In today's digital age, visual content is the king when it comes to grabbing people's attention. From social media graphics to business presentations, visual content has become a crucial part of our daily communication. But the question that naturally arises, is how best to create this type of content.
Given its explosion in both popularity and importance in recent years, it is no surprise that there are a large number of companies providing tools to help with such creation. But this plethora of choices is not all positive, it can in fact be difficult to discern which is the best company to work with. Hopefully, that is where this review will come in as we take a deep dive into one of those products; Canva.
Canva’s success has resulted it in bordering on becoming a household name in certain communities that are aware of these types of tools. It is a web-based graphic design platform that allows users to create stunning visuals with ease. But is its fame and rapid rise into the mainstream worth the hype?
In this review, we will break down exactly what Canva is, who would benefit from using it, what alternatives exist in the market and our final verdict on the platform. All of which should place you the reader, and potential user, in a much better place to make an informed decision about whether or not it is worth consideration.
This Canva review covers:
- What is Canva?
- Who would benefit from using Canva?
- Canva pricing
- How could a writer use Canva?
- What are the alternatives to Canva?
- Canva review – final verdict
What is Canva?
Canva is a simple yet powerful graphic design tool that allows users to create stunning visuals for a wide range of purposes. With its easy-to-use interface, Canva makes graphic design accessible to everyone, regardless of their skill level. From social media graphics to business cards, posters, flyers, and even book covers, Canva offers a range of templates that users can customize to suit their specific needs.
One of the best things about Canva is its vast library of templates, graphics, and fonts. Canva has over a million templates, graphics, and fonts that users can use to create their designs. The library is continually updated with new designs, ensuring that users have access to the latest and greatest design trends.
Canva also allows users to upload their images and graphics to use in their designs. This feature is particularly useful for businesses that want to maintain a consistent brand identity across all their visual content.
Another significant advantage of Canva is its collaborative feature. With Canva, users can invite team members to collaborate on a design project in real time. This feature is useful for businesses with remote teams or teams located in different parts of the world.
Who Would Benefit from Using Canva?
Canva is an excellent tool for anyone who needs to create visually stunning content quickly. Here are a few examples of people who would benefit from using Canva:
1. Social media managers: Canva's vast library of templates makes it easy for social media managers to create eye-catching graphics for their social media channels quickly.
2. Small business owners: Small business owners who don't have the budget to hire a graphic designer can use Canva to create professional-looking visuals for their business.
3. Teachers: Teachers can use Canva to create visually engaging presentations, infographics, and teaching materials.
4. Marketers: Marketers can use Canva to create marketing materials such as flyers, brochures, and business cards.
5. Bloggers: Bloggers can use Canva to create visually stunning blog post graphics, featured images, and social media graphics.
The above use cases are not supposed to be an infinite list, merely give an indication of the type of persona that would benefit from using Canva. However, as we mentioned earlier, this type of content is increasing in prevalence, to the point where traditional lines within job titles are blurred and any chance to upskill or have the knowledge of a tool like Canva at their disposal, can only be a positive.
Canva Pricing
Canva comes with a variety of tiers of price points, the full details of which can be found below.
Canva Free – For anyone wanting to design anything, on their own or with others. Drag and drop editor. 250,000+ free templates. 100+ design types. 1+ million free photos and graphics. Invite others to design and work with. Wide range of printable products to design and get delivered. 5 GB of Cloud Storage.
Canva Pro – $12.99 a Month. 100 Million Premium stock photos, videos, audio and graphics. Unlimited features, folders and premium content. 610,000 premium free templates. 100+ Brand Kits. Dedicated folders for specific projects. Resize designs. Remove image backgrounds. Social Media scheduling to 8 platforms. 1 TB Cloud Storage. 24/7 Customer Support.
There is also Canva Teams for businesses of all sizes of which the features are largely the same but price points vary depending on the number of users etc.
How Could a Writer Use Canva?
Alongside the above use cases of potential Canva users, writers may well benefit from its tools and features.
Writers often have a keen eye for detail and creativity, but when it comes to design, they may not have the necessary skills or tools to create stunning graphics for their books, blogs, or social media promotions. This is where Canva comes in, allowing writers to create professional-quality book covers, promotional graphics, and more without any prior design experience.
With Canva, writers can choose from a wide range of pre-made templates and design elements, including fonts, images, and graphics, to create eye-catching designs that stand out from the crowd.
Whether it's a book cover that captures the essence of their story, or a social media post that promotes their latest article or book release, Canva offers a simple and intuitive interface that allows writers to bring their ideas to life with ease.
Moreover, Canva's collaborative features make it easy for writers to work with their editors, publishers, or marketing teams, streamlining the entire design process. Whether it's sharing design drafts, receiving feedback, or making revisions, Canva's cloud-based platform allows for seamless collaboration, making it an excellent tool for authors who want to focus on their writing while still creating beautiful and effective promotional materials.
What are the Alternatives to Canva?
While Canva is an excellent tool, it may not be suitable for everyone. Here are a few alternatives to Canva:
1. Adobe Creative Cloud: Adobe Creative Cloud is a suite of powerful design tools that includes Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign. While Adobe Creative Cloud is more expensive than Canva, it offers more robust design capabilities.
2. PicMonkey: PicMonkey is another online graphic design tool that offers similar features to Canva. However, PicMonkey's library of templates and graphics is not as extensive as Canva's.
3. Figma: Figma is a collaborative design tool that is similar to Canva. However, Figma is more geared towards web and app design rather than creating static graphics.
Ultimately, any potential user of such products is best placed to undertake a period of self evaluation regarding what specifically they need, in order to cut through the marketing hype and get to the core issue. Also, by utilising any free trials available to them, they will get first hand experience with each tool, to see if it works as promised and also if it fits in with the type of projects they are working on. Combine this with budget, and any potential users should have a much clearer idea of the best route to follow.
Canva Review – Final Verdict
In conclusion, Canva is a highly versatile graphic design tool that provides users with an intuitive interface, a wide range of design templates, and an extensive library of free and premium assets. It is suitable for beginners and experienced designers alike, and its collaborative features make it an excellent choice for teams and remote workers. With Canva, you can create stunning designs for social media, presentations, marketing materials, and more, all without any prior design experience.
One of the major advantages of Canva is its user-friendly interface, which allows even novice designers to create professional-looking designs. The platform also offers a vast selection of pre-made templates and design elements, which can save users time and effort in creating their designs. Additionally, Canva's collaborative features make it easy for teams to work together on design projects, making it a valuable tool for businesses of all sizes.
