When I decided to pitch myself as a collaborator for artists at an upcoming show, I knew that business cards were the best way to go -- even in a digital age where innovation seems to surpass tangible output.
I didn't have time to hire a designer, so I headed to Canva to brainstorm, ideate, create and print my business cards in preparation for networking with folks.
Canva Free will give you limited access to its suite of artificial intelligence tools, Magic Studio, which can get you started on a small project. You can get unlimited access to all features through Canva Pro ($120 per year).
AI Atlas
Canva launches a new feature to support the creative process quite often. (I counted 10 features within its Magic toolkit alone.) While it would be helpful to know everything about Canva, I thought using some of its features to meet my goal was a more efficient approach.
I decided to use Canva's Magic Design, Magic Media, Magic Write and Canva Print for my business card project. I'm not a fine artist, but I do appreciate support in creating something beautiful to look at -- even if it ends up in someone's bin by the end of the night.
How to use Canva's tools to create business cards
Navigating Canva's tools isn't too complicated if you know what you are looking for -- here's how to do it.
First, log in to Canva from your desktop or phone. We're starting on the Magic Design homepage.
Type in the prompt box that you want to create a business card. You can also specify more details to refine the output, like style preferences, themes or what specific type of business you're creating for. (My results were vastly different for a lawnmowing company versus a creative business.) This will generate up to eight design options in the aspect ratio size of a business card.
Results will contain placeholders for images, which you can replace through Magic Media, Canva's AI image generator. Here, you can also prompt the screen to generate the graphic you need or ideate on a logo for your business.
If you are stuck on copy ideas for a brand slogan, Canva offers Magic Write -- look for the magic pencil icon -- to add this element into the design. This will generate a copy that fits the space available on your business card. It can also be nice to play around with Canva's pre-filled prompts to help navigate tone (think: make copy "more casual").
Once you've got your images and copied them back over to your Magic Design, you can plug and play within the app instead of navigating to other tools, which is nice. Plus, with so many designer templates available, there's so much opportunity to speak creative ideation and output.
You also have the opportunity to order physical copies of your business card creation through Canva Print. The company shared with me that for every print order, Canva plants a tree! That's a nice incentive because your business cards -- regardless of the paper used -- aren't too beneficial for the environment. Still, I appreciate printing for the sake of having something tangible.
A screenshot of some of Canva's business card templates
Canva
Who should use Canva's suite of design tools?
Canva's Magic library is flexible, making it easy to edit and adjust whatever you're working on. While I did get a bit overwhelmed by the number of options, that's my personal opinion, and it may be a great resource for others.
These tools are ideal for professionals who want to create business cards quickly and with ease -- entrepreneurs, freelancers and small business owners will find these tools most helpful, with educators and marketers not too far behind.
You can play around with this slew of tools for free, which is always a nice option, but upgrading to CanvaPro and having unlimited access may be worth it if you are going to use the software beyond a one-off project.
Since there are four different ways to use Canva that I've mentioned — and many more beyond this article — you may find that you don't really mesh with one of its tools, but can rely on another. Since part of Canva's mission is to make the design process accessible, whether you are creating something physical or want to navigate it for inspiration, I don't see any reason why not to try it out.