
Master Canva's tools and design fundamentals to create designs with color, type, layouts, and presentations, including logos and animations. Explore Canva's ai tools like background remover and image generator.
Start with Canva by downloading exercise files and a shortcut sheet, sign up in browser or desktop, and explore free and pro features, and a 30-day trial to follow along.
Generate your Canva design brief with the random project generator. Explore Canva use cases for students, teachers, and marketers, and download the brief as a png for your portfolio.
Learn to crop images in Canva using corner handles, crop mode, and background options, and explore aspect ratios, auto and smart crop for precise framing.
Learn how to find free, commercially usable images for your business or classroom using Unsplash and Pexels. Explore licensing, Canva Pro, and tips for choosing portrait formats and sizes.
Export a png or jpeg from Canva for class projects, download the first page as png into an exports folder, name it v1, and share via email or Instagram.
Create Instagram post with a background image, a framed image, and two shapes (colored box and circle), using Canvas Sans and basic colors, then export as png for your portfolio.
Explore Canva styles, where fonts and color palettes form font combinations used in templates. Learn to use color palettes, font sets, and image palettes with shuffle and eyedropper tools.
Learn to create and customize dotted and curved lines in Canva, attach lines to text and shapes, and use the forward slash shortcut to insert lines and shapes quickly.
Create a concept post using a photo and a quote, experiment with Canva's background remover, erase/restore, and layer text to overlap, then share on class projects and social media.
Create an AI-generated Instagram post by combining the user-assigned animal with a quote, using prompts to customize images, and share your AI art on class projects and social media.
Use Canva whiteboards, the unbounded document space for brainstorming, mood boards, and templates. Learn to customize mood boards for clients and design projects with color swatches and post-it notes.
Create a mood board on a whiteboard with image and color inspiration for a logo project, gathering at least 12 images and color swatches from Dribbble, Behance, Pinterest, and Color.adobe.com.
Learn to conduct competitor analysis for logos by collecting real-world examples, grouping designs by simple versus radical styles, and using findings to justify colors, fonts, and overall mood.
Design a six-logo collection focused on the logo mark, using three existing graphics and three from Canva's Magic Media, then refine layouts after mood board and competitor analysis.
Discover practical font selection for logos in Canva Design Essentials, including weight-based hierarchy, sans serif and serif choices, and using competitor analysis and mood boards to guide branding.
Design and test multiple logo options by exploring color arrays, fonts, and styles. Analyze competitors' colors, gather constructive feedback, and share three pages for critique and social posts.
Explore gradients in Canva, adjust premade colors and angles, and learn the limits: gradients apply to shapes and backgrounds, text cannot have a gradient, with gradient resources and eyedropper tips.
Welcome to the Canva Design Essentials course! Led by professional designer Dan Scott, this course is your gateway to mastering Canva and building a strong foundation in design principles. Whether you’re new to design or looking to sharpen your skills, you’ll learn how to create impactful, real-world designs with ease.
With 17 years of professional design experience and multiple teaching awards, Dan has taught over a million students worldwide. His hands-on approach and industry insights make learning engaging and accessible, empowering you to reach your creative potential.
You’ll learn:
Design Fundamentals
Social Media & Marketing Graphics
Logo Design & Branding
Create Professional Documents & Presentations
Learn how to Edit Video
Canva’s AI Features
This course is ideal for beginners in Canva and design, whether you’re a teacher, student, small business owner, or aspiring designer. With step-by-step instructions, you’ll gain confidence in creating visuals that communicate effectively and look professional.
Take the first step toward becoming a Canva Hero—sign up now to transform your design skills!
Requirements:
All you need is a free Canva account. You can get a free trial from Canva here to get started.
Who this course is for:
Absolutely no previous Canva experience is required.
This course is designed for newcomers to Canva and design in general, so no prior design experience is necessary.
This is a relaxed, well-paced introduction, perfect for producing a wide range of projects. Only basic computer skills are necessary - if you can send emails and surf the internet, you're more than capable of mastering this course.
What you'll learn:
Creating Designs in Canva
Working with Free & Paid Images in Canva
How to Crop Photos in Canva
How to Crop with Frames in Canva
How to Name Your Canva Documents Right
Uploading Your Own Images into Canva
Where to Get Free Photos for Canva
Understanding Workspaces
Squares, Circles + Layers & Position
How to Export a JPG & PNG from Canva
Mixing Colors in Canva
Design Styles & Color Palettes in Canva
Working with Text & Fonts in Canva
Adding Drop Shadows to Text in Canva
Curving Text Around a Badge
Group, Lock & Aligning Elements in Canva
Creating Dotted & Arrowed Lines with Text
Modifying Shapes in Canva
Changing Color of Graphics & Collections
Editing the Background Remover Tool
AI Image Generator with Magic Media in Canva
Mockups in Canva
Testing & Posting on Your Phone for Instagram
Editing Canva Designs on Your Phone
Using Canva Template Logos
MoodBoard WhiteBoard Brainstorm
Using Markup Tools, Stickies, Comments & Sharing
Logo Competitor Analysis in Canva
Designing a Custom Logo in Canva
Picking Fonts for Your Logo
Choosing Logo Colors
Using Gradients in Canva
Understanding Brand Kits
Light, Dark & Stacked Versions of Your Logo
Working with a Word Style Doc in Canva
Font Combinations & Pairing in Canva
Changing Text Styles in Canva
Styling Tables in Canva
Designing Header Banners in Canva Docs
Using Highlight Blocks, Dividers & Quotes in Canva Docs
Presentation Templates & Styles in Canva
Using Layouts in Presentations in Canva
Page Transitions in Presentations
Animating Pages & Page Elements
Creating Charts in Canva
Adding QR Codes in Canva
Adjusting Images in Canva
Darkening Images for Text Overlays
Using Magic Eraser in Canva
Magic Edit in Canva
Magic Expand in Canva
Trimming Video in Canva
Applying Video Filters & Adjustments
Animating Text & Changing Timing in Canva
Changing Stickers & Adding Motion Effects
Animating Photos in Canva
Finding Free Videos for Canva
Exporting Video for Social Media in Canva