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Design and social media - Beginner

Graphic Design with Canva: From Beginner to Professional

Go beyond templates: learn layout, type, colour, brand kits, print and screen exports, and finish real projects (posts…

About this course

Canva makes it easy to open a template and change the words. Real design skill is knowing why a layout works, which size to start with, how to export for print or WhatsApp, and how to keep a whole brand looking like one family. This course teaches that craft, step by step, inside Canva.

You will learn the workspace and what the free and paid plans really include, then layout, spacing, hierarchy, typography and colour with worked examples. You will edit photos, build a Brand Kit, and complete projects you can show to clients: social media posts and carousels, print posters with bleed, CVs and certificates, logos, business cards, menus, presentations, invitations, infographics and short videos. You will also learn teamwork, AI tools and their limits, correct exporting, copyright, portfolio building and finding design work in East Africa.

No experience is needed. Completing Graphic Design Fundamentals first helps, but it is not required. The course ends with a capstone: a complete brand identity for a real or imagined small business, church group, school club or NGO.

What you will learn

  • Find your way around the Canva workspace and explain honestly what the free and paid plans include
  • Choose the correct size and orientation for screen and print before you start designing
  • Build clear layouts using grids, alignment, spacing and visual hierarchy
  • Pair fonts and set readable text sizes and line spacing
  • Choose colour palettes that match a message and pass contrast checks for accessibility
  • Edit photos, use frames and mockups, and create a consistent brand with the Brand Kit
  • Design and finish complete projects such as social posts, print posters, CVs, logos, menus, presentations, infographics and short videos
  • Export in the right format (PNG, JPG, PDF, SVG, MP4) with the right settings, including bleed for print
  • Work with a team, use AI design tools carefully, respect copyright, and present a portfolio to win design work

Course content

6 modules · 23 lessons · 7 h 35 min · 7 quizzes

Module 1: The Canva workspace and starting a design3 lessons

Know the workspace, the plans, the right size for each job and how to use templates wisely.

  1. The Canva workspace and account types 15 min
  2. Starting a design: sizes, dimensions and templates 20 min
  3. Elements, layers and an efficient workflow 20 min
  4. Quiz: 8 questions
Module 2: Layout, hierarchy, type and colour4 lessons

The craft that makes designs look professional: grids, spacing, hierarchy, font pairing, readable text and colour.

  1. Grids, alignment and spacing 20 min
  2. Visual hierarchy and contrast in practice 20 min
  3. Typography: pairing, sizes and line spacing 20 min
  4. Colour: palettes, psychology and accessibility 20 min
  5. Quiz: 8 questions
Module 3: Images, brand kit and logos3 lessons

Work with photos, frames and mockups, build a consistent brand with the Brand Kit, and design a simple logo.

  1. Photos, frames, cropping and mockups 20 min
  2. The Brand Kit and a consistent brand 20 min
  3. Designing a simple logo 20 min
  4. Quiz: 8 questions
Module 4: Complete projects for screen and print5 lessons

Build finished, professional items step by step: social posts and carousels, print posters, CVs, certificates, cards, menus, presentations and invitations.

  1. Social media posts and carousels 20 min
  2. Posters and flyers for print: bleed, margins and export 25 min
  3. CVs and certificates 20 min
  4. Business cards and menus 20 min
  5. Presentations and event invitations 20 min
  6. Quiz: 8 questions
Module 5: Infographics, video, teamwork and AI tools4 lessons

Explain data visually, make simple videos, work with a team and use AI design tools with care.

  1. Infographics and charts 20 min
  2. Simple video and animation 20 min
  3. Teamwork: sharing, comments and team templates 15 min
  4. AI design tools in Canva: uses and limits 15 min
  5. Quiz: 8 questions
Module 6: Exporting, rights, portfolio and capstone4 lessons

Export files correctly, respect copyright, present your work and find clients, then complete a full brand identity project.

  1. Exporting correctly: PNG, JPG, PDF, SVG and MP4 20 min
  2. Copyright, licences and fair practice 20 min
  3. Building a portfolio and finding design work in East Africa 20 min
  4. Capstone: a complete brand identity project 25 min
  5. Quiz: 8 questions
Final exam

30 questions. Pass with 70% or more to earn your certificate.

What you need

  • No experience needed (completing Graphic Design Fundamentals helps but is not required)
  • A computer, laptop or smartphone with internet access and a free Canva account
  • Some photos or text from a real or imagined project to practise with

Further reading

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