Just Because You Canva, Doesn’t Mean You Shoulda
So, you found Canva and want to make graphics for your small biz. As a small business owner, you have a lot of tasks, some are very boring. Being creative is fun and designing marketing assets for your social media is a fun task to have. It sure beats invoicing or troubleshooting IT issues. But just because you can Canva, doesn't mean you shoulda.
Often I go back to the start of my business Instagram page and cringe, "Oh god! What was I thinking?!" The graphics I designed were terrible. They were overbranded, poorly formatted, had too much text, and I wasn't good at honing in on the message. After many years of designing for my small biz and countless others, I've come up with a formula that helps me create visually organized and appealing social media graphics. Trust me, sometimes, I still miss the mark, but whatever, ya gotta keep going.
Attractive graphics are very important for your social media content, but if it's not tight and right, it's going to make your business look sloppy. And if your marketing looks sloppy, then your work will be perceived as sloppy. So, let's get the iron out and make it look crisp and clean! Here are some things to keep in mind when designing
in Canva.
1. Limit the text - try to capture ideas or the message on the graphic in a few words or less, and elaborate more in the post caption. If it's a ton of text, create a blog and have people visit your website for the details. You only have a few moments to capture their attention, and a busy graphic with a bunch of crap will get swiped to the next post in their feed.
2. Don't put your logo on your shareable, or at least not every shareable. Your logo is most likely your social media profile pic, so it doesn't need to be on your graphics. If you're using a series of graphics in a carousel for followers to swipe through, don't put your logo on every graphic. It's overkill. Branding isn't just slapping your logo on everything, it's a comprehensive look and feel. Overbranding is a thing. Don't do it.
3. Use your branded fonts and colors. Don't go switching it up. This is how you maintain brand consistency. You picked those fonts for your branding for a reason. Using different ones only dilutes your look and the way your company resonates with its audience.
4. No WWW. If you insist on putting your website on your graphic, which is completely not needed, don't put www. It's not 1995; the www is implied, and it can crowd the design.
5. Limit the color of your text to one or two colors only. You don't need all the colors in your branding to be on there, and a white text overlay is nice on the eyes.
6. Be mindful of your post order. When you're posting, think about how your posts will lay out on your profile. If you have too many branded posts next to each other, it looks squishy, and your messages don't stand out as well. Try to space out branded graphics with unbranded pictures straight from your iPhone.
I hope you can apply these helpful tips and create something that’s right and tight for your socials. And if you just don’t have the time to create graphics because you’re a small business owner and you have a ton of other things to do, get in touch. I’d love to take it off your plate!
