Canva is like the air fryer of the design world; quick and surprisingly powerful.
Creative content writer with a knack for storytelling that connects. Wielder of wit, turning “meh” into magic daily.
Canva is like the air fryer of the design world; quick and surprisingly powerful. Just throw in your ideas, mix it all up, and in minutes, you have a hot, fresh design that's good enough to serve clients, customers, or your Instagram followers.
You don't need a design degree to create something that looks polished and professional. Canva helps to whip out creative pitch decks, refresh your brand visuals, and helps entrepreneurs serve up quality designs without the stress.
So if you use Canva very well, you're a graphic designer. Let the haters hate!
You're getting things done, staying consistent, and making your business look legit without blowing the budget.
At Branderah, we work with entrepreneurs and small teams to simplify their content creation process, and Canva is one of our secret weapons.
Here are 8 quick and easy Canva design hacks that will save you time and elevate your brand:
Think of your Brand Kit as your design autopilot. Upload your logo, select brand colors, and set your go-to fonts. Canva will automatically suggest them whenever you are designing, for consistency on every content from Instagram posts to pitch decks.
Pro Tip: Canva Pro lets you save multiple brand kits, perfect for entrepreneurs with multiple businesses or client projects.
You might need different elements like shapes, symbols, etc., while designing. Instead of scrolling through all the media in Canva’s library, simply go to your side menu in the Canva editor and click on the ‘Elements’ panel. Type in a search term for the type of media you’re looking for and click the ‘Filters’ tab. You can filter by the file format, color, orientation, and whether the media should be animated or not.
The secret to clean design is keeping it simple. Stick to 3 fonts, 3 colors, and 3 main elements per design. This helps avoid clutter and makes your content look sharp and intentional.
Tip: If you want one element to pop, use contrast: dark on light, large text on small, or bold colors on neutral backgrounds.
Sloppy alignment is an amateur giveaway. Use Canva's "Position" and "Tidy Up" tools to put elements in place, center them perfectly, or evenly space a group of icons or photos.
Design Tip: To set up page guides, go to ‘File’ in your top menu, then ‘Show Rulers and Guides.’
If you have a headshot with a messy background, just click "Background Remover" under the Edit Image panel. It's fast and clean.
On the flip side, to add a background, click on the image you want to modify, then go to ‘Effects’ from your top menu and select ‘Background’ from the style options. Drag sliders to adjust the corners of your background, choosing between round or square edges.
Voilà!
Use Canva's "Animate" tool to add movement to your posts. It's especially effective for Reels covers, Instagram stories, LinkedIn banners, and ads.
Hack: Export your animated design as an MP4 or GIF to make it mobile-friendly.
Canva's Frames and SmartMockups let you place your content inside realistic product displays like phones, tablets, books, mugs, and more.
Perfect for showcasing:
- Digital courses
- E-books and guides
- App interfaces
- Social proof screenshots
With the new and improved AI features, you can enhance your existing images and create new ones in Canva.
Does all of this Canva stuff stress you out?
Wanna pass your design needs off to an expert?
The Branderah team would love to step into your design role and create custom collateral for your audience.
Reach out today — we’d love to hear from you! Let’s bring your vision to life.
