Technology and the endless options of tools that can do anything from format a casual blog, to provide a clever layout for family photos is a wonderful thing. Don’t get us wrong. We love creative tools. However, what we want to warn you about in this era of do-it-yourself hacks is maybe best put in the form of a comparison. I’ll bet at some point in your life you have used a hammer. Does that make you a general contractor? Heck no! Maybe you’re familiar with all of the time-saving meal kits that have deliciously made their way to the marketplace. Would you “Blue Apron” or “Hello Fresh” your daughter’s wedding? I think we know that would be a certain disaster.
So, when you are in need of professional creative design, be it for a logo or a website or a full brand creation or revamp…Canva is not the answer.
Canva is a free graphic design platform that’s great for making invitations, business cards, Instagram posts, and other simple products. A drag and drop interface makes customizing thousands of templates simple and relatively user friendly. Canva’s array of features allow the user to edit photos without extensive photo editing knowledge or experience. It is a tool that can be fun to use while being useful for basic, casual projects.
However, Canva makes you a graphic designer the same way a microwave makes you a chef. It can “get the job done” in the minimal sense of the word, but like a reheated frozen meal, it is mostly flavorless and bland. It homogenizes design. Once familiar with things that have been designed on Canva, it is incredibly easy to spot something else that was designed on Canva. Content ameteuerly created on Canva is merely passable and mediocre at best. We liken it to hotel art: meant to look nice in the room and not offend anyone’s sensibilities…but it’s not going to bring that “wow” factor that your business deserves.
Many businesses need a brand to help them stand apart in a crowd of similar products. Having a defined, consistent look and feel across their entire product line – from company logos, business cards, and all their branded materials – makes a company’s products memorable. Graphic designers use their creative skills, education, and business knowledge to come up with a design plan that will project the right image for their clients. A graphic designer uses artistic and technical skills to make an aesthetically appealing design with the correct message, font, shape, color scheme, images, and layout for a particular project. Graphic designers are detail-oriented and organize projects carefully to ensure that the end result is consistent, cohesive, and effective. Creative teams take input and feedback from clients and make magic happen. You won’t get that from a free platform.
Businesses know that the cultivation of business stems directly from relationships. Relationships are at the core of MadCap Marketing’s business model. At MadCap Marketing we give life to dynamic marketing strategies, powerful brand identities, consistent digital tools, and memorable experiences to connect people to brands and organizations. We succeed when you succeed, and we celebrate the journey and process alongside you. We have the people and the talent and the strategy that it takes to grow your business. Let’s connect.