How to Add Text Within a Shape in Canva

Founder of CanvaTemplates.com & Professional Graphic Designer

September 26, 2023

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Adding text within a shape in Canva can be a powerful way to create visually appealing designs. Whether you’re creating social media graphics, invitations, or presentations, adding text within a shape can help your text stand out and add an extra layer of design to your work. Fortunately, Canva makes it easy to add text within a shape with just a few clicks.

To get started, users can simply select the shape they want to add text to and click on the “Text” button in the left-hand menu. From there, they can choose the type of text they want to add, such as a heading, subheading, or body text. Alternatively, users can press the “T” key on their keyboard to insert a text box directly onto the design canvas. Once the text is added, users can adjust the font, size, color, and other formatting options to customize the look of their design.

With a little bit of practice, adding text within a shape in Canva can become second nature. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced designer, this feature can help take your designs to the next level. So why not give it a try and see what kind of creative designs you can come up with?

Understanding Canva’s Interface

Canva is a user-friendly graphic design platform that allows users to create stunning designs for a variety of purposes. Understanding the Canva interface is essential to make the most out of the platform’s features.

Navigating the Dashboard

When a user logs into Canva, they are taken to the dashboard, which displays all the design options available. The dashboard is divided into several categories, including Social Media, Documents, Marketing Materials, and more. Users can select the category that best suits their needs and browse through the available templates.

Canva’s search function allows users to find specific templates by using keywords. Once the user has selected a template, they can start customizing it by adding text, images, and other design elements.

Identifying Key Tools

Canva’s interface includes several key tools that are essential for creating designs. These tools are located on the left-hand side of the screen and include:

Text tool: Allows users to add text to their designs. Users can choose from a variety of fonts, sizes, and colors to customize their text.
Elements tool: Provides users with a wide range of design elements, including shapes, icons, and illustrations. Users can choose from the available options or upload their own elements.
Uploads tool: Allows users to upload their own images, videos, and other design elements.
Background tool: Provides users with a variety of background options, including colors, gradients, and images.
Template pages: Allows users to add new pages to their design and choose from a variety of page layouts.

By understanding how to navigate the dashboard and identify key tools in Canva’s interface, users can create stunning designs with ease.

Creating a New Design

When starting a new design in Canva, there are a few things to consider before getting started. In this section, we’ll cover how to choose a template and customize the dimensions of your design.

Choosing a Template

Canva offers a wide variety of templates to choose from, ranging from social media graphics to business cards to presentations and more. To choose a template, simply click on “Create a design” on the Canva homepage and select the type of design you want to create. Canva will then present you with a variety of templates to choose from.

Once you’ve selected a template, you can customize it to fit your needs. This may include changing the colors, fonts, and images to match your brand or personal style.

Customizing Dimensions

If you don’t want to use a pre-made template, you can also customize the dimensions of your design to fit your specific needs. To do this, click on “Custom dimensions” when creating a new design and enter the dimensions you want to use.

Keep in mind that certain dimensions may be better suited for certain types of designs. For example, a social media graphic may require different dimensions than a business card or brochure.

By choosing the right template or customizing the dimensions of your design, you can ensure that your Canva project is off to a great start.

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Adding Shapes to Your Design

When designing with Canva, shapes can be a great way to add visual interest and structure to your design. Here are some tips for adding shapes to your design:

Choosing a Shape

To add a shape in Canva, you can either use the “Elements” tab or the “Shapes” tab. The “Elements” tab provides a wider range of shapes, including icons and illustrations, while the “Shapes” tab provides basic shapes such as circles, rectangles, and triangles.

Once you have selected the shape you want to use, simply click and drag it onto your canvas. You can then resize and position the shape as needed.

Resizing and Positioning

To resize a shape, click on it to select it and then drag the corners of the shape to make it larger or smaller. You can also use the “Resize” tool in the top toolbar to enter specific dimensions for the shape.

To position a shape, simply click and drag it to the desired location on your canvas. You can also use the arrow keys on your keyboard to nudge the shape in small increments.

Overall, adding shapes to your design can help create a more visually appealing and structured layout.

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Incorporating Text Into Shapes

Adding text within a shape in Canva is a great way to create visually appealing designs. It allows you to add emphasis to your text and make it stand out. In this section, we will discuss the steps to incorporate text into shapes in Canva.

Selecting a Text Style

Before adding text to a shape, it is important to select a text style that complements your design. Canva offers a wide range of text styles that you can choose from. You can select a text style by clicking on the “Text” tab in the left-hand panel and then selecting the desired text style.

Inserting Text into a Shape

To insert text into a shape, start by selecting the shape you want to add text to. Then, click on the “Text” tab in the left-hand panel and drag the text box onto the shape. You can then type your desired text into the text box. Canva also allows you to adjust the font, font size, and color of your text.

Adjusting Text Alignment and Size

After inserting text into a shape, you can adjust the alignment and size of your text. To do this, click on the text box and then select the “Alignment” tab in the top panel. Here, you can choose to align your text to the left, center, or right. You can also adjust the size of your text by clicking and dragging the corners of the text box.

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Customizing Your Text and Shape

After adding text within a shape in Canva, you can customize both the text and shape to make your design stand out. Here are some ways to modify your text and shape to fit your needs.

Changing Shape Color

To change the color of your shape, select the shape, and click on the “Fill” option in the toolbar. From there, you can choose from a wide range of colors or even add a custom color by entering a hex code.

You can also adjust the transparency of the shape by using the slider next to the color options. This is useful when you want to make the text inside the shape more visible.

Modifying Text Font and Color

Canva offers a variety of fonts to choose from, but you can also upload your own fonts. To change the font of your text, select the text box, and click on the “Font” option in the toolbar. From there, you can choose a different font, adjust the size of the font, and change the color of the text.

When selecting a font, keep in mind the overall design of your project and the message you want to convey. It’s important to choose a font that is easy to read and fits the tone of your design.

Saving and Exporting Your Design

Once you have finished creating your design in Canva, it’s time to save and export it. Canva offers two options for saving your design: automatic saving and manual saving.

With automatic saving, every time you add an element, text block, or image to your project, Canva will automatically save your changes. This means that you don’t have to worry about losing your work if your computer crashes or you accidentally close the tab. However, it’s important to note that automatic saving only saves your design to your Canva profile and not your personal computer.

If you prefer to have a local copy of your design, you can use the manual saving option. To manually save your design, click on the “Download” button in the top right corner of the screen. From here, you can choose the file type you want to save your design as, such as PNG, JPG, or PDF. You can also choose the quality and size of the file.

Once you have chosen your settings, click on the “Download” button to save your design to your computer. It’s important to note that if you have used any premium elements in your design, you will need to purchase a license before you can download your design.

Exporting your design is also easy in Canva. Simply click on the “Share” button in the top right corner of the screen and choose the platform you want to share your design on. Canva offers integration with a variety of platforms, including social media sites like Facebook and Twitter, as well as email and messaging apps.

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