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Before I became a blogger, I used Pinterest for EVERYTHING, I probably used it more than Google. While scrolling through Pinterest, I would see all of these pins created by brands and bloggers. Truth is, I had NO idea how they made them, I just presumed they used Photoshop or some other fancy graphic design tool. Then I saw a blog post that mentioned Canva…..
What is Canva?
What is Canva you might be wondering? I know I was! Canva is an online design tool. It allows you to create graphics from business cards to party invitations, and pretty much anything else in between. It is similar to Pic Monkey. (but much much better in my opinion) and much easier than mastering any of the programs in the Adobe suite!
It allows you to create professional-looking graphics without ANY design knowledge?! Crazy huh!
Does this Graphic Design Tool cost anything?
Another one of the awesome things that Canva does? It’s FREE!! There is, of course, the option to pay for ‘Canva for Work’. Just like anything free, there is always an upgraded version. The great thing about this design tool is that 95% of it is available for free. So if you don’t feel like you’re ready to invest in the pro version, no sweat!
Related: 10 Do’s and Don’t of Pinterest that EVERY blogger should know.
Who can use Canva?
Like I briefly mentioned above. ANYONE can use Canva. They have a massive amount of free templates you can use if your not yet feeling confident enough to do that on your own. Just remember, for this graphic designing tool you need no experience or massive amounts of creativity to create gorgeous graphics, posters or logos. Canva really has made designing easy as pie!
This is awesome! Create beautifully stunning graphics for your blog, for FREE!!! #blogging #graphicdesign #canva Click To Tweet
What can you use Canva for?
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Blog Featured Images
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Your Pin Images!
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Opt-in Buttons
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Ebooks
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Opt-in Resources
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Header Images
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Facebook Post images
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Facebook Cover Image
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Twitter Header
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Etsy Shop Headers
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Instagram Posts
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Logos
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Media Kits
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Book Covers
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Social Media Buttons
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Business Cards
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Flyers
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Invites
Of course, these are just business/blog related. There is so much more you can use this amazing graphic design tool for, it doesn’t just have to be business or blog related.
Related: Why you need an Editorial Calendar.
What do I use Canva for?
I know I know, I just listed all of this above right?
Well, I wanted to show you exactly what I used Canva for. It will hopefully clarify how a blogger creates all the awesome graphics for their site.
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My Featured Images for each of my posts
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My Pins for Pinterest obviously!
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Any infographics I create for my posts
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The Opt-in buttons that appear on some of my posts
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The actual resources I create for my lovely subscribers to download
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The snippet view of the resources for my opt-in forms
I’m sure that as I grow my blog and business, I will use this amazing graphic design tool to its full potential. For a small-time blogger (like myself) Canva offers something for every level.
I use some amazing resources along with Canva to really make my graphics stand out. Take a look at the following resources for fab photos and easy email list integration.
Want to go straight to Canva and take a look? You can do this here! (by the way, this is NOT an affiliate link, I just love Canva!)
Fabulous Resources and Tools to Design a Graphic on Canva Like a Pro!
Unsplash
This is my first destination for free stock photos. They have a huge selection of photographs that you can use licence free.
Pexels
If I can’t find what I’m looking for on Unsplash, I head over to Pexels. This is another free stock photo library.
Ivorymix
Ivorymix has a HUGE selection of stock photos for free as well as a membership that gives you unlimited access to their library of premium stock photos. Sign up for their mailing list and you’ll get free stock photos straight to your inbox every month!
Haute Stock
Haute Stock is also a stock photo membership. Signing up for their email list gives you a free preview of new collections in the form of…you guessed it. Free awesome stock photos!
Oh Tilly
Oh Tilly sends you some great feminine stock photos for signing up to their email list. Of course, they have a membership for their premium stock photos as well.
Styled Stock Society
If you haven’t guessed by the name you can get some stylish stock photographs from Styled Stock Society. If you feel that you want to sign up to their membership option go for it! although you can get some awesome freebies to your inbox as well if you’re not ready to take the plunge!
MailChimp
I use MailChimp to host my subscriber list. They have a free option that includes automation which makes life so much easier, trust me! You can use Canva with MailChimp by creating beautiful opt-in buttons.
MailMunch
MailMunch creates the forms that sign people up to your email list when they click on one of your opt-in buttons. Use Canva to make previews of your resources to use on your forms.
Are you as crazy about Canva as I am now? Thinking you need to find a hosting platform to use Canva to its full potential to grow your blog or business? This post might help you.
Self host your blog with Bluehost.
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