Canva

Canva is an easy-to-use graphic design platform that allows you to create Carleton-branded visual content, including social media graphics, posters, flyers, reports, and more! Your creation can be immediately downloaded as different kinds of image files (JPEG, PNG, etc.) or a PDF, and is ready to print. Canva is available to use in your browser or via the app.

1. Launch Canva in your web browser, or download the Canva app to your computer and/or phone.
2. To create a free account associated with your Carleton email address, login with your Carleton credentials using the Google sign-in function.
3. To create a paid account under Carleton’s Canva Enterprise license, contact Pam Tidona.

Canva’s free account has thousands of design types, over one million free templates, over three million stock photos and graphics, plenty of free fonts, 5GB of cloud storage, and more. This is the ideal account for a department or student organization with no real budget allocated for design software or professional communications — you can still make tons of posters and social media content with a free account.

Canva’s pro account has everything the free account has, plus so much more. Pro accounts have access to unlimited premium templates and fonts, 100 million photos/videos/graphics/audio, brand kits (like Carleton’s), 1TB of cloud storage, the ability to resize designs and remove photo backgrounds, and more. This is the ideal account for a department or student organization with a budget for design software and a large need for regular promotion and communication.

1. Design
   • This is where templates and styles live. Templates are ready-made designs that you can drop into your editor and transform (changing text, photos, and often colors) to suit your needs. Styles are ready-made sets of color palettes and fonts that go well together. Use the search bar to find what you need in either of these sections.
2. Elements
   • This is probably where you’ll spend the majority of your time in Canva. This is where you can find stock photos, graphics, frames, shapes, lines, etc. to use in your designs. Need a yellow arrow? That’s here! Need a circular frame around your photo? That’s also here! Need a graphic of two people talking? Hey, that’s here, too! Use the search bar to find what you need.
3. Text
   • This is how you add a text box to your Canva design. If you have a brand kit, those fonts will be used here. Canva also has a selection of font combinations that you can use to add some more fun to your design. Use the search bar to find what you need.
4. Brand (only available for pro accounts)
   • If you have a pro account, this is where you’ll access Carleton brand elements such as colors, fonts, logos, graphics, etc. 
5. Uploads
   • If you drag-and-drop or upload a file into your design, this tab is where those are stored. You can also select previously uploaded files from here to use in your current design. Use the search bar to find what you need.
6. Draw
   • Use your mouse, computer touchpad, or phone screen to draw directly on your design with the pen, marker, highlighter, and eraser tools. 
7. Projects
   • All of your previously used designs, folders, images, etc. are available here for you to access and implement in your current design. Use the search bar to find what you need.
8. Apps
   • Everything else you can do in Canva is here. Recently used apps will appear below the faint line under the apps icon. Use the search bar to find what you need. There is a LOT of stuff in this section, but Canva’s own native apps are:
     • Charts: Create things like bar charts, line graphs, etc.
     • Photos: Choose from a large selection of stock photos
     • Bulk create (pro only): Create tons of designs from one template using something like an Excel sheet full of data
     • Data autofill (pro only): Turn designs into reusable templates that can be auto-filled with data from CSV or Excel files
     • Audio (pro only): Add music to your design
     • Background: Add background colors or a background image to your design
     • Logos (pro only): Access logos that are part of your brand kit
     • Videos: Choose from a large selection of stock video
     • Translate (50 free uses, or 500 uses/month with pro): Translate a page of text or a design from one language to another
     • Magic Media (50 free credits, or 500 credits/month with pro): Transform a photo, graphic, or other design into a different style, aspect ratio, etc. with AI.

9. File
   • Similar to the file option on a computer. Create a new design, show settings like margins and print bleed, save changes, move to a folder, make a copy, download design, etc.
10. Resize & Magic Switch (only available for pro accounts)
    • Automatically change the size of your design.
11. Undo/Redo
    • Undo or redo the last actions you took on your design.
12. Document name
    • Change the name of your design at any time.
13. Share
    • Add access for other people’s accounts, share a link to your design, or download your design.

14. Duplicate page
    • Duplicate the current page of your design.
15. Add page
    • Add a new page to your design.
16. Notes
    • Add notes to your design (like for a slide deck presentation).
17. Zoom control
    • Make your work area larger or smaller.
18. Help
    • Access and use Canva’s AI-powered support functionality, while still working on your design.