Canva Design Basics for Direct Sales

If you’re already using the Direct Sales on Demand Method, then you’re familiar with Canva and all its magical possibilities. It’s the exact online design program that we used to build DSOD, our custom websites, and party tools. If you’re ready to level up your Canva skills beyond DSOD, this article will break down those steps for you!

Introduction to Canva

After launching in 2013 with the mission to “empower everyone in the world to design anything and publish anywhere”, Canva really has become the go to platform for anyone without a background in design.

No matter what level you’re at when it comes to graphic design, Canva makes it easy to create beautiful and impactful designs for social media, websites, and any other kind of online media. And this is no different if you’re a direct seller!

I personally use Canva all the time (it's where I made the media for this post!) and think that understanding the basics when it comes to using the platform is beneficial for anyone with an online business.

Keep reading to learn how you can use Canva to boost your personal brand and increase revenue!

Free vs. Professional Canva Accounts

Like any online platform, there are free and paid versions that you can choose between. For the everyday person (or even an entrepreneur or small business), the free platform has more than enough features to make great designs.

The professional platform adds on more elements, templates, and content for $9.99 a month (paid yearly). It also adds on the ability for you to save your brand colors, fonts, and logos in a brand kit so it’s easy to maintain consistent brand design.

Another new feature that was recently added to the professional subscription is the content planner. This makes Canva a great option for creators on a budget. Rather than having a separate subscription to a content planning platform or tool, you can now schedule your social media designs right through Canva!

If you aren’t sure if you want to commit to the annual cost, you can try a professional account free for 30 days!

Canva Design Templates

The platform offers a variety of templates that make it easy to create any design you could need. The platform offers templates for social media, custom prints, business, marketing, and even templates for personal use.

Each category has their own template selections, so the possibilities are endless!

I personally love using the blog banner template and the Pinterest post template for my website and to promote DSOD online. Using a template will really take your designs to the next level without any graphic design needed!

Of course, you always have the option to use a blank canvas to create your own design if none of the templates match your vision.

How to Actually Design Using Canva

If you’re worried that creating your design is going to be complicated, don’t worry! It really is a simple process to understand.

Whether or not you start out with a template, you can add or change it at any time while creating your design. You can also search for a specific template, element, or photo (or even a concept) at any time to help find exactly what you’re looking for.

Using the elements section, you can add graphics, photos, charts, videos, and more to bring your design to life! If you decided to pay for a professional account, there are even more options available to you that will really make your designs stand out.

You can also either use the free photos and videos provided through Canva, or you can upload your own material and make your design personal to your brand!

Once you’ve finished your design, you can save it to your Canva library, share it on your social media, present it on the platform, or download it to use later.

Conclusion 

And this is just the basics when it comes to using Canva. The platform has so much more to offer. I recommend Canva to everyone that I work with learning the DSOD method and use it daily for my own direct sales business.

To take a deep dive into all the features available and learn how to use the platform, check out my course Introduction to Confident Canva!