Are you searching for the best graphic design software online? Canva could be a suitable application to try. It’s easy to use and has endless features to help you design a variety of graphics. Let’s discuss everything about Canva, including its features, advantages, disadvantages, and who should use this online graphic application.
What is Canva?
Canva is a web-based graphic design application, perfect for users who are inexperienced in the field of creativity. Most individuals think of it as an image-designing application. However, it’s a lot more than that.
You can create a wide range of designs with the help of Canva. It produces logos, flyers, banners, posters, resumes, invitations, business cards, memes, stickers, yard signs, posts for social media pages, and much more. The online designing application comes with thousands of templates. So, you can either start the designs from scratch or use a prototype as per your experience level. Canva has a web-based version for computers and an application for smartphones. Hence, you can use it anywhere, regardless of the time and location.
Who are the suitable users of Canva? Why use Canva?
Canva is the best free online graphic design software for startups, small businesses, entrepreneurs, freelancers, graphic designers, and anyone who wishes to create impressive designs without wasting a lot of time. Professional-grade graphic design software like Adobe Photoshop and CorelDRAW are ideal for creativity. However, using such applications needs significant learning. A graphic designing background is also a prerequisite for easy usage of these programs.
Moreover, Photoshop is a demanding application. Hence, you might need to purchase a heavy-duty computer to use it. You might not know, but Photoshop is not ideal for designing multiple-page documents. InDesign is another software required for this purpose. So, you have to purchase another tool to tackle projects related to multi-page graphics.
Things are different when you use Canva because it serves all your requirements. Also, it is free to use. Even the premium version is comparatively more affordable than most graphic designing systems.
Differences between Canva Free, Pro, and Teams
Canva is available in three packages: free, Pro, and Teams. The Pro and Teams version is available at 3999 INR for one user and 6590 INR per year for the first five users. Canva Free is perfect for freelancers and entrepreneurs. It gives you access to more than 25000 templates, 100+ designs, millions of free images/graphics, and 5 GB cloud storage.
If you are a professional graphic designer with multiple clients, Canva Pro could be an appropriate choice. It lets you access 610000 templates, more than 100 million images, 1 TB of cloud storage, and 24-by-7 support. Canva Teams is suitable for graphic designing agencies with more than two team members.
Attractive features of Canva
- Endless Templates and images
This online software for graphic design gives you access to thousands of free templates and millions of images. The numbers are lower in the free version. Still, it’s enough to do the needful.
Using a template is easy. Search for a design and pick the templates displayed in the results. You can also start a design from scratch and select Templates from the left panel.
You can search for photos and add them to the template. In addition, you can upload images from your computer by clicking on Uploads.
- Access to elements
Canva’s user interface has an option for Elements, which showcases lines & shapes, graphics, stickers, audio, videos, charts, tables, frames, grids, and more. You can add any of them as per the requirements.
- Extensive fonts library
Canva has a wide range of fonts under Text. The fonts are available in different styles, which suit all your personal and professional purposes. You can also upload fonts in Canva Pro.
- Drag & drop editor
Canva is an easy-to-use graphic design software online because of its drag-and-drop editor. Hence, you can create and edit graphics without investing a lot of time and energy. Using other components of the Canva interface is also convenient.
Canva shows all the available editing features once you search and pick what you want to design. You have to drag the required components and drop them on your graphic. Therefore, you can create impressive graphics within a few minutes. If you have prior experience using templates, you can create a design within seconds.
- Adjustments to enhance images
You will like the effects Canva offers to adjust the images you upload. You can also use the images available on Canva. The option of Adjustments becomes available once you select the image and click on Edit Image.
The available filters let you adjust the brightness, contrast, saturation, tint, blur, x-process, vignette, warmth, clarity, vibrance, highlights, shadows, and fade. In addition, the ribbon at the top lets you crop, flip, and add animation. All these features are available in the free version of Canva. Go for the Pro version to enjoy advanced functions like background remover.
- Image animation
Canva allows you to make the graphics stylish by animating the images. Select the image and click on Animate to see all the available options. Spend some time checking all the animation effects. They help you to create impressive graphics for websites and social media pages.
- More than only images
Most of us think of Canva as an image editing application. However, the reality differs. This online graphic design application creates almost all the graphics including logos, banners, flyers, newsletters, and more. Plus, it has multiple resources for educators.
- Direct publishing to social media
Canva lets you share designed graphics on your social media platforms. It’s a convenient feature, especially for social media marketers who deal with multiple clients and their pages. You can share an image or any other design on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, Linkedin, TikTok, and Tumblr. In addition, you can schedule the posts. The scheduler is only available with paid versions.
- Brand kit
You can store assets of your company, including logos, fonts, color combinations, etc. You can also use the brand kit to store the assets of your client companies. You can quickly access them while designing.
The brand kit is only for paid users. So, try the Canva Pro version if you are a graphic designing professional or agency. You can also go for the Pro package if you are a freelancer or marketing professional.
Benefits of using Canva
- Value for money: Canva is free to use. Even if you upgrade, the charges are reasonable. After making the payment, it gives you access to a wide range of designing tools, millions of images, and thousands of templates.
- User-friendly: Canva is the best graphic design software online for beginners. It’s easy to use. Hence, you can create impressive designs without expert skills.
- Brand kit: Canva gives you storage to keep your brand identity safe. Hence, you can easily maintain the consistency of logos, colors, and fonts across all platforms.
- Helpful in promotions: Canva is one of the best ways to create online promotional materials for your brand. It’s useful for business owners, digital marketers, and freelancers who handle graphic designing and digital marketing projects.
- Helpful in teamwork: Canva Team has a unique feature of team collaboration. It allows all your graphic designing team members to work, contribute, or provide feedback on designs.
- Smooth smartphone app: The Android & iOS application of Canva helps you to create graphics on the move. The app is smooth and has all the functions available on the website.
- Provides printed items: You can get t-shirts and mugs printed with your or your brand’s name. Designing such graphics is easy with the help of Canva.
- Canva Docs: Right now you can join the waiting list for Canva Docs, an online document builder. It allows you to create attractive documents using the images and other designs available on Canva.
Disadvantages of using Canva
- Never allow you to be innovative: You cannot design new elements in Canva. It lets you use the provided icons, lines, stickers, or frames. You cannot think or create anything new. But, most graphic design software online also does not have such a function. You need a heavy-duty application like Adobe Photoshop or CorelDRAW to accomplish such designs.
- Generic templates: Canva has thousands of templates, but a lot of them are generic, especially in the free version. However, you might find impressive prototypes in the premium packages.
Canva alternatives
DocHippo: In case you want to try any other free graphic design software online, go for DocHippo. It’s one of the best alternatives to Canva. Plus, this application is affordable and one of the best online graphics software.
Edit: Preferred by thousands of freelancers and small business owners, Edit lets you create graphics as per your personal or professional requirements. Moreover, it’s free of cost and is available on any browser. What’s more? You can use this graphic design software online via any device, including smartphones and tablets.
Final Thoughts
Canva is a top-notch graphic design software online. It helps you to create almost all personal and business-related designs, including logs, flyers, invitations, business cards, social media posts, and more. This one is also perfect for beginners because of its user-friendly interface. The web-based application has a liberal free plan, and its premium packages are also available at pocket-friendly prices. Try Canva if you like its features.
