How to Create a Custom Shape in Canva

Founder of CanvaTemplates.com & Professional Graphic Designer

September 8, 2023

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Creating custom shapes in Canva can be a fun and creative way to add unique elements to your designs. With a few simple steps, anyone can design their own custom shapes, giving their designs a personalized touch.

To get started, open Canva and select the “Shapes” tool from the left-hand side menu. From there, click on the “Custom Shape” option and draw your desired shape using the mouse or trackpad. Once you’re happy with your shape, click “Apply” and your custom shape will now be applied to your design.

There are many ways to create custom shapes in Canva, such as combining elements and shapes to create new ones or layering multiple elements on top of each other to create a unique design. With a little creativity and experimentation, anyone can create custom shapes that will make their designs stand out.

Understanding Canva

Canva is a graphic design platform that allows users to create a wide range of designs, including custom shapes. It is a user-friendly tool that is perfect for beginners who have no prior experience in graphic design. Canva offers a wide range of templates, graphics, and design elements that can be used to create professional-looking designs.

The platform is available both as a web application and as a mobile app, which makes it easy to use on the go. Canva also offers a range of pricing plans, including a free plan, which is perfect for those who are just starting out. The free plan offers a limited number of templates and design elements, but it is still a great way to get started.

One of the great things about Canva is that it is very intuitive and easy to use. Users can simply drag and drop design elements onto the canvas and then customize them to their liking. Canva also offers a range of tutorials and resources to help users get started, including a Design School that offers courses and webinars.

Overall, Canva is a great tool for anyone who wants to create professional-looking designs without having to learn complicated design software. With its user-friendly interface and wide range of design elements, it is perfect for beginners and experts alike.

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Getting Started with Canva

Creating an Account

To create a custom shape in Canva, you need to have an account. Creating an account on Canva is free and easy. Simply go to their website and click on the “Sign up” button. You can create an account using your email address or by signing in with your Google or Facebook account. Once you have signed up, you can start using Canva to create your custom designs.

Navigating the Dashboard

When you first log in to Canva, you will be taken to the dashboard. The dashboard is where you can access all of your designs and templates. You can also create new designs from here. The dashboard is divided into several sections. At the top of the dashboard, you will see the main navigation menu. This menu allows you to access different parts of Canva, such as the templates, designs, and folders.

Below the main navigation menu, you will see your recent designs. This section shows you the designs that you have worked on recently. You can click on any of these designs to open them. If you want to create a new design, you can click on the “Create a design” button. This will take you to the design creation screen, where you can choose the type of design that you want to create.

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Basic Tools in Canva

Using the Design Tool

Canva is a versatile graphic design tool that allows users to create custom shapes, among other things. To get started, users can choose from a wide range of design templates, or start from scratch with a blank canvas. The design tool is intuitive and easy to use, with a drag and drop interface that allows users to add elements to their designs quickly.

Once users have added an element to their design, they can resize it, rotate it, and adjust its position with ease. The design tool also includes a range of alignment and spacing options, making it easy to create a polished and professional-looking design.

Exploring the Elements Tab

The Elements tab in Canva is where users can find a wide range of pre-made shapes, icons, and illustrations to add to their designs. This tab is organized into categories such as lines, shapes, frames, and stickers, making it easy to find the perfect element for any design.

Users can also customize the elements they add to their designs by changing their color, size, and position. For those who want to create a truly custom shape, the Elements tab also includes a Custom Shape option. This allows users to draw their own shape using the mouse or trackpad, and then apply it to their design.

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Creating Custom Shapes

To create a custom shape in Canva, users have several options. One way is to use the “Shapes” tool from the left-hand side menu, then click on the “Custom Shape” option, and draw the desired shape using the mouse or trackpad. Once the user is happy with the shape, they can click “Apply,” and the custom shape will now be applied to the design.

Choosing the Right Shape

When creating a custom shape, it’s important to choose the right shape for the design. Canva offers a wide variety of shapes, including basic shapes like squares and circles, as well as more complex shapes like arrows and speech bubbles. Users can also create their own shapes by combining elements and shapes to make a unique design.

Customizing the Shape

Once the user has created the custom shape, they can customize it further by adjusting the size, rotation, and position of the shape. They can also add effects like shadows and glows to make the shape stand out. Canva also offers a variety of templates and design elements that users can use to enhance their custom shape.

Applying Colors to the Shape

Users can apply colors to their custom shape by selecting the shape and clicking on the “Fill” option in the top menu. They can choose from a variety of colors or use the color picker to select a custom color. They can also adjust the opacity of the color or add a gradient effect to the shape.

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Saving and Exporting Your Design

Once you have created your custom shape in Canva, it’s important to save and export your design. This section will cover the steps to save and export your design.

Saving Your Design

To save your design in Canva, click on the “Download” button in the top right corner of the screen. From there, you can choose to save your design as a PNG, JPG, or PDF file. You can also choose the quality and size of the file before saving it.

It’s important to save your design regularly as you work on it to avoid losing any progress. Canva also has an autosave feature that saves your work every few seconds, but it’s still recommended to manually save your design.

Exporting Your Design

To export your design, click on the “Download” button in the top right corner of the screen. From there, you can choose the file type and quality of the export. Canva also allows you to export your design with a transparent background, which is useful for certain design projects.

Once you have chosen the settings for your export, click the “Download” button to save the file to your computer.

It’s important to note that some features in Canva, such as animations and certain effects, may not be exportable. Make sure to check the export settings to ensure that your design is exported correctly.

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Practical Tips for Creating Custom Shapes

Creating custom shapes in Canva can add a unique touch to your designs. Here are some practical tips to help you create custom shapes that will make your designs stand out.

Maintaining Proportionality

When creating custom shapes, it’s important to maintain proportionality. Canva makes it easy to do this with its built-in grid system. By enabling the grid, you can ensure that your shapes are aligned and proportional. You can also use the snap-to-grid feature to make sure that your shapes are perfectly aligned. This will give your designs a professional look and feel.

Choosing Appropriate Colors

Choosing the right colors for your custom shapes can make a big difference in the overall look and feel of your design. Canva has a color palette generator that can help you choose harmonious colors for your design. You can also use the eyedropper tool to select colors from other elements in your design. Make sure to choose colors that complement each other and fit the overall theme of your design.

Using Shapes Creatively

One of the best things about creating custom shapes in Canva is that you can use them creatively. You can combine different shapes to create unique designs, or use them as backgrounds for text or images. You can also use the transparency tool to create interesting effects. Don’t be afraid to experiment with different shapes and colors to create a design that stands out.

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Canva Color Palette Generator

Advanced Techniques

Combining Shapes

One of the great things about Canva is the ability to combine multiple shapes to create unique designs. To do this, simply select the shapes you want to combine, then click the “Group” button in the top toolbar. This will combine the shapes into one object, which you can then manipulate as a single unit.

You can also use the “Union” tool to merge multiple shapes into a single shape. This is useful for creating complex designs that require multiple shapes to be combined in a specific way. To use the “Union” tool, simply select the shapes you want to merge, then click the “Union” button in the top toolbar.

Using Transparency and Overlays

Transparency and overlays are powerful tools in Canva that can help you create unique designs with ease. To add transparency to an object, simply select the object you want to make transparent, then adjust the transparency slider in the top toolbar. You can also add an overlay to an object by selecting the object, then clicking the “Add an element” button in the left-hand toolbar and selecting the “Overlay” tab.

Overlays can be used to add texture, color, or other effects to an object. To add an overlay, simply select the object you want to add the overlay to, then click the overlay you want to use in the left-hand toolbar. You can adjust the size and position of the overlay by clicking and dragging it on the canvas.

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