In this article you’ll learn how to design with fonts and Canva font design tips that I use when creating blog graphics. I always want my brand and my graphics to stand out but be easy to read. These font tips will help you pick the right fonts for your brand and your graphics!
How to Design with Canva Fonts
Can I be honest for a minute?
I hate logos. I really do. It’s the main reason I opted out of going to college for graphic design.
I really, really didn’t want a career that required me to sit in a cubicle and make logos for businesses all day.
Fortunately, even though graphic design is a big part of my career now, I don’t have to make boring logos all day.
Nor do I have to sit in a cubicle.
But I think the reason that people struggle with logos is the font.
I also think the reason why bloggers struggle with social media design is that it’s the blogger-equivalent to logos.
You need that eye-catching (but not overwhelming) font design on each image.
So whether you are working on your logo or working on your social media designs, hopefully, these tips can help!
Side note: I have a really helpful cheatsheet at the bottom of this post, so keep an eye out for it- it’s a must-have for your blogging binder!!
Design with font: 5 Awesome typography tips
(By the way, “typography” is just a fancy word for designing with fonts and we actually have a whole lesson dedicated to this in our
Canva 101 Workshop!)
1. Pair script with sans-serif
Of course, there are exceptions to this rule, but the gist of it is that Script fonts pair best with Sans-Serif fonts.
If you’re unfamiliar with a Sans-Serif font, here’s an example of a Script font and a Sans-Serif font to see the difference:
While they’re both the same size, the Script font is just a little fancier and a bit more ‘complicated’ to the eye.
On the other hand, the Sans-Serif is much more simple, so they complement each other well. That style of font works especially well on smaller-sized graphics and screens like Pinterest pins.
Related Post: Anatomy of the Perfect Pinterest Pin Design
Consumers spend more time on their phones than computers and laptops, so we need to ensure we’re designing for both mobile and desktop.
If your website, pin design, or even an opt-in landing page is using hard-to-read fonts, you WILL miss out on that subscriber!
2. Never use more than one script
Two different scripts should never be used in the same design. It’s very overwhelming and can be difficult for the eye to read.
If you can’t captivate your readers in just a few seconds because they’re not sure what your pin says, they’re moving on.
The only time we EVER use a second script is when we use a “&” symbol (ampersand) and want it to look different than the one that comes with the script I’ve used in the text.
DESIGN TIP: Great Vibes font has an awesome ampersand!
Personally, we like the sweepy, elegant-looking “&” symbols. But as our brand evolves, we’re using simpler, bold fonts for both clarity and style.
Now, we get it. Script fonts are stunning; we’d use them everywhere if we could, but they’re just not practical for everyday use.
3. Keep to 2-3 different fonts per design
We actually learned this one in design school, and we’d say it still holds true.
In an average design, we use up to three fonts. Two different fonts in the header and (maybe) a separate font for the body text.
Our Pinterest pins vary from two to three fonts, as well as email graphics and lead magnet designs. Generally, we use a san serif font, a bold/large font, and a script font. But like we said, not always.
Can you have a killer pin design using only two fonts? Absolutely!
If you’re up in the air about your font combinations, choose simple over complex until you’re comfortable with your designs.
4. Use pre-paired font combinations
We’ve literally talked to people who’ve spent hours trying to mix the right fonts.
That can be a deterrent for many beginner bloggers because if they struggle with the branding stage, they’ll think the rest of their journey will be just as difficult, if not worse.
We’ve been there, we know how that feels!
When we stumbled upon these FREE design generators, we were grinning from ear to ear.
Related Post: FREE Design Generators to Choose Colors, Fonts, and Logos
All the hair-pulling, finger-tapping, and eye-rubbing work of finding font combinations that actually work together is done.
Just pick a starting font and click away until you find your perfect brand font combination!
5. Get a signature “brand” font to use in all your designs (& where to get them)
Investing in a brand-specific font can be a big game-changer. I’m not one to get obsessively “brand-y” in all of my designs, but I do think that it provides consistency in your products and also saves you time from having to come up with something totally different each time.
I also think it benefits you to have a brand-specific font in your social media images.
Not only will people start to think of you and your business when they see your pins (and your font) but it will also help your designs stand out among a very overly saturated social media platform.
Pssst! Use our FREE brand board template to add in all of your brand’s fonts, colors, and logos so you can see if they play well together!
There is an argument as well for Pinterest putting images with unique images and fonts in front of more eyes. I think this is mostly because so many people are using the same images and fonts (you know, because they’re free) that Pinterest gets them confused and thinks it’s duplicate content.
My favorite place to get signature fonts is Font Bundles and Creative Market— they sometimes have free signature fonts or font bundles that give you a TON of fonts for a low, low price.
Bonus Tip: Use a LOT of text boxes
Here’s an extra tip. I think most people would be amazed at how many text boxes I actually have in a design (even my pins).
I actually have a different text box for every line and every font; with the exception of long bodies of text, like in a workbook.
The benefit of this being that I can put my lines of text close together, line them up in unique ways, and I can have “accent” words that are in different fonts.
I personally think this brings your overall design to the next level and helps it stand out in the crowd.
Bonus Tip 2: Use easy font design techniques to help your text stand out
Check out our video tutorial on how to really easily create font that stands out with these super simple techniques. You can also pretty easily create textured font in Canva (think glitters or metallic gold!): watch that tutorial here.
Designing with fonts isn’t difficult
It simply takes practice, and as a blogger, you will get plenty of that!
Start with these simple tips, print off my cheatsheet, and put it in your blogging binder.
Then, start practicing.
Once you get the hang of font design, it’s pretty fun to play around with it!
Learn how to incorporate your new, beautiful fonts into your graphics by rocking the basics of Canva!
Want even more awesome Canva tips and tricks? Check out how to create the perfect printable to skyrocket your blogging income!
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