It is not a secret that many professionals in the multimedia space frown upon Canva, a cloud-based design and publishing tool. Designing is undoubtedly an art, and legends put immense effort into their craft to create masterpieces. However, as technology advances at lightning speed and tools such as Canva, which are free, become more accessible, it may appear that every Tom, Dick and Harry is now calling themselves an artist, raising concerns about quality assurance.
But imagine the endless possibilities if one merges these two worlds. Recently, I attended a Canva two-day short course at the Namibia University of Science and Technology’s Harold Pupkewitz Graduate School of Business (HP-GSB). The Facilitator is a designer by profession who has used tools such as Adobe InDesign but has since embraced Canva and AI and is a certified trainer.
This is a perfect example of how the only strategy to make humans irreplaceable is to collaborate with AI to work smarter, not harder. As the saying goes “AI will not replace you, but a person using AI will”.
Canva is for everyone
Beyond designing posters, this tool can be used to create, edit, and visualise data with features like Magic Formulas, Magic Insights, and Magic Charts. It helps generate formulas and insights without needing advanced spreadsheet knowledge.
The free version offers limited benefits, as to be expected, but for a monthly or annual fee, one can unlock access to additional AI tools within Canva. It is also ideal for working as a team on specific projects with everyone having live access to projects.
Nothing beats face-to-face interaction
When the HP-GSB advertised the course on social media, one comment questioned whether it was really worth paying for a course you could master by watching YouTube Tutorials. From my experience, I have been using Canva for a few years, and after attending this in-person course, my answer would be a resounding YES. I can simply say I did not know what I did not know. Certainly, the Covid-19 pandemic taught us that so much can be achieved online, but nothing beats face-to-face interaction. Studies have shown that, while the importance of online learning has increased across all levels of education, learner engagement is generally lower than in face-to-face learning (Martin & Borup, 2022). The bottom line is that we are social beings. Being in the same place physically enables us to communicate in various ways beyond just talking to one another. We can see each other’s facial expressions, we can feel each other’s energy, we can have offline small talk – and to top that, we can have refreshments.
Skills enhanced
More and more, jobs, especially in the Marketing and Communications field, are listing Canva proficiency as an added advantage, and we all know in a world that is becoming aggressively competitive, recruiters are assessing your résumé with a fine-toothed comb. Even having seemingly minor skills in Canva and other tools can create a great impression. It demonstrates your appetite for learning, let alone in the much sought after AI space. Your years of experience will always carry weight, coupled with your degrees, but beyond that, what makes you different? With Canva, you can.
* Kuda Brandt is the Manager for Corporate Communications and Marketing at the Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST). The opinions expressed in this piece are her own and not the views of her employer.