COVER YOUR VISUAL ASSETS: HOW TO CREATE MAGNETIC VISUALS WITH CANVA AND MORE

Lisa Buyer and Kay Tappan

THE WHY

a closed plane curve, every point of which is equidistant from a fixed point within the curve

a closed plane curve, every point of which is equidistant from a fixed point within the curve

THE POWER OF IMAGES

TECHNICAL CONSIDERATIONS

OBTAINING IMAGES: RESOURCES

• Original photos and graphics are ideal.

• However, this is not a perfect world.

• Professional, high-quality photos are expensive and take time

• Original graphics (such as logos) mean hiring a graphic designer; also costly and time-consuming

OBTAINING IMAGES: RESOURCES• The Noun Project

• unsplash.com

• stocksnap.io

• Creative Commons image search

• Creative Market

• splitshire.com

MINI DESIGN SCHOOL

CRAP

CONTRAST

CONTRAST

CONTRAST

REPETITION

REPETITION

REPETITION

ALIGNMENT

Our eye is trained to read from left to right (at least in Western countries). Avoid the urge to center all your text! Make sure that other elements on the page are aligned as well.

Our eye is trained to read from left to right (at least in Western

countries). Avoid the urge to centerall your text! Make sure that otherelements on the page are aligned

as well.

Good BAD

ALIGNMENT

PROXIMITY

PROXIMITY

Heading 1 This text goes with Heading 1.

Heading 2 This text goes with Heading 2.

Good Bad

Heading 1

This text goes with Heading 1.

Heading 2

This text goes with Heading 2.

PROPORTION

color quick guide

RED powerenergyvitalitylove seductionviolenceangerdangeradventure

ORANGE comfortwarmthyouthenergycreativitycheerexcitementaffordability

YELLOW happinessjoycuriosityplayfulnessfrustrationirritationcautionaryillness

GREEN healthnatureorganicmoralityethicsfreshnessfinancialmoneystabilityaffluencegreedjealousy

BLUE Dark blue: Trust,

dignity, authority

Bright blue: Cleanliness, strength, dependability

Light blue: Peace, serenity, spirituality, friendliness

PURPLE luxuryroyaltynobilitymagicspiritualitysupernatural

RULES OF COLOR: CONVEY INFORMATION

CONVEY INFORMATION

RULES OF COLOR: ASSIST IN MNEMONIC VALUE

ADDITIVE COLOR = RGB

HEX CODES

TYPOGRAPHY 101

SERIF VS. SANS-SERIFSerif fonts have ornamental strokes; Times New Roman is the most common example.

HANDWRITTEN/SCRIPT FONTS

NOVELTY FONTS

TYPOGRAPHY 101

TYPE CRIMES

• BOLD, ITALIC, UNDERLINED CAPS

• TYPESETTING IN ALL CAPS HAS LOW LEGIBILITY AND LOOKS LIKE SOMEONE IS SHOUTING

• Underlining for emphasis looks amateur (and appears to be a hyperlink on the web)

WHEN CHOOSING A TYPEFACE

THE ALMIGHTY STYLE GUIDE

WHAT TO INCLUDE

• Color values for print and web

• Photograph / graphic style

• Typefaces (2 - 3)

• Logo treatment

Tools to RulesCover Your Visual Assets 

cc: m-s-y - https://www.flickr.com/photos/34064267@N00

Agenda• Opportunity • Situation • Tools • Tips

cc: incurable_hippie - https://www.flickr.com/photos/49503155381@N01

OpportunityThe Media

cc: stevebeard73 - https://www.flickr.com/photos/29928190@N00

Journalists are asking for visuals - images, videos,

and infographics.

cc: incurable_hippie - https://www.flickr.com/photos/49503155381@N01

Visuals drive more content views, and adding multiple

media assets to your content generates even

better results.

cc: qthomasbower - https://www.flickr.com/photos/55943778@N00

Top performing press releases contain strong visuals.

cc: javier.:.vázquez - https://www.flickr.com/photos/23127224@N07

Why not go for almost 100% improvement?

FACEBOOK POSTS CONTAINING PHOTOS ACCOUNTED FOR 87%

OF ALL NETWORK INTERACTIONS.

cc: niallkennedy - https://www.flickr.com/photos/35034351734@N01

TWEETS WITH IMAGES RECEIVE 150% MORE RETWEETS THAN

THOSE WITHOUT.

cc: id-iom - https://www.flickr.com/photos/48119396@N00

Instagram Most Engaging Filters

• Mayfair • Inkwell • Amaro • Walden • Lo-Fi

cc: aslakr - https://www.flickr.com/photos/38839434@N00

SituationWhat's Happening?

cc: Eric Constantineau - www.ericconstantineau.com - https://www.flickr.com/photos/74007022@N00

More CompetitionIt's getting crowded in the newsfeed

cc: James Cridland - https://www.flickr.com/photos/18378655@N00

Journalists say PHOTOS are the most important

multimedia feature in an online newsroom.

cc: kennymatic - https://www.flickr.com/photos/99472898@N00

The majority of marketers plan to increase their use and production of original

visual content.

cc: Joe The Goat Farmer - https://www.flickr.com/photos/132604339@N03

Visualize Your Story!

cc: kevin dooley - https://www.flickr.com/photos/12836528@N00

How?• Custom Imagery • Infographics • Slides • SM Messages • Blogs

cc: kevin dooley - https://www.flickr.com/photos/12836528@N00

ToolsCanva and more

cc: Kaptain Kobold - https://www.flickr.com/photos/95492938@N00

"Canva makes great design more accessible.”

- Forbes

The Story• Australian start-up • 2013 launched • 6M users • Hollywood and Silicon Valley

investments

Types of Canva AccountsFree and Paid 

What Can You Design?

• Business Cards, Letterheads • Profile and Cover Images • Social Messages • Resumes • Infographics • Book Covers

C A N V A D E S I G N S C H O O L

Quick Guideto Canva

Create an accountwww.canva.com

Search

S E A R C H

The two ways to search

There are two ways to search:category folders and

keyword search.

S E A R C H

Grids and images

Grids can be used to hold any images and allow for easyresizing and manipulation of your images.

Layouts

L A Y O U T S

Choose a striking template

If you don't want to start from scratch, choose one of the hundreds ofbeautifully designed layouts that have been created for each design type.

TextT

T E X T

Use a text box

Choose from header, subtitle, or body text boxes and adjust thefont and size to complement your design. Change the default

font and size if you regularly use the same fonts.

A D D T E X T T O Y O U R D E S I G N

Use a text holder

If you're not sure where to start, choose from hundreds of text boxesto tastefully frame the text for your design.

B L U E B E R R YP I E

F O R M O R E R E C I P I E S V I S I T O U R W E B S I T E

Honeycomb

T H E U L T I M A T E D I N N E R T R E A T

icecream

GUESTHOUSE

La maison

SINCE 1972

EXHIBITIONON NOW

SCULPTURE & ART

Background

B A C K G R O U N D S

Choose a color or Canva background

Uploads

U P L O A D S

Upload your own images

Helpful Tips

H E L P F U L T I P S

Download and Share

Download your design asa PDF or image.

Share your design usingemail or using a link.

H E L P F U L T I P S

Page arrangement

You can change the order of your pagesby clicking on the up or down arrows.

You can also duplicate and delete pagesin your design by clicking on the dual

page or trash can icons.

G E T T I N G S T A R T E D

Beginner's Challenge

G E T T I N G S T A R T E D

Choose your new design type

Choose the design type that makes the most sense for your classroom task.

10+ Tips & Tools

cc: Claire_Sambrook - https://www.flickr.com/photos/18432246@N00

1. Design ToolsPicMonkey, Canva, Pixlr, Easel.ly, WordSwag and more

cc: Phil Roeder - https://www.flickr.com/photos/88876166@N00

2. InfographicsInfo.gram, Canva, Visual.ly, Piktochart 

cc: sneeu - https://www.flickr.com/photos/90336565@N00

Give a clear call-to-action in visuals 3. Add CTA to Images

cc: włodi - https://www.flickr.com/photos/19716902@N00

4. Responsive DesignYour images should be mobile-friendly 

cc: ChrisGoldNY - https://www.flickr.com/photos/34325628@N05

5. Create a SlideshowEmbed and save as video

cc: waferbaby - https://www.flickr.com/photos/51035718466@N01

A picture is worth 1,000 words (or shares!)6. Visual Storytelling

cc: kennymatic - https://www.flickr.com/photos/99472898@N00

Images Behind the Scenes#BTS images and/or audio

cc: Bob Bekian - https://www.flickr.com/photos/53771684@N04

Communicate Key Messaging - 3, 2, 1, action!

7. Videocc: fractalznet - https://www.flickr.com/photos/95575701@N00

Explainer VideosTool: makewebvideo.com

8. GIFsMake it interactive! Tool-to-Use: Giphy

cc: kevin dooley - https://www.flickr.com/photos/12836528@N00

9. Add Visual Assetsto your Press Release

cc: Steve Rhodes - https://www.flickr.com/photos/44124466908@N01

10. Know When To Designand when to outsource :) 

cc: martinak15 - https://www.flickr.com/photos/64636777@N03

11. Haiku DeckBuh-Bye Power Point

cc: Wesley Fryer - https://www.flickr.com/photos/31442459@N00

12. Buddhify App

Visualize Creativity. #Whitespace. Clear the Mind Clutter.cc: albill - https://www.flickr.com/photos/66133152@N00

Takeaways• Think about a visual PR strategy to

tell your brand story • Consider Canva for DIY design • Check out other visual tools to add

to your PR arsenal • Optimize • Never stop learning

Follow @Canva for Tips

cc: thewikiman - https://www.flickr.com/photos/40488338@N03

Follow @GuyKawasakiGive him a "CANVAngelist" Shout Out! 

cc: Robert Scoble - https://www.flickr.com/photos/35034363287@N01

Get Your Gift!Give it a try. 

cc: SurprisePally - https://www.flickr.com/photos/31417716@N00

Thank you! :)Follow Me @LisaBuyer 

cc: eldh - https://www.flickr.com/photos/22480788@N08

Sources• PRNewswire • eMarketer • Social Media Examiner • www.selfstartr.com/instagram-

marketing-tips-ecommerce/