Designing on a Dollar

Design on a Dollar

This post contains affiliate links. I will earn a commission at no additional charge to you if you make a purchase using my links.

Designing on a Dollar

Part 4 in my bootstrapping is all about design.  I use Canva for Work and absolutely love it.  I started with the free version of Canva but quickly upgraded to Canva for Work.  The extra features are well worth the money that I spend.

Let’s start with pricing.  You can use Canva for FREE yes free 🙂 That is how I started using Canva myself.  If you decide, like I did, that you need to take it up a notch you can upgrade to Canva for Work which is $12.95 per month or $9.95/month when paid annually. When you upgrade to Canva for Work you get some extra tools like:

  • Magically resize your designs (one graphic – click a button and you have graphics suitable for Facebook, Pinterest, twitter, etc. – literally just click a button)
  • Upload custom fonts for your brand (I use this to personalize graphics for my clients by using their branded fonts)
  • Set color palettes for your brand (No more looking up Hex codes constantly)
  • Save templates for you and your team (I share designs with my clients or other team members)
  • Organize your photos with folders (Makes it quick to find graphics for a particular client or project)
  • Easily find your designs with search (search your account for designs you’ve saved)
  • Priority support (access to excellent support)

Canva is kind of a love it or hate it tool for some. I love Canva.  In fact, I literally use it every day to create blog graphics, Facebook graphics, Course Modules for my clients, logos, etc., the list can really go on and on. I first started using the free version and that worked for me for a little while.  As my graphics became more advanced, I needed access to more tools so I bumped up to Canva for Work.  

I always edit images in Canva before uploading to my website, blog posts, etc.  It is so easy to do.  You can upload photos that you have taken. I have done this with some flat lays that I made and some images for an eCommerce Shop. You can also pull in stock photos from Creative Market, 123RF, Pexels, etc. After I select the image I want I add overlays, borders, text, etc., depending on what I am using the image for.  For example, I have used lots of images with a simple quote inserted for posting on my Facebook business page. It can be inspirational, witty, or share a special offer that you are running.

This is a quick graphic that I made in Canva to share on my Facebook business page for a special I was running. This graphic literally took me about 5 minutes to make.  I chose a background image and added a few elements, like the outline and the square in the middle.  Then I added in my text and it was ready to download and add to my FaceBook page.

I don’t use Photoshop or Illustrator and honestly at this point I don’t really need this skill set in my business. I am able to do everything I need with Canva. So I will save myself from the cost and educating myself for now. And that is certainly not a rub against Photoshop or Illustrator, both are awesome tools, it’s just not in my wheelhouse for now.

I hope you enjoyed this series.  If there are other tools that you have heard about but want more information before diving into a commitment, let me know.  If it is something that I have used or know a little about, I’d be happy to share my thoughts.

Don’t miss the opportunity to hear about the other amazing business tools I discuss in this series here:

Scheduling on the Skinny
Stop Marketing Like a Monkey
Business on the Broke
Designing on a Dollar

Leave a Reply

Close Menu