I love Canva and I feel no shame about that fact.The professional graphic design community loves to make fun of Canva users. I, on the other hand, think Canva is a great tool: an accessible alternative to expensive softwares. If everyone could be a pro at Adobe Illustrator, that would be great! But that's just not reality. As someone who is fairly comfortable with both ends of the software spectrum, I want to teach you a few ways to level up your Canva usage. 1) Instead of the "Lift" text effect, use the "Shadow" text effect.The lift effect automatically applies a black-based shadow behind text. This can be really harsh (and it's a dead giveaway you're using Canva). Instead, use the shadow effect, select a color that's slightly darker than the background, and set the blur to 100. Here's the difference: 2) Eliminate elements and use simpler fonts.Canva can go a bit overboard with their template designs. Try leaning into typography instead of clip art. Although it's counterintuitive, you'll find that your flyers will stand out if you subtract, rather than add, elements. Here's an example: 3) Add a texture or overlay.Search "transparent texture" in the elements section. Play with different options and tweak their transparency. Here's a sample Instagram post: If you have a little budget to play with, you can check out Creative Market and search "transparent overlay" or "texture." Any PNG file can be purchased and imported into Canva to use again and again. Were any of these tips new to you? Do you have a favorite Canva "hack"? Hit reply and tell me! Until next week, |
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You all have really loved my Pinterest boards for business cards & brochures... It's time to look at a whole bunch of merch inspo. 😍 You'll see a lot of wedding favors and wedding party gifts; these are just there to show you just how many products can be customized these days and get your gears turning. Browse my board The content of this board could be used in a variety of ways: Items on sale to your people so they can "rep" their church or school New visitor gifts Small disposable or...
It's been a while since we went FULL nerd-mode. Today's the day, ladies & gentlemen. 🤓 This past week, I was asked a question: "Can you make the livestream button only show up on Sunday mornings?" Well, of course! Do I have any idea how to do that? No! Will I figure it out? Yes! And I did! Why do this? We wanted to make a BIG RED BUTTON show up on the homepage of the church's website so that a few older, home-bound members could easily find the link. BUT—we didn't really want this slightly...
Sending out Easter postcards? Here are a few ways to squeeze the most possible value out of that pretty significant investment. 1) Incentivize a QR code scan Ideally, try to get the recipient to interact with the mailer. Choose an action that's likely to pique your particular community's interest. Here are a few ideas: Scan for 7 SMS devotions leading up to Easter morning Scan to see the breakfast menu Scan for an email reminder on Good Friday RSVP for the egg hunt on Facebook Scan for Holy...