Canva Review (And Frequently Asked Questions)
What is Canva?
Canva is an easy to use, online graphics and design platform. Using the drag and click method you can design almost anything you can think of like logos, posters, books, print on demand, pins, Instagram posts, videos, invitations, cards, and the list goes on.
Just like every new tool you use there is a bit of a learning curve, but once you get it down it is very easy to use.
We believe Canva should be a part of everyone’s online toolbox for design. The best part is it compatible with just about every format.
“I use the pro version only because it is the best background remover of all the image programs I have. It is not the only program I use but it is one of the most intuitively simple and easy to use.” – Canva User –
Benefits Of The Product
The benefits of using Canva are numerous and we will do our best to list them all.
You can make
- Backgrounds
- Headings
- Text On Images
- Icons, Charts and Shapes
- Brandable Images With Custom Quotes
- Logos
- Photo Collage
- Social Graphic
- Presentation
- Poster
- Facebook Cover
- Facebook Post
- Book Interiors
- Book Covers
- Print On Demand
- Pins
- YouTube Thumbnails
- Background Remover
- Social Media Covers
- Infographics
- Vast Majority Of The Site Is FREE
The best part is how easy Canva is to use.
How To Use Canva
Sign up for a FREE Canva account and get started using the program today. Play around with templates, images, vector graphics, clip art, fonts, elements, and colors. You can also upload your own images.
You can make just about anything you want to create that requires graphics and design elements.
Start by picking your template size. You can choose from a premade template like “Pinterest pin” or by adding your own custom dimensions.
Once you have your template it is time to get to work! Drag and drop text, images, photos, backgrounds, and various elements to bring your creation to life.
Pricing
Monthly
Yearly
Who is the Product for?
Canva is for anyone who is working with design elements and graphics. It is lighter and easy to use because you just click, drag, and drop. It is much lighter and simpler than programs like Adobe Illustrator or Inkscape. (Although you can use both programs alongside Canva)
It is also for small business owners, online entrepreneurs, and marketers (like ourselves) who want to design things quickly and easily.
Can I use Canva free for my business?
Yes, you can use the Canva free program for your business.
If you are referring to the licensing …
“All free photos, music and video files on Canva can be used for free for commercial and noncommercial use. – Canva-
The free plan is great but if you find you need access to more images or more options then it is time to upgrade to the monthly plan. However, there is A LOT you can do for free.
What We Like About The Product
It is hard to find things we don’t like about the program. We like…no LOVE just about everything about Canva. Once you get going it is so easy to use and versatile.
We use Canva for making pins, editing photos, creating Instagram posts, making graphics, our logo, book covers, book interiors (for low content books like journals, diaries, daily planners, etc), and print on demand products.
What We Don’t Like About The Product
While having and using Canva really up your design game it is not a complete design suite like adobe illustrator. One does not replace the other. So what we don’t like is that it is not a full editing suite. However, it does a lot of the heavy lifting.
PROS and CONS
PROS Of Canva PRO Plan
Free and Paid Programs Available.
Very Easy To Use with Drag And Drop.
100 Million Plus: photos, videos, audio, and graphics
610 Thousand Plus Templates
100 GB Cloud Storage
Social Media Scheduler Calendar
CONS
After a search around the web for cons of Canva we ran across several sites stating that there was “Limited functionality for professional designers” in Canva. This could be considered a con to someone who is fully proficient in software like photoshop and adobe illustrator. However, from our own experience, we know professional design programs can be used in conjunction with Canva. It really depends on your skill level and needs as to whether Canva is for you.
If you don’t pay for Pro you have to pay by the individual graphic if you want anything from the Pro library.
Even though there are tons of graphics available you are still choosing from the same set of graphics as everyone else. You will need to be creative to make truly unique designs. We use other programs like Creative Fabrica and Vecteezy for other images and graphics.
Final Thoughts
Canva is great for the regular person who wants to get in to graphic design. It is a beginner to intermediate friendly and works with other advanced design software. The free part of Canva is extensive and can get you far, but if you find yourself working with the program more and more, then consider the upgrade to the Pro plan. It is inexpensive and goes to support the platform so that more is added all the time.
