Design a logo and social posts for free

Decide how your brand should feel

Before you open any tool, write down three words that describe your site, for example "simple", "friendly" and "trustworthy". Then pick:

• Two colors: one main color and one for buttons or highlights.
• One or two fonts: one for headings and one for body text.

Using the same colors and fonts everywhere is what makes a small site look professional.

Create a free Canva account

Canva is a design tool that runs in your browser or phone. Sign up with an email address and choose the free plan. It includes many templates, fonts, photos and shapes, which is enough for everything in this guide.

Some features, such as saving your brand colors and fonts in one place or resizing a design with one click, may need a paid plan. Check the current plan details on Canva's site, and start free.

Open Canva

Make a simple logo

Search for "logo" in Canva, choose a blank square, and keep the design small and plain:

• Use your site name in one clear font, or your initials inside a simple shape.
• Stick to your two brand colors.
• Leave plenty of empty space. Simple logos stay readable when they are small.

Zoom out to the size of a phone icon. If you can still read it, it works.

Good to know: template elements are shared by many Canva users, so a logo built only from stock pieces may not be something you can register as a trademark. Read Canva's content license before you use a design for anything more than a simple website.

Download your logo the right way

Choose Share, then Download and save the logo as a PNG. A transparent background is usually a paid feature, so on the free plan, use a solid background in the same color as the place where the logo will appear.

Save a second copy with a clear name such as logo-main.png so you can find it later.

Build a banner for your profiles

Search Canva for the banner or cover size of the platform you use, such as a YouTube channel banner, a Facebook cover or a LinkedIn banner. Then:

• Put your logo on one side and one short sentence about who you help on the other.
• Keep the important words in the middle, because phones crop the edges.
• Use only your brand colors and fonts.

Create one reusable post template

Open a social post size, for example a square post, and design one layout you like: a headline area, a small logo in a corner, and a background in your brand color.

Save it, then duplicate it for each new post and change only the text. Ten posts made from one template will look like they belong together.

Tip: write your next ten post headlines first, then make all the posts in one sitting.

Check it on your phone, then publish

Open your finished designs on your phone before you upload them. Make sure the text is readable, nothing is cut off and the logo is clear. Then add them to your website and social profiles, and ask two or three people what they think.