Canva, a free graphic design software, “empowers the world to design.”
If you work in public relations, there’s a good chance that you’ve heard of Canva. The software company has grown in a huge way since it was founded in 2012. Boasting over six million followers and 38 million user images, Canva is a free graphic design provider that makes creating graphics a quick and easy process.
I first heard about the service last summer, when it was recommended (via many online articles) to social media managers for its ease of use. For those unfamiliar with the software, Canva offers multiple size templates for designers to pick from when they first log in. Simply create an account (for free!) and then visit your dashboard.
Canva’s template options inside its dashboard.
Want to create an image specific for Twitter, Facebook or Tumblr? Canva has that. With social media becoming increasingly more image and video centric, Canva helps beginner and immediate level designers create something visually appealing without the headache of having to learn a new software.
Canva also offers templates for infographics, blog graphics, posters and more. Its designs will support most digital graphics you want to create. For me, Canva is terrific since I’m creating graphics for the web on a daily basis. Need a quick image for Twitter or your website? Canva can help.
Some of the free stock photos that Canva provides to users.
As a disclaimer, the free version of Canva does have some limitations. Many of the stock images are available for $1 (still a good deal) and it provides a limited number of fonts. However, Canva offers a pro version (Canva for Work) for about $12 a month and lets you try it out free for 30 days. If you’re creating graphics on a regular basis, Canva is a powerful and time-saving resource.
What I like best about Canva is how accessible it makes graphic design. If you’re on a tight budget and can’t afford Adobe Suite products, Canva is just as good of an alternative. If you won’t be designing elaborate content, than Canva will work well for the PR pro who happens to also double as a graphic designer.
Canva’s products look nice and clean, but are affordable. Still using Microsoft Clip Art or Paint? Now you don’t have to with Canva’s intuitive and low-cost platform. I can’t express enough how much it has helped me over the last year with my graphics. It’s great to have this kind of tool on the market for communicators and graphic designers.
What are your thoughts on the software? Share them in the comments!
Molly Kate Communicates 
Thank you for your excellent article, it really helped me.