Template usage in Canva

Canva is a fully functional graphic design tool, allowing you to create invitations, leaflets, graphic social media, etc., all in a single platform. To make design easier, no matter where your skill level is, Canva gives you access to a variety of templates, as well as the option to create and customize your own design.

Some template options that Canva provides to individuals and freelancers include:

1. Logo
2. Posters
3. Leaflets
4. Posts on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook
5. Presentations
6. Card and invitation
7. A4 and letterhead documents (letter headlines)
8. Menu
9. Brochures

To get started with Canva, you first need to register for a free account. After logging in, you will see the Home screen , containing many interesting and useful templates to choose from.

Usage and customization of templates in Canva

The Home screen in Canva shows you all your designs so far, the designs are shared with you and access to Trash to remove old designs that you no longer need. Also on the Home page , you will find all available Canva templates to create new designs.

1. To get started, use the template slider to scroll through the available templates until you find a choice that fits your design needs. Or, to search for a template, use the search bar at the top of the Home page .

2. When determining a template you want to use, select it to open the design screen.

Tip: To really personalize your design, select Custom Dimensions, located on the left of the Home screen , to choose your own width and height for the design.

3. From here, you can start customizing and creating your design. On the left side of the screen, select Templates. You will see a menu of other templates that you can choose to start your design. To use one of these options, drag and drop it into the blank template.

4. To change any element in the design, just select them to open the toolbar at the top of the design screen. You can delete elements, change colors, fonts, etc.

5. When you are satisfied with your design, download or select Home in the upper left corner of the screen to navigate back to the Home page .

How to create your own design template in Canva

There are many reasons why you might want to consider creating your own Canva design templates. For example, it's helpful to have a template when you want to create a social network post every week, rather than recreating the design each time. Or, you may want to create different versions of the logo for future use.

Whatever the case, before you create your own templates from an existing design, you'll need to create a Canva folder to store them.

1. To create the Canva folder, navigate to the Home screen and select Folders from the left menu.

2. Next, select Create New on the right side of the screen. Enter the folder name and choose whether you want to share your folder with anyone else.

Tip : Set the folder to a specific, easy-to-understand name to keep the design neatly organized. You can even create multiple folders for different templates, such as "Social Media Templates" or "Blog Templates" .

3. Select Create Folder. This will open the new folder you just created and show you a list of all the folders on the left side of the screen.

Tip : After all, do you decide you want to share your sample folder with others? If yes, select Share, located at the top right of the main screen of the folder.

4. Locate the design you want to use as a future template from the list on the Home page , then drag and drop it into the folder on the left side of the screen. Open the new folder and your design will be there, ready to use.

Tip: You can also select ellipses on your design, then click Move to Folder.

5. When you are ready to create the template from the design, select it to open the design info window. On the right, select Use As Template and Canva will open the design as a copy. You can now make any necessary changes.

Tip : Be sure to change the name of your new design. Select the field on the right of the Upgrade in the toolbar at the top of the design screen.

How to create a simple copy of the design in Canva

If you just want to copy an existing design without creating a template, this can easily be done from the Home screen .

Locate the design you want to copy, select the ellipses in the corner of the image, then select Make a Copy . Canva will copy the design without opening a new design screen.

Hope you are succesful.