handmade brand elements… and my fav canva keywords
If you've seen my stories lately there has been a lot of talk about some of the new handmade custom brand elements I've been creating (keep reading, I'm going to help you add some to your brand graphics, too).
Just posting about this topic brought up a lot of ptsd about my MFA project where I hand-knit a 6ftx6ft QR code that actually scanned and went to an animated website that I hand-drew.
Whew, what a time. Thank God John and I were dating already and he kept me and my energy drinks company in my little art studio.
Anyyyyyywho, so what's all this chat about handmade and digital and all the existential thoughts that pop-up when I think about how technology is taking over my life?!
Kind-of a joke.
The short of it is… handmade elements are super trendy right now and as a designer, I'm a BIG FAN because adding authentic artistic touches to your brand and graphics is like writing personalized love notes to your audience (and as we've all learned from true crime podcasts… our handwriting is one of a kind and possesses your emotion and personality).
Now, I'm not saying that we all have to go illustrate our social media graphics to grow our business. But if your brand includes any of the following values, adding handmade elements may be the way to kick your graphics up a notch!
There are many more brand values that I could list here - and if you're unsure about your brand - grab my FREE Brand Aesthetic Guide to help define who you are and what your vibe is.
Back to canva.
So it was UNANIMOUS that you enjoy looking at websites that have handmade touches… just look at this poll, and then see where those elements ended up!
“So with much ado, thank you for listening to me ramble about branding, here’s a list of some of the best keywords in canva, to help add handmade touches to your brand and graphics.”
CANVA ELEMENT KEYWORDS TO TAKE YOUR GRAPHICS TO THE NEXT LEVEL:
KEYWORDS FOR ORGANIC ILLUSTRATION ELEMENTS
DELICATE ORGANIC
ORGANIC BLOB
ORGANIC LINES
ORGANIC RAINBOWS
ORGANIC SKETCHED FRUIT
ORGANIC SUMMER
KEYWORDS FOR NATURAL BACKGROUNDS AND TEXTURES
BROWN PAPER
BRUSH PATTERN
CANVATEXTURIZE
DAILY PLANNER
PAPER TEXTURE
RIPPED PAPER
SEAMLESS
SEAMLESS BACKGROUND
STICKY NOTE
TORN PAPER
WASHI TAPE
KEYWORDS FOR NATURAL HAND DRAWN ELEMENTS
BASIC HAND DRAWN SHAPES
CAMPING RUSTIC DRAWING
HAND DRAWN ANIMALS
HAND DRAWN LOVE
HANDPAINTED
MORNINGSTORIES
PENCIL FREEFORM
SIMPLE DRAWN OBJECTS
KEY WORDS FOR HIGHLIGHTS
HAND DRAWN UNDERLINE
HIGHLIGHT
HAND DRAWN EXCLAMATION/QUESTION MARK
HAND DRAWN CONVERSATION BUBBLE
BRUSHSTROKES
HANDDRAWN LINE
My final piece of advice – is consistency – you don’t need to go overboard with them, make sure they are colored to your brand and work with (not against) your brand. Basically, choose elements because they enhance your brand visuals not just because they are cool.
And if you have questions - just ask!
