Pros and Cons of Canva versus Hiring a Graphic Designer

The Pros and Cons and what is best for you:

1. The Pros of Canva
2. The Cons of Canva
3. The Pros of Hiring a Graphic Designer
4. The Cons of Hiring a Graphic Designer
5. What This All Means

Friends and clients alike often ask us for advice on using Canva versus paying us, graphic designers, for a custom design. Our answer…well, that depends…

There are a lot of questions that you should ask yourself before using a Canva template to see if it is the right choice for you such as:

• Firstly, what are you using it for? Is it for a social media post or a printed poster?
• Do you have a clear company brand that should be followed?
• Do you mind using a template that other organizations will also be using?
• Do you know a reputable graphic designer that you feel comfortable working with?
• What kind of budget do you have?

Depending on your answers, a decision should become clear.

The Cons of Canva

Although Canva is user-friendly, it isn’t necessarily intuitive for people who aren’t used to working with design software. Changing colours, images and text can become frustrating for some. Not to mention that running the correct type of file can also be confusing. Many templates look great until you put your own content or branding into them and balancing imagery, text and colours isn’t as straightforward as it sounds.

There are countless times that we’ve had a client start their own project using a template, spend hours trying to get it right and then end up sending it to us to fix and complete. This wastes their time and often ends up costing them more money, adding to their frustration.

The Pros of Hiring a Graphic Designer

A good graphic designer is able to listen, understand and create a design that follows your vision and your company brand. The finished piece will be unique to your organization and it will remind your clients of who you are and what you stand for. An experienced graphic designer also has an understanding of the differences between print and online media and the intricacies of each.

Printing companies require specific file types made to specific specs and even different printers from in-house office machines to large print companies have different requirements. A professional designer understands this and can supply the correct files for you.  Not all free templates take into account whether you’d like to print with bleeds or not and do you even know what the heck that means?

There are so many complexities to consider for each project and we can quickly make smart choices that speak to your target market and leads to a strong final product. Curious to see what branding projects we’ve worked on? Come check them out here!

The Cons of Hiring a Graphic Designer

Not all graphic designers are superheroes. Some dig in their heels to create what they think is best for you rather than listening to what you need. Graphic designers usually charge by the hour or the project so make sure you have the budget to spend.

If your organization has company branding, it is vital that the graphic designer you work with is able to understand and implement your brand – not all graphic designers can manage the subtleties of branding even though they are talented.

Do your background checks to make sure that your graphic designer has the experience and talent to provide you with the project you require within the timeline and budget you have.

What This Means for You

At the end of the day, Canva is a great user-friendly tool with many beautiful templates. Our suggestion is to give it a try and see if you find it easy to use and if it provides you the type of templates you’re looking for. If you require a unique, professional design that follows branding or you’d like to develop a new brand, give us a call to get the job done.