I’ve been using Photoshop and other Adobe programs for more than 20 years. (I just did the math to figure that out and I feel old!) But sometimes, I use Canva because it’s easy and quick. But my favorite thing to use Canva for isn’t creating graphics. I love to use it for inspiration! I’m going to share five ways you can use Canva for ideas for your projects, no matter what program you’re using or your level of skill.
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Color inspiration
Browse the templates and find lots of great color combos to inspire your own palates.
I love this mix of bold summer colors – pink, red and a touch of yellow.
Here’s a cool idea for mixing up the color of letters in a title.
I love the softer colors on this blue background.
And here is a soft palate that is really on trend right now.
Typography inspiration
You can use Canva for inspiration in your typography when you’re creating headlines or banners or any kind of display text. Use your font stash and come up with your own creations.
Love this mix of a handwritten script and bold blocky font.
This design is almost the reverse of the previous one. A really big, cut off script with a minimalist sans serif font. (Check out my tutorial on how to tweak apostophe’s when you’re using Canva’s script fonts.)
This t-shirt design uses just one font but mixes it up with color, outlines and reflections.
Font pairing inspiration
So not only can you find cool ways to use type, browse Canva for ways to pair fonts.
Here we’ve got a really narrow sans serif with a script.
And for a classic look, find a serif and sans serif. You can use these type treatment for anything.
Composition inspiration
Here are some cool flier design that I could use as inspiration for a magazine layout. I might do something with a block of photos and strip of color. Or do something geometric. Please note there’s a difference between inspiration and copying or plagiarizing.
This Instagram template really caught my eye. The type, the colors and negative space are going in my ideas file.
Trend inspiration
Abstract doodles are everywhere! Like these? Repurpose the doodles from this Stories template to your project in Canva with a simple copy and paste.
Find some retro inspiration from the 80s and 90s.
You can find lots of inspiration for minimalist designs.
What’s inspiring you?
So next time you’re using Canva or looking for inspiration, look beyond the templates and shapes and see ideas you can use in whatever you’re creating. Let me know how you’re using Canva for inspiration in the comments below. If you found this post helpful, please share and pin!
