A Marketers Guide to Canva (Part Two)

Canva Tips

Do you want to elevate your Canva game? A Marketers Guide to Canva (Part two) introduces five more features to bring your Canva designs to the next level.

As mentioned in A Marketers Guide to Canva (Part One), some of these features are only available with the premium subscription. 

1. Liking Images 

You can like ❤️  images that stand out or you want to use later.

To like an image: 

• Hover over the photo.
• Press the button on the top right corner with the three dots.
• Press add to likes.
• Access your liked images by going to folders and opening the liked image folder. 

You could even create specific folders (e.g. for departments and clients) to add photos into. 

2. Effects – Removing Backgrounds 

Canva Effects give you the ability to make bold modifications to your photos. Effects can be accessed by selecting your photo and pressing the ‘effects’ button on the top left of the navigation bar. My favourite feature is the ability to remove image backgrounds. The background remover works best when there is a clear distinction between the subject matter and the background. 

The other benefit of Canva effects is the range of quirky effects you could add to images. These effects include: 

• Colour Mix.
• Screen.
• Slice.

These effects allow you to produce truly unique designs. 

3. Branding Kit (premium feature)

It is essential that your business has strong branding. Branding includes the colours, fonts, and logos associated with your business. Branding is your way of standing out and communicating who you are to the audience. That’s why I highly recommend using the Canva brand kit. If you have a premium subscription, you can go to brand kit on the side panel. You can upload/select fonts, colours, and logos. Your branding will become accessible when you make a design. 

4. Animated Elements 

Adding animation to designs can add interest and can bring attention to key ideas. Canva offers animated elements. To access these elements, go to the filter button and select the animated option. Be sure to download your design as a video (MP4) or animated GIF file. 

There is a number of ways that you can use animated elements including: 

• Call to Action (e.g. shop now, learn more).
• Stickers (e.g. for Christmas you could add a Merry Christmas sticker or Santa sticker)
• Animated lines (i.e. add animated lines under key elements such as ‘sale’’) 

Canva offers templates for animated designs. Be careful not to overuse. The user will be overwhelmed if there is too much movement. 

5. Apps

Apps allow for Canva to integrate with different platforms. Apps can be accessed via the side panel on Canva. The apps allow you to do a range of functions including: 

• Connecting to social media (e.g.  Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn)
• Connecting to cloud storage (e.g. Google Drive, Dropbox)
• Allowing you to incorporate material from other sources (e.g. Pexels, Pixabay, Youtube, Google Maps, Bitmoji, Giphy).

So, we have highlighted many Canva benefit in our Marketers Guide To Canva Part Two. To further improve your Canva game, check out the sequel, Marketers Guide To Canva Part Three to take your Canva game to the next level!