast design skills.
Here are some of our favorite Canva keyboard shortcuts:
This list wouldn't be complete if we didn't start off with the OG keyboard shortcuts. "Ctrl + C" and "Ctrl + V" will allow you to copy and paste throughout your design.
Hit "V" for the selection tool: Want to move an element around your design? Hit the "V" key and drag it to wherever you want!
"Ctrl + D" allows you to duplicate your work. Simplify the copy-and-paste process by just duplicating and moving your design.
"Ctrl" + "G" for to group multiple elements together for easy editing, moving, or even locking them together so they don't move when you're editing the rest of your design.
Need to separate a group of elements for individual editing? Hit "Ctrl" + "Shift" + "G" and voila!
Accidentally delete something or make a design mistake? Hit "Ctrl" + "Z" and you'll be right back to where you were.
Change your mind about an undo? Hit "Ctrl" + "Shift" + "Z" and bring it back to your design.
"Ctrl + E" will let you align your objects perfectly!
These are just a few of the many Canva keyboard shortcuts that can help you work smarter, not harder. Before we move on, we also have an honorable mention for Mac and Canva users. Whenever you hit the "Option" key, you'll automatically see the distance between different elements in your design. If you hover your mouse over a particular element and hit this key at the same time, you'll be able to align each aspect of your design easily!
Hack #3: Locking elements
Hang on, you're creating a design – why would you want to isolate a section so it can't move? There are three times when locking elements can actually be super helpful!
Prevent accidental moving or deleting: When you have a complex design with more elements than you can keep track of, it's easy to accidentally move or delete something you didn't mean to. But don't fret! Locking those elements ensures that they stay put in just the right spot while other elements come and go.
Maintain consistency: Imagine that you're designing a stunning graphic for your brand and everything is looking top-notch. Suddenly, you accidentally change one color and your design looks totally different. Locking your key design elements, like your logo or text headings, can prevent such accidental changes and help you maintain a consistent design style!
Focus on specific elements: You're working on your background design, and suddenly your attention is drawn to the pesky text element, throwing off your entire groove. But don't worry! Locking elements in Canva allows you to focus on other parts of the design without worrying about accidentally altering those elements. So go ahead, lock away, and design to your heart's content.
Hack #4: Uploading & exporting SVG files
Have you ever tried to add an element to your design, but the bigger you make it, the blurrier it gets? That's probably because you're using the wrong file type! Unlike JPG and PNG files (your average image file type), SVG files are vector-based and can be enlarged to any size and still be crystal clear. This is perfect for your logos and other brand assets since they can vary in size and shape throughout your marketing materials, but you'll always want them to be as high of quality as possible.
Psst: If you want to learn how to upload your branding to Canva as SVG files, read this blog post all about using Canva to take your brand to the next level!
Not only can you upload SVG files in Canva, but you can also export them with a Canva Pro subscription! This is super helpful when you're creating or editing a design with multiple parts. Before you go to export your file, remember to scale it down to the right size. You can make your design as small as it needs to be since you can scale it up without it ever losing quality! Follow these simple steps to export your design as an SVG:
Click on the "Download" Button:
In the top right corner of the Canva editor, you'll find a "Download" button with an arrow icon. Click on it to open the download menu.
Select "SVG" as the File Type:
In the download menu, you'll see various file format options. Look for "SVG" and click on it to select it as your desired format for download.
Optional: Choose Transparent Background (if needed):
If your design has a transparent background and you want to preserve it in the SVG, make sure the "Transparent background" option is turned on. This is particularly useful if you plan to overlay the SVG on different backgrounds.
Click "Download":
Once you've chosen SVG as the file format and set any additional options, click the "Download" button.
Save the SVG File:
Choose a location on your computer where you want to save the SVG file, and then click "Save."
Hack #5: The easiest way to export social media posts
One of the most time-consuming and important parts of marketing your business is your social media presence. Canva is one of the best ways you can keep your posts and reel covers looking trendy and professional. You can cut down on the amount of time it takes to brainstorm, design, draft, and post your content. From Instagram and Facebook to Pinterest and Twitter, Canva gives you the option to either schedule posts right on the website or send your post directly to the social media platform of your choice!
Scheduling is super convenient, but a bit more complicated and only available for Canva Pro users. First things first, you'll have to make sure your social account is connected to Canva. You should be able to follow the on-screen prompts to complete this process. Once you've done this, you'll be able to choose the platform, date, and time you want your post to go live. Write a caption that compliments your graphics, then hit schedule, and you'll be ready to go. It really is that easy!
If you want to skip the scheduling process altogether, you can post your designs to social media directly from Canva! Once you have your post finalized, click on the "Share" button in the top right, then choose the "Share on social" option near the bottom of the menu that pops up. Choose which platform you want to post to and follow the rest of the prompts on screen (they vary slightly from one platform to another) and with just a few more clicks and a catchy caption, your post will be ready to go live.
Using Canva can be an easy, time-saving tool when you have these tricks up your sleeve. And we're just getting started! There are plenty of ways to use Canva no matter what industry you're in. If you want to learn more about using Canva to elevate your brand's online presence, check out this blog post!
