Canva for beginners: five habits that make your designs look professional

Canva makes it easy to start a design, which also makes it easy to overcrowd one. Most beginner designs improve immediately with a few simple habits.

1. Decide the one thing people must read first

Every poster has one main message — the event name, the offer, the product. Make it clearly the biggest text. Everything else supports it. If everything is big, nothing stands out.

2. Use two fonts at most

Pick one font for headings and one for normal text, and use them consistently. Use size and weight (bold, regular) to create variety instead of adding more fonts.

3. Give things space

Leave margin around the edges and space between groups of information. Empty space is not wasted — it makes the important parts easier to see.

4. Check contrast

Light text on a busy photo is hard to read. Add a solid shape behind the text, darken the image slightly, or move the text to a calmer part of the picture.

5. Preview it at phone size

Most people will see your design on WhatsApp or social media on a small screen. Zoom out until the design is about the size of a phone post. If you cannot read the key details, make them bigger or remove something.

Practise these habits on one design at a time. After a few posters they become automatic.