Creating your own Canva templates will really change your content creating. It will simplify your life, letting you get back to the things that you love doing.
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What is Canva?
Canva is a super easy to use online graphic design website. This tool allows you to drag and drop all the elements of your design.
Is Canva Free?
Canva has three plans:
- Canva Free. This plan is completely free and you can do quite a bit on this plan. I only have the free plan, and I’m not sure I’ll upgrade any time soon.
- Canva Pro. This plan does have quite a bit more features like access to more photos & elements, uploading your own fonts, resizing, creating gifs. Canva Pro will set you back $12.95/month ($9.95/month if you pay annually.)
- Canva Enterprise. Enterprise is designed for larger companies. I have no idea the cost, although I’d imagine
What Can Canva All Do?
They have tons of premade templates that you can use, although I wouldn’t recommend these. All these templates that you see – everyone else does too – which makes it harder to stand out. However, they’re great for inspiration.
They have tons of photos, elements, and videos that you can use to create right at your fingertips. Over 3 million are free, some are free with Canva Pro, and some are paid regardless if you have pro or not. You can even upload your own photos.
Add text, even the free version has a bunch of free fonts to use. Canva also put together some great font combinations, so you don’t have too.
Why You Should Make Your Own Canva Templates
Having templates already made will make your life so much easier. It can cut down your creating time a lot.
All you have to is change out the photo and change the text and you’re ready to go.
This means you can create 6 Pinterest Pins easily in under 5 minutes.
You can create more than Pinterest Pins. With Canva you can create graphics for all your social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc). You can even create templates for free printable worksheets and workbooks to boost your email subscribers.
Templates will let you do more in less time.
What Templates Should You Make
The templates that you make are going to be different for everyone. If you don’t have Instagram – don’t make them. However, if you use them you should make them. Here are a few templates you should make:
- Pinterest Pins. Everyone should be making these and really every blogger should be using Pinterest. So You should be making them. Make at least 6 pins.
You can make more than 6 but I would avoid posting more than 6 per blog post to Pinterest. Otherwise, Pinterest MAY block your website as spam. If this happens, check out this post on Pinterest blocked my site as spam. - Instagram Post & Stories. There are so many types of designs that you can create for Instagram. You can do quotes, would you rathers, announcements, and so much more. You can look into all the types of Instagram posts & stories you might you and create a few different ones to add variety.
- Facebook Post. Anything you put on Instagram, you can do on Facebook. You can even use the same photos without resizing to same you even more time.
- Twitter Post.
How To Make Canva Templates
01. Sign up for Canva
If you don’t already have an account, head over to Canva’s Signup Page. You can sign up with Google, Facebook, or just an email.
Already have an account? Click that little login link or login to Canva here.
2. Choose What To Design
What are you going to start with? There really isn’t any order. I started with Pinterest – for no reason other than that’s what I was working on at the time.
In the search bar under “Design anything,” search for the design you’re looking to create. Under “Create a design”, you can also scroll through to find the design you’re looking for.
Keep scrolling down and you’ll find templates that you can scroll through for specific designs, such as Instagram posts, Facebook posts, etc. Hit the “See all” link in the top right corner to take a peek at all the templates for that design.
3. Create
If you were to choose a Pinterest graphic, type it under the design anything or choose from the “Create a design” scroll to get a blank canvas. You can still look through templates with the blank page.
Templates
When you pull up a blank graphic, you’ll see a bunch of templates on the left-hand side. Again these templates should be used as inspiration, and not as your go-to template.
Also, some of these templates contain paid images. You’ll know it has one by the crisscrossed lines and “Canva” watermark.
Photos & Elements
On the far right-hand side is a navigation tab. The second tab down is photos and the third is elements. You can search for photos & elements by keywords, your recently used, and trending.
Add photos & elements by dragging the image over or simply by clicking it.
Save your favorite photos into your “Likes” so that you can find them later.
If you hit the last tab, “More” you can search for photos from Pexels and Pixabay.
Text
You can add headings, subheadings, and body text to your Canva templates. Or add Canva’s font combinations the same way you add everything else – click or drag.
Videos
You add videos to your graphics. Click or drag to add it to your graphic.
Where Can you Find Inspiration to Create Your Canva Templates?
01. Your Brand
The Canva templates that you’re creating should reflect your brand. When someone looks at that Pinterest graphic, you want them to recognize that pin as yours.
Incorporate your brands’ colors and fonts into the templates. Include your website at the bottom.
02. Premade Canva Templates
As I’ve mentioned before, there are tons – and I mean TONS – of templates on Canva. They make for great inspiration.
Maybe you like the font layout on one, a photo from another, and elements from a third. Mash those together into a perfect Frankenstein template with a splash of your brand to really make it your own.
03. Pinterest & Social Media
I am NOT in any way saying that you should copy someone’s pins from Pinterest or anything other social media post. You want your posts & pins to stand out, so it isn’t doing you any favors by copying someone else stuff.
But, just like the Canva made templates, you can get a good look at some styles that you like and some that you don’t. And mash those ideas together to create a pin or post that’s really your own.
Have you tried Canva yet? If you have, do you have your own templates already created?
PS: I have this awesome freebie library that you should check out & yes – it’s all free!
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