Creating with Canva

Accepting this internship position back in the Fall, I completely underestimated how much Canva would be one of my biggest sources of creativity during this semester. From Meme Monday’s to Faculty Friday’s and all the event posters in-between, Canva quickly became my internship workspace. It’s even more important to understand Canva’s many different facets because they are ever expanding. Canva has just recently announced their “Canva Docs” which is essentially a one-stop shop for creating presentations and collaborating with others. In an effort to create a space for future interns to come back to, I will be discussing how to get the most out of Canva.
    To start off, let’s think of Canva as a canvas. A blank space to make posts with ease using templates, different fonts and effects to customize your canvas. One of the first things I understood through Canva was setting a tone. Throughout their many template designs, it can be seen how even different colors of a post can offset different emotional responses. This can be seen though even the understanding of holiday colors like those of Easter, Halloween, Christmas, and New Years. Each one of these days can be expressed through colors and thus sets the tone. This is why choosing templates or colors that support your tone are essential to effectively reach your audience. 
    Additionally, sometimes, less is more. A picture speaks a thousand words - but that doesn’t mean we necessarily need to insert a thousand words into one picture. It’s much easier to read a post that isn’t plastered with words and sentences. Stick to the “need-to-know” information and use Canva’s tools to resize and align each phrase in a clear and visible way. This can all be done without distracting the reader with too many pictures or overwhelming them with too many words. Remember, what doesn’t fit on the image can always be inserted in the caption!
    Finally, Canva is great because each creation is a reflection of yourself! Allow yourself to be inspired by other creators like @impact and @futureearth (Instagram). Use the image search to find new graphics and photos to add to your design and collaborate with others to improve your design and welcome new perspectives. Overall, have fun. The possibilities to create on Canva are endless, all that is needed is you.