When you think of a brand designer, you might imagine someone who uses fancy programs and tools to create beautiful branding and websites that bring the ultimate “wow” factor.
And while I’m all for the fancy programs and fun tools that often play a huge part in my job as a designer, it may come as a surprise to you that I also use and recommend the not-as-fancy things too… with the main one of those things being Canva!
If you’re unfamiliar with
Canva, it’s basically a small business owner's best friend. It’s a free online graphic design tool that you can use to create social media posts (which is what I use it for), presentations, flyers, posters, thumbnails, you name it - if you can dream it up, you can likely make it on Canva!
The paid version of the platform allows access to additional features that are really great too, but the free version comes with almost everything you need to create that same “wow” effect that you desire when it comes to your branding!
Some designers out there claim that you can’t create what you need to create for your business without the use of Adobe or other complex programs, but as a small business owner myself, I know that programs like this often come with an expense much higher than you’re comfortable paying, not to mention the learning curve that comes with those higher-end programs. As someone with a lot going on, you need quick and efficient and that’s what Canva provides, so it’s for that reason that I am and forever will be a Canva advocate!
With that said, there are a few common mistakes that I see people frequently make. To help you make sure you’re using the program like a pro, I’ve rounded up the top things to avoid in Canva for your small business branding.
5 Things to Avoid in Canva to Maintain a Cohesive Brand
1. Using templates that just "look cool"
One of the best parts about Canva is that if you don’t know where to start for a design, whether it be for a social media post, reel cover, slide deck, etc. the platform has TONS of templates you can choose from.
Though this can be helpful as a starting point, where people go wrong is choosing a template because it looks cool or trendy.
When you use templates that don’t match your brand aesthetic, you lose the cohesiveness when you publish that post or present that slide deck.
And one of the biggest misconceptions about a cohesive brand is that it “looks nice,” but the truth is, it goes far beyond that. When you are consistent with the colors, fonts and designs you use, your audience grows to recognize who you are and you become more memorable.
This isn't to say that you can’t use templates on Canva - you absolutely can!
The key is to let your template be your guide while adjusting it to your brand by changing the colors and fonts used within the template and adding in your brand's own design elements.
2. Starting from scratch everytime you create a design
I know what you might be thinking… “Amanda, didn't you just tell me to avoid templates in Canva?? And now I can’t start from scratch?!”
Hear me out! Once you have a defined brand for your business, meaning you know your colors, fonts and design elements, there’s no reason to start from scratch when creating a social media post, reel cover, etc.
Instead, you can create each item ONCE and then use it over and over and over again while changing a few things here and there.
For example, you may have 5 different variations of instagram reel covers that look similar, but the main colors may be different.
You can create your basic designs and save those as your own personal templates in your Canva account and then use the “duplicate” feature to use them when needed.
3. Going overboard with design elements
As mentioned earlier, Canva has some really cool features that you can use to create amazing designs, but if I’m being honest, things can get real crazy, real fast if you’re not careful.
Again, this often happens if you start using the templates canva provides, then cramming gaudy stickers, arrows, colors and patterns.
For example, if you find yourself feeling tempted to cram a lot of elements into one social media graphic, instead opt for creating a carousel style post (like this one) with multiple swipeable images to give your viewers some breathing room. And stick with no more than one graphical element per slide.
This will be easier on the eyes and easier to read so your audience can actually take in your message.
Designer Pro Tip: avoid putting your logo on every slide of a carousel post - save it for the last slide instead!
4. Putting too much text on a design
I’m going to be real with you friend… this is probably my number one frustration with DIY designers, but at the same time I really do get it.
It’s easy to think that putting all of the information in one place is the best thing for your audience so they get all the details, but the truth is it’s extremely overwhelming and causes them to glaze over. Bring clarity by focusing on ONE main point to get them to stop and take notice.
If you have a design piece or social media post where you want to include all of the text in the image itself. Hierarchy of text can really make all the difference.
Another option to avoid this mistake would be to pull out the main parts of your message and use that to create your image like I did
here! This makes your design more shareable and memorable as the reader has one main takeaway from your post!
5. Underestimating the power of simplicity
As a business owner, I know you want to stand out and you want people to recognize your brand as the best of the best.
But hear me when I say that your branding does not have to be complex to achieve that!
Like many things in life and business, simplicity is key and when you lean into the things that genuinely make up who you and your business are, THAT is when you can truly stand out among the rest.
I know it's tempting to give into the trends and fun-looking things that everyone else is doing, but just remember that those things aren’t timeless.
Many things you see on the internet today in terms of design will be here today and gone tomorrow… well maybe not that quickly, but they will change in a matter of time.
The point is that you build your brand in a way that’s true to who you really are and oftentimes that comes in the form of simplicity!
Moral of the story, Canva is a GREAT design tool and you can absolutely use it to create the visuals you need for your business.
The key is to know what to avoid and what to do instead, so your branding remains cohesive and consistent. Those two things together can breed huge success.
Happy designing!
BLOG TOPICS
BROWSE RECENT POSTS
Join the email community!
The A-List is your 60-second scroll for brand and website tips, savvy small biz resources and the take-aways you need to get through this crazy thing called entrepreneurship.
Email Community Signup
DESIGN + BRANDING BY :
STUDIO A DESIGNS 💗 AMES, IA 50014
PROUDLY SERVING
CENTRAL IOWA + BEYOND