Custom Designs vs. Templated Designs

Hexcode December Blogs_canvaVSadobe

When it comes to choosing what software you’re going to use for graphic design, it can be a lot like picking a car. Some cars get you from point A to point B and that’s it, and some can take you on a trip across the country without any issues. There are some programs out there, like Canva, that offer a templated solution for creating marketing materials, and there are programs like the Adobe Suite that give you full creative freedom, using some of the latest technology in the graphic design world. So, what’s best for your marketing strategy? We’re going to dive into the pros and cons of using a templated design tool vs. a fully customized design tool.

First, we’re going to talk about Canva. This software is available on the web and in an app. It has thousands of templates for social media graphics, flyers, brochures, invitations, websites, and more. Along with all of the templates, you can add your brand colors, fonts, and logos into the system so you can keep your design on brand. Who would benefit from using Canva?

  • Someone just starting out in design
  • A one-person marketing team that needs to handle multiple projects
  • Someone who is working on personal projects or creating on mobile devices
  • Busy professionals who don’t want to learn the programs that Adobe offers

Now, we’ll dive into the Adobe Suite. While Canva gives you one place to design everything, Adobe has multiple programs that are made for different avenues of marketing. There is Adobe Photoshop for photo editing, Illustrator for vector graphics, Indesign for laying out PDFs and documents, Premiere Pro for video editing, Audition for editing music, and podcasts, and more, plus other programs that all work together to provide users with a suite of products perfect for creating any kind of marketing material. Adobe also helps you stand out from your competition. When you use templates, you’ll end up with graphics that look like everyone else, just in different colors. With Adobe, you have the ability to create graphics that don’t look like anyone else’s, helping your brand stand out. Who would benefit from using Adobe?

  • A creative team that is designing multiple assets
  • A graphic designer who wants a more intricate design process 
  • A digital media specialist who edits photos, and videos, and creates graphics
  • A marketer wanting to design a magazine or print piece
  • Anyone who is creating marketing materials

While both of these programs offer a variety of design features and branding options, when you want to stand out in your marketing, you want to stay away from templated programs like Canva. Yes, Canva might have an app that makes it easy to access your designs anywhere, but, Adobe offers cloud-based storage so you can pick up right where you left off on any project when you save to the cloud, and if you need to work on something on your phone or device, Photoshop and Illustrator are both available on an iPad giving you the freedom you need to design on the go.

It wouldn’t be a true comparison without pros and cons, so let’s take a look.

Pros for Canva

  • User friendly
  • Affordable
  • Can upload brand guidelines
  • Lots of templates to choose from

Cons for Canva

  • Limited creative freedom
  • Won’t stand out using templates
  • A limited number of fonts to choose from

Pros for Adobe

  • A full suite of products for every project need
  • Fully customizable 
  • Ability to create one-fo-a-kind marketing materials

Cons for Adobe

  • There is a learning curve to using Adobe
  • Not all programs are accessible from phones

If you ask us, we choose Adobe over Canva all the time. Brands shouldn’t be constrained to templated graphics that just change colors. Your brand deserves to look different from the rest and really let your product or service shine. At Hexcode, we don’t use templates, and we don’t hire a jack of all trades. We hire experts to create our marketing materials and strategies. So, when our graphic designers create your next social media post or print material, you’re getting 100% custom designs that match your brand’s vision and voice. Are you ready to ditch the templates and stand out from the crowd? Call or email us today. We already have your next project open in Adobe waiting for you!

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