Key facts
- Canva's content licence says its library elements and templates cannot be used in a trade mark, except fonts, simple shapes and lines
- Canva templates are available to every user, so other businesses can use the same layout
- Canva suits quick, repeatable social posts and internal documents
- Packaging dielines, large-format signage and complex brochures need professional print preparation
- A hybrid works well: professional brand, editable templates for your team
- dijitul social media graphics packs from £99 + VAT; logos from £150 + VAT
Side by side
| Doing it yourself in Canva | Professional designer | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free or subscription | Fixed price per project; dijitul social packs from £99 + VAT |
| Speed for routine posts | Very fast once set up | Slower for one-off posts |
| Originality | Templates shared with millions of users | Designed for your business |
| Logos and trade marks | Library elements can't be used in a trade mark | Original artwork you own and can register |
| Print preparation | Fine for simple items | Dielines, spot colours, ink limits, imposition handled |
| Brand consistency | Depends on who is editing | Rules and locked templates |
Neither column wins everywhere. The question is which jobs need which approach.
Where Canva does the job
Canva is a sensible tool for a small business making regular social posts, event notices, simple internal documents and quick presentations. It is fast, it runs in a browser, several people can edit, and it stops a team needing desktop design software for routine work. If your brand colours, fonts and logo are already defined, a well-built set of templates in Canva keeps everything looking right without a designer being involved in every post.
That is how a lot of dijitul clients work: we design the brand and a set of social templates, then the team uses them day to day.
Where professional design matters
Logos. Canva's content licence says its stock content and logo templates cannot be used in a trade mark, apart from fonts, simple shapes and lines, because those elements are available to every user. If you want to own and protect your logo, it needs to be original. Logo design at dijitul starts from £150 + VAT.
Packaging and labels. Packs are built on the printer's dieline with cut, crease and glue areas, often with spot colours, varnish layers and barcodes placed to GS1 sizes. That is specialist work; see packaging design.
Large or complex print. Exhibition stands, vehicle livery, 40-page brochures and catalogues need proper master pages, consistent styles, correct colour handling and imposition-aware files. A printer will often accept a simple Canva PDF for a flyer, but problems with colour, bleed and image resolution are common on bigger jobs. Our CMYK vs RGB comparison explains why colours shift.
The template trap
Templates are popular because they look good. That is also the problem: a striking template may be used by hundreds of other businesses, including competitors. Customers might not notice the exact match, but they do notice when your posts look generic or when every post uses a different template. A small set of templates built around your brand fixes both issues.
Watch for drift, too. When five people each start from a different template, small changes creep in: a slightly different shade of the brand colour, a substitute font, the logo stretched to fit. After a year the feed looks like several businesses. Locking the logo, colours and fonts in a shared brand kit, and limiting the team to a handful of approved layouts, keeps things consistent without slowing anyone down.
Check stock licences as well. Photos and illustrations from a template library come with their own licence terms, which can restrict uses such as resale items, merchandise or large-format print. If you are unsure whether an image can be used on a product or a sign, ask before it goes to print.
The hybrid approach
For most small businesses the best answer is both. A designer sets up the foundation: logo, colours, fonts, a few photography rules and a small library of templates. Your team then uses Canva or a similar tool for daily content, with the brand elements already in place.
dijitul's social media graphics pack starts from £99 + VAT, and a brand identity pack from £395 + VAT. Print items that need specialist preparation, such as brochures from £295 + VAT, stay with us. You get a fixed price before we start.
Frequently asked questions
Can I trade mark a logo I made in Canva?
Not if it uses Canva's library elements or logo templates. Canva's content licence says those cannot be used in a trade mark, except fonts, simple shapes and lines, because other users can use them too. dijitul designs original logos from £150 + VAT that you own and can register.
Is Canva good enough for printing flyers?
For a simple flyer, often yes, if you set bleed and use high-resolution images. Problems tend to appear with colour accuracy, spot colours and complex multi-page documents. dijitul designs print-ready flyers from £95 + VAT and brochures from £295 + VAT.
Can you set up Canva templates for my team?
Yes. dijitul can design your brand and then supply editable social templates for your team to use day to day, with fonts, colours and logo already set. Social media graphics packs start from £99 + VAT.
Why do my Canva designs look different when printed?
Screens show colour in RGB, while most printing uses CMYK inks, which cannot reproduce some bright screen colours. Low-resolution images and missing bleed also cause problems. dijitul prepares print files in CMYK with 3 mm bleed and images at 300 dpi at final size.
When should I stop using Canva and hire a designer?
Usually when you need a logo you can own and protect, packaging or labels, large-format signage, or multi-page print such as brochures and catalogues. Many businesses keep using Canva for everyday posts after a designer has set up the brand and templates.
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