Canva offers a wealth of possibilities for businesses and individuals who want to create consistent social posts but don’t have the budget to hire an in-house designer.
But if you’re limited to using pre-made templates or utilizing its drag-and-drop feature, you might be missing out on the best tools that could make your posts pop and boost online visibility.
In this article, let’s tackle the ways you can truly harness Canva’s potential and double the impact of your social campaigns. Let’s dive right in!
1. Stay Consistent by Using Brand Kits Save time and energy every time you create your social posts by utilizing Canva’s Brand Kit. This feature allows you to save various elements of your brand, including:
Colors Fonts Brand Voice Photos Graphics Icons Charts Brand Templates With Brand Kits, you won’t have to pull up these elements from scratch every time you need them for your designs. In addition, it also allows you to be more consistent with every visual asset you create.
Note, however, that a Canva Free plan only allows users to save one color palette. You’ll need a Pro account to save the other elements and to use multiple Brand Kits.
2. Use Magic Resize Most brands post the same content across socials – Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X, and more. However, modifying the images for each of these channels can eat up time. That’s where the power of Magic Resize shines. You just need to design once, use Magic Resize, and save time.
Here’s how to do it:
After designing your base post, click Resize in the top menu. Select social media and choose the platforms and formats you need it for (ex., Instagram Reel, Facebook Ad, etc.) Click Copy & Resize. Just like Brand Kits, you can only use Magic Resize if you have a Pro account. Otherwise, you’ll need to manually change the sizes for each of your posts. It’s one of the reasons why busy users opt to hire the best graphic design companies instead of getting a Pro account (if they have the budget anyway, they’d rather have actual designers handle the task instead of doing it themselves).
3. Boost Engagement With Animation When you’re competing with so many brands online, static images might not make the cut. Sometimes, you need animations to grab attention and stop the scroll.
You probably know by now that you can animate the elements on your design. But here’s an advanced trick: combine animation and later the timing. You can do so by following these steps:
Duplicate the base design into several pages. Add a subtle motion like an icon pop, text fade for every page. Export the design as a GIF or MP4. PRO TIP : To maintain viewer attention, it’s best to keep your Instagram animations below 5 seconds and your LinkedIn animations below 8 seconds.
You can do this trick even when you’re on a Free plan, but your animations will be limited to the basic motions.
4. Use Grids and Frames Like a Pro In Canva’s Graphics, you can find almost anything you search for, including grids and frames. Not everyone, however, knows that you can use these elements not only to include in your designs but also as temporary guides to improve the composition of designs. Here are a few ways to use them:
Using frames to crop text Adding a grid to control the alignment and visual flow of the project Utilizing a grid to apply the rule of thirds in an image Once it has done its job, you can simply delete the grid or frame. There are many variations available, both with free and Pro accounts.
5. Style Typography Through Spacing and Effects Typography is one of the design elements that easily separates professional designs from amateur ones. For instance, if you look at visual assets designed by experts , you’ll see that the text styles have been well thought out, making the overall material look flawless.
Though it takes design intuition and practice to master typography, there are a few ways to use Canva to play around with text styles. Here are some:
Select your text and click Effects. Then, experiment with options like Splice, Glitch, Lift, and others. However, it’s best to use these effects strategically and not to use them all at once. You can also adjust the letter spacing and height of your text. Doing so can make it easier to read for users who are using mobile devices. In addition, using these adjustments will also give you better control over how the text covers a section of your design. PRO TIP : Most designers advise combining a serif font with a non-serif font. This approach offers contrast to the design and also builds hierarchy for emphasis and balance.
Text effects, as well as text spacing and height adjustment, are free for all users.
6. Preview How Your Post Will Look Sometimes, designs hit different when they’re viewed through the screen. To avoid posting and deleting for revisions, use Canva’s smart mockups to preview how your posts will look on screen.
It’s crucial to note, however, that though it’s free to use Smart Mockups, you’ll need to have a Pro account to access the whole library.
PRO TIP : If you’re creating the campaign for a client, it’s a great idea to present your designs through mockups when presenting them. This way, your client can better visualize the campaign.
7. Schedule Posts Through Canva If you’re using Canva Pro, one way you can make the most out of your account is by using the scheduler that comes with the platform. Here’s how you can schedule the designs you create on Canva to post on social media channels like Instagram and Facebook:
Finalize your design. At the top right corner of the screen, click Share. Select Schedule. At this point, you’ll need to connect your social media accounts. With your linked accounts, you can set the time and date you want the design to be posted, along with your caption. Review the post and click Schedule Post. PRO TIP : Be mindful of the day and time you schedule your posts. Use your social media insights to see when your audience is most active and adjust your post schedule accordingly.
Featured Image Credit: AndreyPopov from Getty Images via Canva
.jpg)
