There are two types of people in this world: there are Photoshop and Illustrator wizards, and then there are the rest of us.
Seriously…it’s difficult.
I fall squarely into the second category, and even though I like to think (key word being “think”) that I have an eye for good design, I have zero talent when it comes to graphic design. ZERO. Zilch.
When I first started blogging, I would browse through Pinterest, all wide-eyed and slack-jawed, wondering how in the world are these people coming up with these amazing images for their pins? Meanwhile, I’m adding text to photos in Microsoft Word (sad, but true).
I’ll just cut straight to the chase…learning how to use Canva was one of the best things I've ever done...because I use it for everything. It is easy to use, even for people like me who are hilariously below average when it comes to graphic design. There are hundreds if not thousands of templates available for just about any business or occasion, and you can upload your own fonts and use your own colors. It’s fantastic, people.
One of the best things about Canva, especially for new businesses owners, is that it is free! Of course there is a paid version that has more features, but the free version works just fine for creating basic graphic design projects.
I’ve put together a list of 26 design projects for your business that can be created using Canva, along with an explanation as to what each of them could possibly be used for in your small business.
26 Things to Create for Your
Small Business Using Canva
Graphics for Social Media: This first set of design ideas focuses on your social media accounts. Like I’ve said before, regardless of what industry you’re in, it’s super important to have a presence on social media! Even if you don’t think you need it, you do.
Twitter Posts: You can post anything you want on Twitter (as long as it’s limited to 140 characters). Luckily, photos do not count against your character count so you can have a photo or graphic in addition to your 140 character tweet. You know what they say, a picture is worth a thousand words. Create an image using Canva that goes along with what you’re tweeting about.
Instagram Posts: Instagram is pretty much 100% visual. Most of the time, I don’t even stop to read the captions…I just want to look at photos or videos. Have a project you want to brag on? A testimonial you want to share? A new post to your blog or website? Create a graphic for it and share away!
Instagram Reel Cover Photos: One thing that I like more about Instagram Reels than TikTok is that you can upload your own cover photo that will show in your feed. If you want the feed to look consistent, a great way to do that is to create uniform cover photos. Canva makes that extremely easy to do.
Pinterest Images: Another free resource that is amazing for bloggers/business owners, Pinterest! Believe it or not, it matters what your pins look like. Like Instagram, Pinterest is almost 100% visual, so much, in fact, that it has been dubbed a “visual search engine.” Vertical posts with large, readable text are proven to perform best on the platform. Canva has that figured out, and has a million awesome templates to take the stress out of designing your pins.
Facebook Posts: When you’re sharing an awesome photo on Facebook, it’s super important that it looks good on a computer AND on a phone/tablet. Using the proper resolution will make it responsive no matter what device it’s being viewed on. Have a photo you need to resize? Create a blank template using the recommended sizing and drag your photo onto the template. This will appropriately crop and resize your photo so it looks best on the platform you want to share on.
Facebook Cover Photo: Once you’ve created your business Facebook page, you’ll need a cover photo to make your profile look complete. This could include your logo, a photo of yourself, a photo of your products with your logo, etc. You can really customize it to fit your brand and appeal to your customers. It’s really important to size this correctly, because it’s a long, skinny space and if you don’t have your photo sized right, it will cut a lot of it off.
Graphics for Other Online Purposes:
Etsy Shop Icon: If you’re in the handmade goods niche (one of my absolute FAVES), then you’ve probably heard of Etsy. It’s a site for selling handmade items from your very own shop…super cool! Like any other website or marketing piece, you need a photo or logo that represents your business. Canva has SO many ideas for shop icons, but if you don’t like any of those, you can always start with a blank template and create your own.
Etsy Cover Photo: Another place for a photo that represents your business. You can change this up to advertise sales or new products, or use it as a place to put more information about your shop. Whatever you want to put here, size it correctly and get noticed!
eBook Cover: eBooks are fantastic, and are all the rage right now. eBooks can be created for ANY niche – cooking, drawing, painting, lawn care, dog training, writing, teaching…you name it! Create an eBook to sell as part of your business or to give away as a freebie for your readers/customers. Canva has templates specifically for eBooks which makes putting them together a breeze!
Branding:
Logo: Your logo is extremely important. Possibly one of the most important branding aspects of your entire business, because that is what people are going to recognize. Think of all the major brands out there: Apple, Nike, Starbucks, McDonalds…if I showed you a photo of any of their logos, you would be able to tell me which company that logo belongs to. Of course, eventually you'll want a professional logo designed especially for your business, but sometimes that's not always financially feasible when you're first starting out. Canva has tons of templates that you can take and personalize by changing the fonts, adding shapes, adding your brand colors, etc. It might not be your forever logo, but it’s a good place to start!
Business Cards: Along with the great mystery of how faxing is still a thing…business cards are just as relevant as ever in the business world today. There are lots and lots of online sites for designing and printing business cards, but if you want to design them yourself, Canva is the place to do it! Create and download your design, and then have it printed or print it yourself!
Labels: This can apply to any niche, but is specifically important for those in the handmade sector. If you are creating and packaging a product to send to your customers, the packaging is SO important. It is what your customers see before they even see your product! When I was heavy into my vinyl business, I took great pride in packaging my items (even though I spent very little money doing so). I talk more about the importance of packaging in my post How I Make $1,000/month Cutting Vinyls. You can design a simple label with your business name, logo and website to stick in/on your packaging to make it look even more put together. Extremely easy but speaks volumes about your brand! Design online, download and print at home!
Letterhead: Okay, so this isn’t as fun as everything else, but it’s part of the bigger picture that your business is legit. Chances are, at some point, you are going to need to send correspondence to your customers or to other business professionals. There’s no denying it, letterhead really does say “I have my life together." And luckily, Canva makes it extremely easy. They have templates where literally all you have to do is type your information in…it doesn’t get much easier than that! Grab yourself some nice, thick paper (I personally like to use resume paper because I like how it feels) and print your letterhead on it.
Desktop: This may not be 100% necessary, but it’s still fun. Canva has design templates specifically for designing a background for your desktop! If you have a store or office where customers/people you may be meeting with come through, there’s a chance they may catch a glimpse of your computers at some point. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a crisp, branded image as your background? Or if you own a healthcare practice and you need to "sleep" your computers when you aren't using them to protect patient information, it's nice to have a custom screen instead of a blank one. Like I said, not a true necessity, but it’s nice to have the option.
Presentation: Because you’re an expert in your niche, chances are you may be asked to give a presentation at some point. cue the sweaty palms. Half the battle with presenting is having a top notch presentation to go off of. If everyone is focused on how great your presentation looks, they won’t even notice the bullets you’re sweating. If you are tired of using PowerPoint and want something with a little more pizzaz, explore Canva’s presentation templates!
Print Marketing Materials:
Poster: Could be used to hang in local businesses around town (with permission, of course. Can you say cross promotion!) or maybe at a local event to advertise your business.
Menu: Not just for food! This could be a list of all the products/services that you offer. Think spas, pet groomers, landscapers, pressure washers, house cleaners...the list goes on. You could put these in newspaper boxes as an advertisement or hand out to potential customers.
Brochure: Another piece that could be handed out at a function, put in newspaper boxes or given to potential customers. This would give an overview of your business, what you offer, photos of your work and possibly some testimonials from past customers. The tri-fold design is classic and professional!
Flyer: Have a special event or sale coming up? Flyers are a great way to advertise! Easy to design, print and hand out!
Gift Certificate: Gift certificates are great to have, especially around the holidays because they’re such easy gifts! If one of your customers gives a friend one of your gift certificates as a gift, that’s a free referral for you! Design and print these yourself as an inexpensive alternative to gift cards. You can also give away gift certificates as part of contests on social media to increase your likes/followers.
Postcard: The USPS has a program called Every Door Direct Mail where you can select certain zip codes and have pieces mailed to every household (or parts that you select). A postcard is a great option for several reasons. The first being there is no envelope involved, so you have a better chance of potential customers actually seeing your mailer instead of throwing it away. Also, postcards are slightly less expensive to mail than cards with envelopes. Design your mailer online, have it printed and then use EDDM to canvas your entire area!
Invitation: Maybe you’re participating in a private event, or hosting an event or fundraiser. Having professional invitations printed is always a nice touch. I design mine on Canva and either have them printed locally or through Vistaprint.
Program: To go along with said event/fundraiser. Create custom programs to let everyone know what’s going to go down!
Card: Never underestimate the power of a good ol’ fashioned card. I have several friends and clients who are realtors, and they get more referrals from cards than most anything else. They keep record of their past customers and they keep up with them on social media. If they see that they got married, celebrated a work anniversary, had a baby, etc. they send them a card. This is a great way to stay at the front of mind. They see a card from you and it jogs their memory that their friend’s sister’s mom is selling her house and needs a realtor. See how that works? Don’t let people forget that you’re there! Also, it’s an awesome gesture…and everyone loves mail.
Certificate: Maybe you work with unique materials and you want to give customers an authenticity certificate, or maybe you’re offering a training and want to give a certificate of completion. Whatever the case may be, Canva gives you that option.
Long gone are the days when you had to be a graphic design ninja to create your own graphics for your business. Not saying it doesn’t help to be a graphic design ninja…but Canva makes it easy for small business owners with little to no design experience to create their own graphics and marketing materials.
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