There’s something wonderfully simple about Canva. It’s like a handy toolkit for businesses, ready to go when you need to put out a quick social post or flyer. 

But, just like building a house sometimes you need more than a toolkit.  

You need an architect. 

So, when should your business use Canva, and when should you use professional graphic design? 

When Should You Use Canva For Your Business?

1. When you have a quick turnaround time 

Sometimes, you just need to get content out, fast. Whether it’s a last-minute social post or an urgent email, Canva’s ready-made templates can help you create something quickly. While it may not always offer the most original designs, it’s a useful tool when time is tight. 

With preset sizes for different platforms, you don’t need to worry about dimensions or formatting. Just pick a template, tweak the text, and you’re ready to go. 

2. When you have a tight budget 

We know that not every business has the budget for bespoke design. Canva provides an accessible way to create simple visuals without hiring a designer. Whilst its templates offer a cost-effective solution, they can sometimes limit a brand’s originality. 

Why not benefit from the best of both worlds and ask us to create a range of bespoke Canva templates for you, so you have the freedom to update them when you need them! Learn more about how we’ve supported organisations like yours on their projects here.

3. When you lack in-house design expertise 

Not every business has a designer on staff, and Canva provides an accessible way for teams to create simple visuals without formal training. 

However, while it’s easy to use, it doesn’t replace an understanding of design principles. A designer can ensure your visuals not only look good but also match the energy of your brand. Creating coherent designs that connect with your audience emotionally and visually.

4. When you need to repurpose existing brand assets 

If your business has already invested in professional design, Canva can be a practical tool for repurposing those assets. 

With built in options for brand kits and easy editing tools, your team can quickly tweak copy, swap images or adjust layouts without compromising your brand’s visual identity. 

This helps keep your content flowing while ensuring everything stays on brand.  

By leveraging the tools and templates, Canva can help your business move quickly, stay consistent and keep costs down. 

However, while Canva offers some incredible benefits, it’s important to recognise that it’s not always the best solution for every situation. 

When Should You Use A Professional Graphic Designer Over Canva?

While Canva can be a quick and accessible solution for many design needs, there are times when your business requires a tailored, thoughtful and high-quality approach. 

If you’re looking to create designs that give a boost to your brand and capture attention, a professional graphic designer brings the expertise and originality that Canva simply can’t match. 

So, when should you use a graphic designer?

1. When trying to create visuals that stand out 

Canva’s templates are designed for ease of use, but that also means they’re widely accessible. 

Many businesses, including your competitors, may end up using the same templates, leading to generic designs that lack originality and risk blending brands together.

If you’re looking to stand out from your competition, a professional graphic designer can craft unique visuals tailored to your brand, leaving a lasting impression that delivers results. 

For example, Portsmouth Historic Dockyard needed a unified, year-long impactful campaign to drive repeat visits. Not something that can be achieved with Canva templates.

Learn more about how we brought their vision to life here.

2. When creating your brand 

Using Canva to create your brand’s core elements can lead to long-term challenges.  

Whilst it’s great for quick, simple designs, it doesn’t provide the precision needed for foundational brand assets like logos. 

Canva doesn’t have vector base capabilities meaning logos designed in the tool can become blurry or pixelated when resized for different applications. 

This can create inconsistency in your brand’s visual identity and diminish its professional image.

3. When you want a trademarkable logo 

While it may not be top of mind in the early stages, trademarking your logo is crucial as your business grows. 

Trademarked logos must be unique and original, and Canva’s template-based system can undermine these essential qualities. 

Many of the design elements are accessible to all users, meaning your logo could lack the distinctiveness required for legal protection or be too similar to others. 

A skilled graphic designer can craft a truly unique logo tailored to your brand’s identity, ensuring it’s both legally defensible and protected. 

4. When creating assets for high quality print 

When it comes to creating materials for high quality print, Canva’s limitations become more apparent.  

Print collateral like brochures, business cards and posters require high resolution designs with the correct colour mode to ensure they look crisp and professional in print. 

Canva primarily uses RGB colour mode, which is optimised for digital screens but can lead to colour inconsistencies when printed.  

Professional designers work in CMYK, the standard for print, ensuring accurate colour reproduction across different materials. They also provide high quality, print ready files that meet resolution and format requirements, so your materials look as polished in print as they do on screen.

Why Should You Use A Graphic Designer?

While Canva can help you create a simple design, a professional graphic designer offers expertise, strategy and originality that supports your business. Here’s what a designer brings to the table: 

Industry expertise and trends: A professional graphic designer will stay up to date with the latest design trends and best practises.  

A designer brings expertise to the table whether it’s selecting the right aesthetic for a specific market or designing content that engages your audience. 

Strategic thinking and problem solving: A good designer doesn’t just make pretty visuals. 

They take a strategic approach to design. They think about your brand’s messaging, audience, and goals before starting a project and craft visuals that tell a compelling story to connect with your audience emotionally. 

A Collaborative approach: Designers think about your future needs as much as your current needs. This means creating visuals for your brand with the flexibility to grow with you. 

Powerful Custom Illustrations: A professional designer can create custom illustrations and graphics specifically for your brand.  

This can be custom icons, illustrations or unique patterns that will add a level of uniqueness and creativity to your brand helping you to stand out. This especially useful within different audience types for example, children. 

The Graphic Design House worked with Victory Live to create 4 illustrations and a trail map to engage their younger audience on learning about the fungi that live on HMS victory as part of their big repair campaign. Learn more about this illustrative work here.

Canva vs Professional Graphic Design, What’s Right For Your Business?

Canva is a fantastic tool for quick, budget friendly content, but when your brand needs to stand out and make a lasting impact, professional design represents the best investment. 

By investing in a designer, you’re ensuring your brand stands out and grows sustainably, something that can be challenging to achieve with templates alone. 

Whether you need help with your branding, marketing campaigns or high-quality print materials, a graphic designer brings the expertise and originality that can make all the difference. 

When you work with The Graphic Design House, you benefit from an in-house team of EIGHT professional designers who will work to understand your brand and use their skills to help you reach your goals.

Our Work in Action