If done properly, graphic design will hold your content and visual identity together in many ways, especially in terms of brand consistency. It can seem a bit complicated, however, if you’re not experienced with industry software. This month’s Cool Tech Tool, Canva, addresses that problem.
How it Works
Canva is a free web-based design environment aimed at users who want to make great designs while avoiding less accessible tools like Adobe’s Photoshop and Illustrator. A project will begin with the your choice of template. From there you can search Canva’s massive library of images by tag. Some of this material is free while premium items are priced at $1 each. Canva also makes hundreds of fonts available so the options in typography are quite diverse. It’s highly intuitive in use as everything is geared to work on a straightforward drag-and-drop basis.
Intended Uses & Flexibility
Graphic design comes in many forms and Canva gives you access to a number of them through its templates. All of the most common industry applications are present, including social media headers, blog graphics, business cards, and even full-fledged presentations. It shouldn’t, however, be mistaken for a restrictive fill-in-the-blank web app. As an alternative to the given templates, the user may begin with a custom-sized blank canvas to suit a more particular need. In addition to this, photos and graphic elements may be uploaded from the user’s own collection. The options available for photo filtering and editing are also extensive.
Compared to Similar Tools
One of the main things Canva has going for it in terms of workflow is that it’s cloud-based. This will allow you to work and share seamlessly with others, whether you’re the client or the designer advising a business owner through the process. This is a rising trend among accessible design tools. Lucidpress is a similarly web-based design app that gets a bit more technical with its layering and advanced orientation parameters, but its central focus is typesetting rather than graphic design at large. For a sophisticated yet accessible variety of approaches to design, Canva seems to be where it’s at!
As trends and tools come and go, it can be easy for your company to get left behind in the department of graphic and web design. If you’re looking to take your site and visual identity to the next level, eKzact can help! Give us a call at (403) 770-3023 today.
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