Last updated on September 25th, 2019

Don’t judge a book by its cover.

We’ve heard this since we were kids and yet every day, people do it.

Your product image is going to be the first thing that people see. They will judge your product based on its design, which is why it’s SO important that it’s appealing.

If it’s not, they will likely bounce away from your sales page before even reading a word. Seriously.

(If they even clicked on the image to get to your sales page, to begin with)

It really doesn’t have to be complicated, I promise. And I’m going to show you two amazing tools to create product images that sell. (Don’t worry, it’s super easy and I even have a tutorial to walk you through it at the end of this post!)

Why the product pictures matter

We live in a visual word. More and more, social media is becoming about pictures. Sales copy and ad wording is simply not the only thing that sells your product anymore, so it’s important that bloggers and other business owners are keeping up.

Especially if your product is digital!

It can be hard to have pretty product pictures when you don’t even have a physical product to take pictures of (although, if you DO have a physical product to take pictures of DEFINITELY invest in learning photography or hiring someone to do it for you- it will be one of your greatest investments).

There is so much STUFF out there fighting for everyone’s attention. It could be the next blog post or a viral meme. Maybe it’s a heartfelt video or an ad for a new healthy eating challenge. And then there’s your product image right in the middle of all of it.

Is it going to stand out? Will it make someone stop scrolling? Is it going to make them click or even read what you have to say?

Your product image NEEDS to catch your ideal clients attention. It needs to get them on your sales page and when they get to your page they need to be impressed even further. You can do this by incorporating your favorite, branded typography and gorgeous stock photos! 

This little trick is guaranteed to bring your product images to the next level with minimal effort (I’m all about easy!!). I also have a tutorial to walk you through the process in our design resource library which you can get access to at the end of this post.

Examples of bad vs. pretty images

First, let’s establish what makes a good vs not-so-good product image.

You want your product pictures to be:

• Bright, with lots of whites and pops of color
• Reflect the nature of your product
• Clean and crisp looking
• Interesting yet professional

Try to avoid:

• Dark product pictures
• Going overboard with photoshop
• Adding crazy filters
• Editing the image too much

Let’s take a look at bad product images (in the spirit of making fun of myself, they are both mine from earlier blogging days!)

Now, to be fair, you can use a dark image and edit it to be more appealing. BUT there’s an easier way I promise.

And no, you don’t need photoshop or anything crazy.

Let’s take a look at a pretty product photo that will most certainly stop people in their scrolling-tracks, which I created in Canva using just the basics:

P.S. I have a tutorial at the end of this post that will walk you through this step by step 🙂

Tools needed to create product pictures

As I said before, product images don’t have to be complicated or expensive to create, especially a digital product. I have had a digital product printed for product pictures but it’s totally not necessary.

Here’s what you need:

• Stock images

• Myebookcover (optional)

• Canva

• Our video tutorial (in design resource library)

Stock images

Personally, my favorite stock image resource for this kind of thing is the free stock images from Ivory Mix. There are a ton of really clean workspace images that are perfect. You can also use Adobe stock, iStock, or creative market. I have also found some good ones in Canva.

I generally don’t recommend thee free stock image sites such as Pexels and Pixabay– sometimes these images are not meant to be free ( *ahem* stolen) and I’d hate for you to be hit with a copyright issue!

Myebookcover

I love this site for turning digital products  (like ebooks/workbooks/ecourses etc) into 3D images. Super easy to use, most templates are free– some are paid–either way, it’s not a tool I can live without!

Not only is this much more appealing for product images, but it helps your reader envision the purpose.

For example:

 VS. 

See the difference?

Canva

Canva brings it all together. Also to note, you do NOT need the paid version of Canva for this. That being said, Canva for Work is the best $12 I spend each month and I highly recommend upgrading as soon as you can!

Our Video tutorial

Our video tutorial will walk you through the steps of creating amazing, eye-catching  product pictures that will not only grab your readers attention, but it will encourage them to click through and buy!

You can view it in our free password-protected design resource library (see the end of this post). It’s super simple to follow along, I’m sure even my two-year-old could do this (he does know how to work my phone).

Judging your book by its cover

Your product image does have to grab people. It needs to be professional, clean, and it’s important to take the few extra minutes to make it awesome. And yes, your sales depend on it (especially for digital products, e-commerce sites, and Etsy!)

And, with only a few tools; you can do this! You can make it great. So take the next step (watching the tutorial) and try it out! If it helps you generate sales without having to outsource someone to create your product image then it’s a win-win right?

FREE VIDEO TUTORIAL: CREATING PRODUCT IMAGES THAT GENERATE SALES

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Last updated on July 25th, 2022

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 are unfamiliar with a sans-serif font, here’s an example of a serif font and a sans-serif font so you can see the difference:

I think the reason being that script is fairly “complicated” to the eye and sans-serif is on the simpler side, so they compliment each other well.

Unlike my husband and I who both hate the dishes and laundry equally as much (seriously, why can’t he like washing dishes? Is that even a thing? Do people actually like doing dishes?😂)

2. Never use more than one script

Two different scripts should never be used in the same design. It’s way too overwhelming and can be hard for the eye to read.

The only time I ever use a second script is when I’m using a “&” symbol (ampersand) and I want it to look different than the one that comes with the script I’ve used in the text.

Personally, I like the sweepy, elegant looking “&” symbols. (Tip: Great Vibes font has an awesome ampersand)

3. Stick to 3 different fonts per design (or less)

I actually learned this one in school and I’d say it holds true (even though they didn’t teach us how to create Pinterest perfect pins… Actually, Pinterest didn’t even exist 🤔)

I’d say in an average design, I use up to 3 fonts. Two different fonts in the header and (maybe) a separate font for body text.

In my Pinterest images, I still use 3. Generally, I use a san serif font, a bold/large font, and a script font.

4. Use a cheatsheet to find font pairings that go together: My free Canva font download!

This is where my cheatsheet comes into play! I’ve literally talked to people who have spent hours trying to mix the right fonts. This is a good example of bad ROI (return on investment).

But I get it, and I’ve totally been there.

SO, having a little cheatsheet as a quick reference can be a total lifesaver. The cheatsheet I put together is specifically Canva fonts so you don’t have to worry about paid ones.

If you have a paid (brand specific) font, look on the cheatsheet and try to find one that looks similar so you can see what pairs well.

You can find this cheatsheet at the end of the post!

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!

GET OUR FREE FONT PAIRINGS CHEAT SHEET NOW!

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Last updated on October 14th, 2021

In this article, you’ll learn what exactly Canva is, what you can create with it, and how to get started! Canva is such an amazing tool that’s used by so many bloggers and online creators and the best part is that you can use it for FREE!

In eighth grade, I took my first graphic design class.

I picked it up surprisingly quickly. The pen tool just made sense to me.

It took practice, of course. I took another class in 9th grade and then in 11th grade, I decided to do our 2-year vocational school for graphic design.

Most of my classmates were in it for an easy A (they learned pretty quickly that there’s not much that’s “easy” about Adobe or even design).

I was one of only 2 people in our whole class that passed the NYS certification.

Then the story took a turn and I went to nursing school, became a nurse and 9 years later I’m a work-from-home mom and blogger.

Picking up graphic design again wasn’t exactly like riding a bike.

I remembered Photoshop and Illustrator okay, but it was taking forever, not to mention there were a lot of new programs like InDesign that I wasn’t familiar with.

Not to mention I had a tight budget to grow a business with (or even buy groceries with) and that free trial wasn’t going to last forever.

And then I found Canva.

Simple graphic design with Canva

I spent a lot of time googling “free equivalent to adobe illustrator”, and I tried a bunch of programs.

Finally one-clicked–Canva. It made sense to me (mostly). I started playing around with it. I started figuring out little tricks for the limitations (like lines and charts– don’t worry, I have tutorials in the resource library  and also a free Canva 2.0 Quick Start course for you guys).

Soon I was making everything from social media graphics to products. Not only could I create them much faster, but it was significantly easier once I got the hang of it. 

As soon as I could afford it, I upgraded to what was then called “Canva for Work” (currently, Canva Pro)  and that is by far the best investment I’ve made in my business. Other than Convertkit and Teachable, Canva Pro gives me the highest return on investment.

Years later, the functionality of Canva (and Canva Pro) has skyrocketed! There is SO much that you can do and a lot of my “workarounds” that we once relied on are no longer needed.

If you’re looking to really deep dive into the functions of Canva, graphic design concepts, and how to implement them in Canva as a blogger, then you’ll want to check out Confidently Canva!

What you can create

Let’s talk about things you can easily make in Canva. I often see people struggling to make the product they have in mind. They have the idea but can’t seem to figure out how to get it on the screen in Canva.

There are seriously no limits to Canva.. I’ve personally created the following:

• • Workbooks

• • Presentations

• • Journals

• • Printables

• • Checklists
  • Static homepages

• • Social media images

• • Editable templates

• • Printable cut-out cards

• • Slide decks for e-courses and webinars

• • Invoices

• • Media Kits

• • Business cards

• • Planners

• • Calendars

• • Gift cards

• • Ebooks

• Etc, etc…

Seriously. It might take some creativity but you can create almost all digital products for next to nothing, including amazing printables that will generate revenue for your blog in no time! 

You can even use our FREE done-for-you social media templates! Just plug-in your amazing content and add your brand’s colors – that’s IT!

Canva Pro, in addition to free tools like Google Drive can help create almost anything you need to create for your business. 

You can even set up the Brand Kit inside of Canva to help you save a ton of time. This way, you’ll have handy your brand color palettes, fonts, logos, etc. If you need help with your branding, check out The Five Minute Brand for done-for-you brand templates!

Limitations and hacks

Of course, nothing is perfect. Canva has some limitations that will make you super frustrated at times (although, so will any other program!)

Like when you try to click on one object, but another object is in the way and you can’t access your layers easily

Tip: Try clicking on the object, holding down the command/ctrl key and then clicking again! 

Or when you try to make a chart and there’s just no easy way.

Tip: Watch our video tutorial in the resource library or in our quick start course because we actually figured out a pretty easy way! The video tutorial is in our FREE design resource library which you can get access to on this page.

And how about when you need to make lines but lining them up is time-consuming

Tip: Use the position tool to space your lines evenly and position them with a click of a button!

(Side note — if you liked these tips, check out my post 6 Easy Canva Tricks Every Blogger Should Know About)

I know, first-hand, how long it takes to master a program like Adobe. You don’t have that kind of time. I totally get that. When you are a blogger- time is money!

I don’t know about you, but I have two small kids, my work time is limited. So, I need to focus on what is going to make me the MOST amount of money in the LEAST amount of time.

And that is products and passive income (like through affiliate marketing).

Using Canva is the perfect way to rock graphic design in a simple way. Reduce the overwhelm!

This doesn’t have to be hard!

I’ve been watching and listening. I want to help you ROCK Canva, but it’s just easier for me to show you!

So here’s what you need to do:

1. Register for our FREE Canva 2.0 Quickstart

FREE CANVA 2.0 QUICKSTART- ROCK THE BASICS OF CANVA IN OUR FREE COURSE!

Just fill out the form to get enrolled for free in our Canva 2.0 Quickstart and start learning the basics of Canva.

Everything will be so much easier when you have a solid foundation! If you want to jump right to the newly updated and comprehensive course, Confidently Canva, just click here!

SIGN UP FOR FREE CANVA 2.0 WORKSHOP!

Learn how to design in Canva + Canva tips and tricks! In addition, you'll be added to our email list and get access to our free design library of Canva templates!

CLICK HERE FOR INSTANT ACCESS!

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