Canva as a graphic design tool.

Written By Justus Keaton

A commonly (or similarly) asked question from aspiring graphic designers usually involves conversations around that of Canva.

Questions like: Is it okay to use Canva for a client? Is canva professional? Can I use my work on Canva in my portfolio?

Well I’m going to give you an answer most of you probably won’t like. Whilst Canva is an amazing resource for beginners and “non-designers” key word being: “non”; if you want to work as a professional graphic designer you will need to advance beyond Canva. Canva is great if you’re starting out, doing a quick pro-bono flyer, or using it as a means of inspiration, but that’s about it.

Have you ever heard a professional web designer talk about their thoughts on Website builders like, say GoDaddy? (If you haven’t, just know they HATE it). Well, as a graphic designer it’s kind of like that. Canva is a cheat-cheat and it doesn’t give you nearly as much creativity, control or customizability as an official graphic design software like Adobe Illustrator. And as a professional designer you absolutely need those three things.

So let me circle back and be clear. In my humble and semi-expert opinion:

  1. No, it is absolutely not okay to use Canva for a paying client, as a professional graphic designer.

  2. Yes and No. Canva is professional in the sense that it can be utilized for professional means. Not as a working, professional designer, it is not professional to use Canva.

  3. Another Yes and No. I would not use templates from Canva in my portfolio UNLESS you made the template from scratch.

I hope this blog was able to clear up any confusion and answer any questions about canva as a professional design tool.

Design Software largely depends on the type of designer you are and your industry, but I will give list of some great software programs below.

  1. Adobe Illustrator (Vector Graphics)

  2. Adobe InDesign (Publication & Layout)

  3. Adobe XD & Figma (recently acquired by Adobe - UI/UX )

  4. CLO3D (Fashion)

  5. Adobe After Effects (Motion Graphic)

  6. Autodesk (Architecture & Engineering)

Justus Keaton