Canva is a free graphic design online tool that is user-friendly and extremely valuable to any form of business.
*They do offer a paid version which has a few more capabilities, you can learn about here: https://pegfitzpatrick.com/everything-you-need-to-know-about-canva-for-work/ I chose to stick with the free version as it has all the capabilities that I need for my business at the moment.
Canva allows you the opportunity to create and design graphics from scratch or you can use Canva templates, which are a series of layouts that are already created for almost any form of marketing material. Complete with beautiful fonts, free images, and a simple drag-and-drop design panel, this online design tool benefits my business in more ways than one.
If you’ve been following along with my brand for the past year, you will recall that I’ve touched on the benefit Canva for my brand a few times in my weekly Q&As as well as in my Instagram stories. I use Canva for every graphic, business material, or client document. It allows me to show up consistent and professional throughout all of my materials, giving my client a premium customer experience. The Canva App also allows me to design and edit documents when I’m away from my computer.
If you aren’t using Canva for your business, why not!? Now is the time to start. The benefits are numerous, it’s simple and easy to use, and you will end up with beautiful graphics and marketing material that take your brand to the next level.
5 Ways Canva Benefits my Business
1. CLIENT DOCUMENTS: PRICING & PACKAGES GUIDE
With Canva, I have created my 25-page Client Pricing and Packages Guide which is the first document that new leads receive from me. It’s on-brand, full of portfolio imagery and testimonials, outlines my pricing structure and planning packages, and shares a little bit more about me and my personal values. This document has saved me hours of work, with the click of a button I can attach this beautiful branded guide to emails. A few pages from my pricing guide is below:
2. ON-BRAND INSTAGRAM STORY TEMPLATES
Ever wonder how your most-loved brands always have the coolest Instagram Story templates? They’re most likely created on Canva. This tool has beautiful Instagram story templates that you can tweak with your brand colors and fonts, or you can create one from scratch. Instagram story templates keep my brand aesthetic consistent and professional at all times.
3. EYE-CATCHING PINTEREST IMAGES
Did you know that vertical images that are atleast 600×1260 pixels attract the most attention on Pinterest? That’s because they’re larger, more readable, and visually eye-catching. Canva gives you the capability to create graphics with any dimension and size which is perfect when it comes to optimizing your Pinterest images. I create Pinterest graphics for each of my blog posts that are the optimal size for viewing on Pinterest.
4. PROJECT DESIGN BOARDS
Every project that I begin starts with a design board. Styled shoots, corporate parties, birthdays and weddings all require design boards that guide my planning and vendor selection, and are also shared with the team involved to make sure everyone is on the same page with regards to the visual aesthetic for the event. You can also find a design board from a past styled shoot here + snag my 30-Page Ultimate Styled Shoot Planning Guide that was created in Canva for some more inspiration.
5. EVENT AND INFOGRAPHICS
Canva allows me to create beautiful graphics on the fly for upcoming events and parties. I design these graphics on my computer, and then use the Canva App to save and download to my phone. I’m able to create multiple sizes of the graphic for different marketing purposes and tweak colors, fonts, images, and artwork specific to each event that I’m hosting.
If you don’t know by now, I absolutely love Canva and use it in numerous ways to benefit my business. It’s a simple free graphic design online tool that is user-friendly and I absolutely recommend it to anyone that’s looking to take their business and marketing materials to the next level.
Do you use Canva!? If so, share some ways that is benefits your brand below!
X – Alyssa
Alyssa Thomas is a Wedding and Event Planner based in Pittsburgh, PA and serving clients in Pittsburgh, Columbus, and Worldwide Destinations. Her work spans from weddings and corporate events, to meetups and intimate gatherings. Contact her today for your consultation and stop by her instagram to see some beautiful events, design work, and a peek into her personal life + traveling adventures. @alyssathomasevents
Pittsburgh Wedding Planner | Columbus Wedding Planner
