Organise Your Canva Easily: My Go-To System as a Designer

Jacqui Naunton // White Deer
27 Sep 2024

As a business owner and designer, having an organised Canva workspace is crucial. Whether you're crafting stunning visuals for your brand or designing for clients, keeping your files in order can save you time and prevent frustrations. If you've ever found yourself saying "my Canva is so unorganised," this tutorial is for you. Here's my go-to system for organising Canva effectively, ensuring you never lose a file again.

Why You Should Organise Your Canva

Taking a few minutes now to set up an organisational system in Canva will save you countless hours in the future. With a structured approach, you can quickly locate your designs, streamline the creative process, and focus more on what you do best—designing!

1. Name Your Files

The first step in organising your Canva is to always name your files. As soon as you begin a new design, assign it a descriptive name that includes keywords relevant to the project. This practice will make it easier to locate the files by using Canva's search feature.

2. Use Folders

Folders are your best friend when it comes to organisation. Create specific folders for different projects or themes, such as 'Presentations', 'Social Media', or 'Clients'. Move each design to its appropriate folder, either right after creation or during a tidy-up session. This way, all related files are grouped together, making them easy to find.

3. Add to Starred

For designs you access frequently, such as templates or blog graphics, consider using the Starred feature. Simply star these items, and they'll appear in a separate, easily accessible section. This is perfect for files you return to daily or weekly.

4. Group Graphics

Instead of creating separate files for each design iteration, group similar graphics within a single file. For example, keep all your social media posts for a quarter in one file. This approach avoids clutter and helps you maintain a seamless workflow.

5. Utilise Tags

Though not essential, adding tags to your designs can further enhance organisation. Tags serve as custom keywords that you attach to files, making it easier to search across different projects or themes. You could use tags like 'presentation', 'social media', or anything else specific to your design needs.

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Optimise Settings

  • Folders View: To avoid the overwhelm of Canva's main section, switch to the Projects tab. This will show all your folders neatly organised and help keep your recent designs out of sight.
  • Brand Kit: Save your brand colours, fonts, and logos in Canva's Brand Kit. This step simplifies the design process by having all essential brand elements readily available in one place.

Conclusion

With these steps, you can transform your Canva workspace from a chaotic jumble of untitled designs into a streamlined, user-friendly system. By investing a little effort up front, you ensure a smoother, more efficient creative process down the line. I hope these organisational strategies make your design journey with Canva even more enjoyable and productive. Happy designing!

Jacqui Naunton // White Deer