From Chaos to Clarity: 6 Canva Workflow Tips to save time & get more done

Tired of spending countless hours designing graphics for your business or brand, getting lost in the endless options and features that Canva has to offer?

Well, say goodbye to frustration and hello to a more efficient and effective Canva workflow. Because in this post, I'm not just going to give you a few basic tips - I'm sharing my ultimate Canva workflow guide. With these tried-and-true strategies, you'll cut down your design time, and reduce stress, all while creating stunning graphics that stand out from the crowd. So buckle up and get ready to take your Canva skills to the next level!

01: Create your Canva Brand Kit

Let's start with a custom brand kit. Nobody wants to waste time choosing brand colors, fonts, and logos for each individual design- blech! A custom brand kit allows you to apply your brand elements with a few clicks. It's also an excellent way to streamline your design process and ensure brand consistency across all of your designs.

Here are the steps to create a custom brand kit in Canva:

1. Log in to your Canva account and click on "Brand kit" in the left-hand menu.

2. Click on "Create a new brand kit" and give your kit a name.

3. Choose your brand colors by inputting the HEX code for each color. You can also choose colors from a pre-existing color palette, upload an image to extract colors or choose from Canva's suggested color palettes.

4. Choose your brand fonts by selecting from Canva's font library or uploading your own custom fonts.

5. Add your logo by uploading it from your computer or selecting from your Canva designs. You can also add your logo as a watermark to your designs.

6. Add any other brand elements you want to include in your brand kit, such as patterns, icons, or illustrations.

02: Find & use the right Canva templates

Now, all the templates inside Canva are great, but let's be real, they can also be overwhelming. Don't just use the first one you see, take a minute to find one that works for you and make adjustments as needed. Trust me, it's worth it.

But… if you truly want to save yourself the overwhelm of finding the right Canva templates, purchase some 3rd party template sets! I mean, you knew I was going to say that one with the template shop and all, but the biggest reason why I create and sell templates is to eliminate this specific headache, and so it’s dead simple for you to keep ALL of your graphics looking the same, no matter what you’re creating or where you’re posting. By purchasing 3rd party Canva templates that are already branded to match each other, you can save time and ensure consistency in your branding across different types of designs.

Here are some tips for getting the most out of 3rd party Canva templates:

1. Choose a package that meets all of your needs: Many providers offer sets of templates all designed and branded to work together. Choose sets that have templates you'll use the most, like social media graphics, blog post graphics, or slide deck templates.

2. Buy and download the templates: After you've decided on a package, buy it and download the templates to your computer.

3. Personalize the templates to match your brand: Even though the templates are already branded to match each other, you'll probably want to adjust them to match your brand. Usually, this means updating the templates' colors, fonts, and logos.

4. Save the customized template set to your account: Once you've customized the templates, save them in your account for easy access later. I like to create a new folder within my account specifically for these templates.

5. Use the templates as needed: With your customized templates saved in your Canva account, you can easily use them as needed for various projects. Simply select the template you want to use, make any necessary adjustments, and download or share the final design. Use this is your design library. No more starting from scratch every time you need to make a design. Save your designs to your library and reuse elements from previous designs in new ones. Boom, time saved.

03: Using Canva keyboard shortcuts to save time

And don't forget those keyboard shortcuts! Ctrl + C and Ctrl + V will be your new best friends. I’ve been designing for almost 20 years, and I can’t imagine a life without keyboard shortcuts. Once you get the hang of it, they become second nature and save you SO. MUCH. TIME. Here’s a list of some of the top keyboard shortcuts in Canva:

1. Copy: Ctrl + C or Cmd + C (Mac)

2. Paste: Ctrl + V or Cmd + V (Mac)

3. Undo: Ctrl + Z or Cmd + Z (Mac)

4. Redo: Ctrl + Shift + Z or Cmd + Shift + Z (Mac)

5. Save: Ctrl + S or Cmd + S (Mac)

6. Group selected elements: Ctrl + G or Cmd + G (Mac)

7. Ungroup selected elements: Ctrl + Shift + G or Cmd + Shift + G (Mac)

8. Lock selected elements: Ctrl + L or Cmd + L (Mac)

9. Unlock selected elements: Ctrl + Shift + L or Cmd + Shift + L (Mac)

10. Duplicate selected elements: Ctrl + D or Cmd + D (Mac)

11. Align selected elements to the left: Ctrl + Shift + L or Cmd + Shift + L (Mac)

12. Align selected elements to the right: Ctrl + Shift + R or Cmd + Shift + R (Mac)

13. Align selected elements to the center: Ctrl + Shift + C or Cmd + Shift + C (Mac)

14. Distribute selected elements evenly: Ctrl + Shift + E or Cmd + Shift + E (Mac)

15. Zoom in: Ctrl + + or Cmd + + (Mac)

16. Zoom out: Ctrl + - or Cmd + - (Mac)

17. Fit design to screen: Ctrl + 0 or Cmd + 0 (Mac)

04: Learn how to automate & simplify tasks with Canva

Tired of doing the same thing over and over again in Canva? Well, then, it's time to automate. Your sanity will thank you for utilizing tools and apps like these:

1. Canva's Magic Resize feature: quickly resize a design to fit all your different social media platforms, like Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. Just select the design you want to resize, click on the "Resize" button, and choose the platform and Canva will make a new design. (Literally, like magic.) You may need to still adjust a few things, but it's still a game-changing time-saver.

2. Zapier: If you're unfamiliar Zapier is an app that allows you to automate workflows between different apps, including Canva. For example, you could set up a Zapier integration that automatically creates a new Canva design every time you enter an Instagram post idea into a google sheet.

3. Canva's Content Planner: There are loads of content planners out there, but did you now you can schedule right from Canva? No need to download and upload to another app. Just create your designs, then schedule the posts to go live when you want them to.

4. Canva's Design Automation feature: This is a new feature I haven't played with much, but it allows you to create rules for your designs, such as automatically resizing images or changing font styles. You can also set up automatic workflows, such as sending a design to a client for approval once it's completed.

05: Streamlining your workflow with Canva Pro

Now, if you really want to step up your game, it's time to take a look at Canva Pro. I already mentioned some Pro features above, but here are some of the best features in Canva Pro that will save you time:

1. Premium images and graphics: Canva Pro gives you access to a huge (and ever-growing) library of premium images and graphics. So you can stop spending hours searching for the perfect image online, and simply browse right inside Canva to find what you need. You can even do a little pre-planning and curate images and graphics into folders.

2. Magic Resize: This is the one I mentioned above that lets you quickly resize your designs for different platforms and formats. With one click, a social media graphic can be repurposed as an email header. Boom.

3. Brand kit: That custom brand kit I mentioned above? It's only available with Canva Pro. But honestly, between the premium stock images and brand kit, a Canva Pro subscription easily pays for itself.

4. Team collaboration: Canva Pro's collaboration features are especially useful for teams. You can invite team members to edit a design in real-time, leave comments for feedback, and more. Having this kind of in-the-moment collaboration saves hours of back-and-forth time every week.

06: Learn to organize your Canva Account

Last but not least, good organization is KEY because things can get ugly real quick if you're using Canva to make a lot of stuff. And you want to be able to find WHAT you need WHEN you need it.

Here are some tips to keep your designs organized and easily accessible inside Canva:

1. Use folders: Canva allows you to create folders to organize your designs. Consider creating different folders for different projects or clients, or organizing your designs by type (e.g. social media posts, flyers, business cards).

2. Use descriptive names: Give your designs descriptive names that make it easy to find them later. Avoid generic names like "Design 1" or "Untitled" and instead, use names that clearly indicate the purpose of the design.

3. Use tags: Canva allows you to add tags to your designs, making it easier to find them later. Add tags that describe the design's purpose, style, or client.

4. Archive old designs: If you have a lot of old designs that you no longer need, get them out of there! Archiving moves them out of your main design view but leaves them accessible if you need them later.

5. Use the search function like it's going out of style: When all else fails, search for designs by name, folder, or tag. It will help you quickly find the design you're looking for.

Wrapping up

Phew! That was a lot of info, but I promise, it's worth it. (Pinky swear!)

I hope you've learned a thing or two about optimizing your Canva workflow and can save yourself some precious time in the process. Even with just a few of these tips and tricks, you'll be well on your way to creating stunning designs with ease, all while impressing your clients and growing your business.

So go forth, get creative, and let Canva help you take your designs to the next level!

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Meet Sarah

Sarah is an award-winning Designer, Creative Director & Brand Strategist for billion-dollar companies turned entrepreneur. She loves exploring the areas where business, branding, and personal growth comingle to create magic. And she’s also passionate about empowering entrepreneurs with easy tools to transform the way they do business.