When you have finished with this lesson, please be sure to click the blue button that has the white arrow in the top right corner of your screen to progress to the next lesson. This will help you to track where you are up to in the course as it will mark the lesson in the menu with a check mark.

Welcome! I'm so excited that you've chosen to take this free introductory course to using Canva. I'm confident that you'll come to love it as much as I do!

I have a background in design and have used programs such as Corel Draw, Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign - and more, so I just want to say that in my opinion, Canva is an INCREDIBLE tool.

If you have advanced design skills, and are used to using the more technical programs, then chances are you will find some restrictions within Canva (in particular things like outlining text and working with drop shadows - though you can work around these to a point)... and for some of the more advanced graphic creations I've been known to still flip over to Photoshop, create a specific piece and then pull it into Canva.

But the functionality of Canva is so incredibly easy to use and is great for quick and simple graphics, that even as a designer I find myself jumping into Canva as much as possible.

For those who don't have a background in design, you're going to come out of Canva feeling like a pro! There are so many high quality, professional graphics that you'll be able to put together in minutes, that I know you'll be thrilled.

One thing I do want to clarify is that, even though the program is very easy to use, there is still a learning curve - this is the case ANYTIME you start using something new to you. It's also a piece of software, which means that it will have glitches and things won't always work the way you expect them to.

Take a deep breath and don't sweat the small stuff. Most of the time things are going to work beautifully and you'll be tickled pink with your creations. AND you'll be saving oodles of time and money. These benefits make the occasional quirks and glitches worth putting up with.

TIP: If a particular glitch keeps happening, there's one of three things going on.

1. You shouldn't be doing what you're doing;
2. It's a program bug and at this time you just can't do what you're trying to do;
3. The "computer gremlins" are in a bad mood - shut everything down, take a breather, and then come back and try again.

Don't ever beat your head against the wall for more than 15 minutes at the most.

Each video has been named for the piece that it covers and I've included a brief description of what is covered in the video. You have open access to all the videos, so you don't have to watch them sequentially in order to move on to the next one (though as explained before, I do recommend it).

Just a reminder that this is a full and thorough course with the absolute beginner at the forefront of thought. This means that for anyone more comfortable with computers, you may find some parts a bit slow and elementary. Feel free to skip over parts as applicable, or use the very handy feature of doubling the speed to zip through them quicker.

Also, we have not cut any corners on this course. Despite the fact that we provide it for free, it is extremely comprehensive, to the same level of detail as our paid courses and membership materials. We have done this intentionally so that you're able to experience first hand how we approach all of our courses before you make the decision to buy any.

Even if you already know how to use Canva, if you're considering buying one of our courses or joining our membership, we highly recommend that you watch some or all of our Canva course so that you have a better idea of what you can expect from us.

Since the nature of our lessons is extremely visual and involves a lot of demonstration, we do only have a video format available at this time. If there is enough demand, we may consider putting together written and audio versions at a later date.

Enjoy! And feel free to leave comments or ask questions on each of the lessons.

Tanya

Remember to click the blue button, top right :)