Nowadays, the average blog post is ten times more engaging when accompanied with strong imagery. A great set of images helps flesh out an article and make it more readable — especially for readers who may not understand technicalities or who may be looking to read something simple and sweet. BuzzSumo reports that articles that have images between every 75-100 words get shared more often than those without images.
However, what if you aren’t a graphic designer or illustrator? Does the thought of Adobe make your eyes water? This is where Canva comes to the rescue.
Canva is a cloud-based image design software that has made creating graphics simpler and easier than ever before. You don’t have to be a professional graphic artist or designer to create engaging imagery that will have your posts looking fresh. This is because Canva already has hundreds of built-in templates, fonts and shapes that are incredibly easy to manage and that don’t require experience with more complex software applications.
First, you’ll need to make a Canva account. Unlike many other design software applications that cost an arm and a leg, the majority of features in Canva are completely free of charge. Once you have successfully created an account, you can get to creating your images.
1. Create your image size
Canva includes presets for a surplus of image sizes that are suited for different applications and purposes. Whether you are creating a blog post, ad copy, a business card or another type of social media campaign, there are several templates optimized to fit posts for Facebook, Instagram, WordPress and more. There is also the option to customize the dimensions of your image yourself.
2. Choose your preset style
Again, you can create your images from scratch or choose one of the available presets. Several of these presets include customized fonts and image guidelines that will allow you to create sleek, clean imagery in just a few clicks.
3. Adding your own images (optional)
You can also add your own images to the mix by going to Uploads > Upload your own images on the left-hand panel. Always be cognizant of which images have proper licencing!
Once your image(s) have finished uploading, you can add them to your project by dragging the thumbnail on the left-hand panel into your design canvas and bringing your image forward.
You can also change the overall style of your image by clicking on your project and selecting Filter at the top of the screen.
4. Adding and editing text
If you have selected a preset for your graphic, you may have noticed that a text field (and a pre-selected font) will already have been added to your project. However, there are also options available to change the font, colour and style of your text, as well as to add a field of text from scratch.
Select the Text tab on the left-hand panel. Here, you will be able to choose from the options available to add a heading, subheading, body of text and other isolated text presets. These presets are handy suggestions if you want to couple two different types of fonts in your graphic (not to mention that Canva does a great job of suggesting which font types will compliment each other).
You will be able to edit the text settings at the top of the screen. Make sure you have your text selected first.
5. Adding shapes and overlays
This might be optional in your case, but Canva also offers the option to add different shapes to your image by just dragging them into the design canvas. Shapes can be used for a wide variety of options — one common use by many bloggers is to add transparent overlays to images for added style and emphasis on the text.
Canva makes this very easy to do. To add a transparent overlay to your image, go to Elements > Shapes and drag a shape into your design canvas. You can then edit the transparency of the shape by clicking on it and adjusting your preferences by going to the settings on the right-hand panel.
7. Download your image
Great job! You have just successfully created the perfect graphic — all on a super easy and streamlined web platform. Once you are satisfied with your creation, click on the Download button on the right-hand top corner of the screen to save your image.
After this, you’ll be creating images on Canva in record time! Your social media campaigns, content or creative projects will also be eye-catching, engaging and easy to share. Not to mention that this all will have been a free, fun and user-friendly experience.
Reach out to us
If you have any further questions or need any assistance with creating graphics for your OneLocal product, campaign or social media, our marketing specialists are always happy to help. Feel free to reach out to us at any time!
