So you have worked with a designer to create your dream brand identity. Your designer has created all the main assets such as business cards, brochures, signage, etc., but you have decided to handle the day to day social media and email marketing yourself. It is fun and pretty simple using apps, but the graphics you create don't exactly reflect the brand you've invested so much in. 

Thanks to Canva, creating cohesive, on-brand templates is much easier than it sounds! Canva is an easy-to-use and straight forward graphic design tool that allows you to create social media graphics and other visual content while staying on brand by adding your unique brand colors, fonts and graphic elements. 

But why is branding so important?

Branding is important because it’s the first impression a consumer gets of you and your brand. By staying consistent with it, it sets expectations to what standard your company delivers. Successful branding is a way to stand out and distinguish yourself from competitors.

How to set up your brand kit in Canva Pro

I’m going to be showing you the exact steps you need to take to set up your own customized and branded kit for future use on any graphics you may want to create. Below you’ll find a step-by-step guide.


1. SIGN UP FOR A CANVA PRO ACCOUNT
For most, a free Canva account will be sufficient for basic and non-branded designs, but a Pro account will give you access to the Brand Kit feature. This will allow you to set up your custom logos, colors, fonts and graphic elements, so you can create branded graphics to not only save time but also stay on brand in the future. 

A monthly subscription to Canva Pro will cost around $10 monthly if paid annually and is definitely worth it considering the ease of use (compared to pro designing tools like InDesign, Illustrator, and the likes) and flexibility.

2. IMPORT YOUR PIECES FROM YOUR BRANDING PACKAGE 
Once registered, you’ll be able to see the main menu on the left-hand side of your screen. Click on “Brand Kit” to upload your logo files, brand colors, and fonts from the package your designer gave you.

3. ADD YOUR GRAPHIC ELEMENTS AND BRAND PHOTOGRAPHY 
Now that you’ve uploaded your logos, colors, and fonts, you’ll want to upload any graphic elements your designer has provided and any brand imagery you might want to use. 

Go back to the menu on the left-hand side and select “All your folders”, where you can upload images, templates, headers, banners, and the like. To upload your brand elements, select “Photos” within your folders.

4. CREATE YOUR FIRST BRANDED GRAPHIC
Congrats! Your Canva Pro account is now set up and ready to start designing and customizing your own on-brand graphics, social media templates, business cards, and anything else you may need! Have your designer create some custom templates, or, you choose from the free templates available. If using Canva's free templates, make sure to change all existing colors, fonts, and logos to those from your brand kit, and voila!, you have a graphic consistent with your brand.

Now try for yourself! You’ll be surprised how easy and quick it is to set up your brand kit in Canva Pro! And guess what? Use my link below for the best Canva trial deal on the web!

- Amanda

Have any other questions on what to look for in a designer? Just ask me.
amanda@blondedesignstudio.com

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