Advanced Canva DIY: Seriously Useful Design Hacks for Entrepreneurs
- Sharon D'Costa
- Apr 7
- 5 min read
Canva is a Lifesaver for Entrepreneurs!
Running a small business? Then you're probably wearing 27 hats and wishing you could clone yourself. We all know marketing is super important, but who has the time (or budget) to hire a designer for every post, flyer, or promo?
That’s where my favorite tool, Canva comes in! From social posts to flyers to branded magic, you can whip up polished marketing assets in minutes, no design degree required.
By now, everyone and their dog has heard of Canva! So in this guide, I won't discuss the common stuff. Instead, I’ll take you through some of Canva's most powerful yet often overlooked features for entrepreneurs. With this knowledge, you will be able to whip up professional and branded designs in no time, making your workflow much more efficient.
1. Maintain Brand Consistency with Canva’s Brand Kit
What It Is:
The Brand Kit allows you to store your brand’s logo, colors, and fonts, ensuring all the marketing materials you create are consistent.
Why It's Cool:
Avoid off-brand colors or fonts.
Save time --- no need to input brand assets manually for every new design.
Instantly apply your branding to templates with one click.
Canva Pro or Free? -- This is a Pro feature.
How to Use It:
Go to “Brand Hub” → Select “Brand Kit”.
Upload your logo, brand fonts, and colors. You can also upload your brand icons, photos, graphics, and other assets for easy access.
Apply your brand styles to any design in one click.
DESIGN HACK: Even if you don’t have Canva Pro, you can manually save your brand colors in one design and duplicate that file whenever you start a new project, (or simply open it and copy as required).
2. Bulk Create Social Media Graphics from a Spreadsheet
What It Is:
Canva’s Bulk Create feature lets you design multiple social media posts or designs at once using a spreadsheet. Instead of manually editing each graphic, you can create a template, upload a list of text or images, and let Canva fill in the details for you.
Check out this short video on how to use the Bulk Create feature.
Why It’s Cool:
Saves time. You can batch-create posts instead of designing them one by one.
Ensures brand consistency across all graphics.
Great for social media campaigns, quote graphics, and promotional posts.
How to Use It:
Create a spreadsheet (Google Sheets or Excel) with the text/image links you want to use.
In Canva, open a template and go to Apps > Bulk Create.
Upload your spreadsheet and link data fields to the template.
Click “Generate” >Canva will create multiple designs instantly.
Watch this video for a step-by-step walkthrough:
Here's an Example
Example: Creating a Daily Fitness Tip Series
Goal: You want to design 30 graphics, one for each day of the month, with different fitness tips. Instead of manually editing each image, you’ll use Bulk Create to automate the process.
Step 1: Create a Design Template
Open Canva and design a simple quote-style post with your branding (logo, colors, font).
Include a placeholder text box where the tip will go (e.g., “[Fitness Tip Here]”).
Step 2: Prepare a Spreadsheet (CSV File) Or use the "Manual" option to enter your data.
You’ll create one column for the fitness tips:
Tip |
"Consistency beats intensity. Move every day!" |
"Short workouts > No workouts. Even 10 mins counts!" |
"Hydration fuels performance. Drink that water!" |
"Strength training boosts metabolism & burns fat!" |
"Good form > Heavy weights. Avoid injury, lift smart!" |
"Rest days help muscles grow. Don’t skip them!" |
"Walking 10K steps daily improves heart health!" |
(You can add up to 30 rows - one for each day's tip.)
Step 3: Bulk Upload & Generate
Go to Apps → Bulk Create in Canva.
Upload your CSV file.
Link the spreadsheet column to the placeholder text in your template. (Right click on each section of your template and link data
Click Generate Designs, and Canva will instantly create 30 unique graphics with different fitness tips!
Step 4: Download & Schedule
Now, you can download all images in one click and schedule them for posting on social media, saving hours of manual work!
3. Create Presentation Decks in Minutes with AI-Powered Magic Design
What It Is:
Magic Design is Canva’s AI-powered tool that generates graphics instantly based on a simple text prompt. It can also help you create a full presentation, including design and placeholder content that you can then customize as needed.
How to Use It:
Go to Presentations > Design (in the left menu)
In the search bar, enter a simple prompt (e.g., "A pitch deck for an AI music app").
Choose from AI-generated design options.
Customize fonts, images, and colors to match your branding.
Why It's Cool:
Saves hours of formatting.
Generates professional, unique, and visually appealing slide decks effortlessly.
For each prompt, the AI engine generates multiple design options to choose from.
📌 Pro Tip: Use this feature to quickly create investor pitch decks, team training slides, or client presentations.
4. Design Ads, Flyers, and Business Cards (Print & Digital)
What It Is:
Canva has thousands of pre-sized templates for ads, flyers, and business cards that can be customized in minutes.
Why It Matters:
Ensures your marketing materials are properly sized for different platforms.
Saves money compared to hiring a designer.
Print-ready designs that can be ordered directly from Canva.
How to Use It:
Go to Templates and select the category (ads, flyers, business cards, etc.).
Choose a template that fits your brand.
Customize colors, fonts, and images.
Download in PDF print format or order directly through Canva’s printing service.
📌 Pro Tip: Use Canva’s AI Background Remover (Pro feature) to create clean, professional images for your ads.
5. Set Up Templates for Team Collaboration
What It Is:
Canva allows you to create reusable templates that your team can edit, ensuring consistent branding.
Why It Matters:
Team members don’t need design experience.
Prevents off-brand designs.
Speeds up content creation for social media and marketing materials.
How to Use It:
Create a template for social media posts, presentations, or documents.
Click “Share” and select “Template Link”.
Team members can access and edit without changing the original.
📌 Pro Tip: If you work with freelancers or virtual assistants, share templates with them to maintain brand consistency.
Canva isn’t just a simple design tool, it’s a full-fledged business solution for branding, marketing, and workflow automation. By leveraging advanced features like the Brand Kit, Bulk Create, AI-powered Magic Design, and Print & Digital Marketing tools, you can save time, money, and effort while maintaining professional-quality designs.
If you found this guide helpful, follow BuildThatSkill for more useful content for small businesses and solopreneurs. If there's a skill or topic you'd like me to feature, let me know. Your feedback is always appreciated.
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