Canva.com is a site that allows bloggers to make professional-looking graphics.
Has it ever occurred to you that you might be sued? After all, we do live in a litigious society where Seinfeld characters that sued for receiving a cup of coffee that was too hot have become all too real McDonaldâs customers suing for the same reason in Seinfeld, a fictitious TV show.
Have you heard there was a blogger that was actually sued for using a picture he didnât have permission to use? He took the picture down, but it wasnât enough for the photographer. The blogger had to get a lawyer. Have you also heard ignorance is no excuse under the law? Ignorance of the laws of using othersâ photos wonât protect you. I prefer to play safe and make my own graphics. This post will tell you how to use Canva.com, to do that.
There are many reasons to use Canva to make your own images. First, Canva was still in its testing stages just a year ago. Your photos will look unique.
Next, research says that to get traffic to your site, you need âpinnable imagesâ. In How to Write a Killer Blog post, I discussed the importance of the picture. According to articles about how to get traffic to your site, long, colorful images will draw traffic to your site more than âold stock photosâ. Pinterest users will be more likely to pin your pictures. Half of all Pinterest users who pin your picture will click it and come to your site to read the article that accompanies it. The best partâCanva is free and easy.
Step 1 Make an account.
Step 2 Select your project.
Canva helps make blog graphics easier.
This is the Canva dashboard. Decide what graphic you want to make. I was originally confused because blog graphic is not here. You need to scroll right to see it.
Step 3 Search for a Background or Layout
This is a screenshot of Canvaâs canvas. Now you know why the site is called âCanvaâ!
The big arrow is pointing to Search which I normally click on first to look for the graphic I have in mind for my blog. The free choices appear at the top. I donât believe Canva sells any graphic for over $1.00.
For the graphic at the top, I clicked Background since I wanted the blue background. The shorter arrow is pointing to Layout. The difference between a background and a layout is that the Layouts are predesigned templates you can put your own photos in.
Step 4: Select an Image
Now that you have chosen your background or your layout, itâs time to put an image in front of it. I prefer to upload my own photos into Canva. I canât get sued since they are my photos, they are unique since no one owns my photos, and Iâm told they do better at drawing traffic to a blog site than stock photos everyone has access to. I have several friends who claim that almost half their traffic comes from Pinterest. Can you tell I used my laptop in the image at the top?
The big arrow is pointing at Uploads, where I went to upload my laptop.
 Step 5 Add some text
I found the circle with Canvaâs name in it by going to Search and typing âCanvaâ. The shorter arrow is pointing at Text where I went to type the name of my site Reflections. When you add text, font color choices, sizes, and styles come up. You are also able to choose whether you want your text bold or centered.
Canva.com is a site that allows bloggers to make professional-looking graphics.
People with little artistic skills are able to create professional-looking graphics. Bloggers can express creativity using Canva as well as blogging. Using Canva makes producing graphic designs fun.
If you think other bloggers can benefit from using Canva, please share.
Readers, where do you get your images? All recommendations would be appreciated.
Related:
How to Make an Infographic in 5 Minutes: Easel.ly
Update:
Canva now offers Diwali card templates.
