Are you looking to create a logo for your business, and are thinking about using Canva to do so?
Depending on your use cases for your logo as well as how ambitious you are for your company, using Canva for your logo may pose problems – or not be permitted at all.
Thankfully, the details are relatively straightforward, and easy to understand.
So, I’ll be covering whether or not Canva allows you to use their service for logos, use cases that aren’t allowed, and other important information you’ll need to know!
Can You Use Canva For Your Business Logo?
Yes, Canva does allow you to use their software, as well as their design elements to create a logo for your company.
However, because the elements are shared between all Canva users, Canva has a few restrictions in place in terms of what you’re actually allowed to do.
This can severely limit how you’re able to use your logo, and should certainly be something that you consider before making your logo with Canva.
Why You Shouldn’t Use Canva For Your Business Logo
Let’s look at all of the possible issues that may come up if you create a business logo with Canva, and why you may wish to choose alternate software to design your logo instead.
Note that not all of these may be important to you, especially if your project is small. That being said, having a full picture on what’s allowed and what isn’t will allow you to make the best decisions going forward.
1. Canva’s License Prohibits You From Trademarking The Design
This is a big one.
Once your company reaches a certain size, you may wish to file a trademark for the logo.
However, if you’ve used any of Canva’s design elements (beyond basic shapes or fonts) within your design, you will not be allowed to file a trademark for your logo with the United States Patent and Trademark office (or any other trademark registrar.)
Details about this can be found in Canva’s help center article regarding the commercial usage of Canva designs.
So, while you’re allowed to use Canva elements in your logo, you will be unable to file a trademark for it.
This means you may end up needing to rebrand later on anyway.
Note that Canva does recommend and encourage people to use Canva to create mockups / inspiration for logos, that can be recreated by another designer without using Canva’s elements.
If you were to simply use Canva for inspiration / ideas, this would be completely fine!
2. The Elements Are Not Exclusive
Secondly, the elements and graphics used within your design are not exclusive, if they are part of Canva’s library.
You are unable to claim exclusivity over them, and other people are free to use them for their logos as well.
This poses a problem. Logos are meant to be unique, and help consumers to identify the company. If other people are allowed to use the exact same designs within their logo, this can lead to confusion and a poor experience for your customers.
This is best illustrated with an example. Take this example logo here:
Now, let’s see what happens when we do a reverse image search for it on Google, which will show us similar logos to this one:
And it doesn’t stop there – dozens to hundreds of people have used this design for their company’s logo!
Since a logo is meant to be unique and a core part of your brand, it doesn’t make sense to use something that can simply be reused by hundreds of other people.
Therefore, you should think twice before using Canva elements for your design – even if you’re allowed to!
3. Canva Has Limited Support For Vectors
Finally, Canva has very limited support for vector files, which are critical to have for your logo.
Vector files are a bit different than images – they can be scaled to any size without becoming blurry, and are far easier to edit in many circumstances.
If you ever plan on using your logo in print (for example, on merchandise or on product packaging), it’s critical that you have a vector file of your logo to use – commercial printers will always ask for one.
Good graphic designers will ensure you have every file format for your logo that you need.
Canva is much more limited in this regard.
Where You Should Get Your Logo Done Instead
So, if Canva should be avoided for most projects, where you should you get your logo done instead?
Really, it depends on the size of your project.
While expensive branding agencies are available for those with really large budgets, they usually aren’t worth it for companies that are just starting out.
A good compromise between something free like Canva and something ridiculously expensive for the average startup is hiring a freelancer off of a website like Upwork.
By detailing what you’re looking for and giving regular feedback during the logo creation process, you can get an excellent logo done for less than a few hundred dollars.
Plus, you’ll be able to ensure that it’s actually unique to you, and can’t be reused by someone else.
A Word About Fiverr
When many people start looking into outsourcing their logo creation, one of the first places they often turn to is a website called Fiverr.
Fiverr lets people set up jobs they offer for as little as $5, and the platform has been flooded with people offering to make company logos for new businesses.
The problem is, you generally get what you pay for. While there are a few good gigs on Fiverr, the vast majority of them aren’t even worth the time.
Here’s why.
Fiverr is a ‘race to the bottom’ so to speak – many people shopping there care only about price.
In order to make it worth their time, designers on Fiverr rush through creating logos as quickly as possible, reusing the same exact design elements, icons, graphics etc. throughout multiple logos.
This means you end up with the exact same problem you have on Fiverr – you may end up with others that have similar logos to you, and you may not be able to trademark the design because you don’t have exclusive rights.
So, Fiverr should generally be avoided when it comes to logo design!
Conclusion
According to Canva’s license documentation, you are allowed to use Canva to create your company logo.
However, just because you can doesn’t mean that it’s a good idea.
Because Canva’s graphics are non-exclusive, you cannot trademark your logo and additional companies are free to use the same elements in their designs as well. So, hiring a freelancer on Upwork to design your logo is a much wiser choice.
I hope that you’ve found this article to be helpful. If you have any other questions about logo design with Canva, please ask them using the comment form below.
Wishing you the best,
– James McAllister
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