Basic Canva Workshop: Create Designs with Confidence

What you'll learn

Learn to use Canva for graphic design with our digital design short courses in Sydney!

You don't need to be a designer to create something beautiful. Whether you want to design a standout social media post, a poster for your community group, a presentation or a flyer for your business, Canva makes it easy to turn your ideas into polished visual content.

In this beginner-friendly, hands-on workshop, you'll learn the Canva essentials, from navigating the platform and working with templates to applying basic design principles and creating your own graphics from scratch. You'll explore text, images, layouts, video and animation, as well as how to export, share and publish your finished designs.

Perfect for freelancers, small business owners, educators, community organisations and anyone looking to build practical design skills, this workshop will give you the confidence to create professional-looking content for work, business or everyday projects.

Learning outcomes

By the end of this Basic Canva workshop, participants will have developed practical skills and knowledge in areas such as:

Navigating the Canva platform and using key design tools
Using templates to create designs for social media, print and presentations
Applying basic principles of layout, colour and typography to improve designs
Uploading and incorporating personal photos, logos and brand assets
Creating and editing basic video and animated content
Exporting designs in different formats for web, print and video
Sharing and collaborating on projects using Canva's collaboration features
Applying Canva skills to workplace communications, marketing and content creation

Course content

What will be covered in this Canva workshop?

During the workshop, participants will be guided through key concepts, techniques and approaches that typically include:

Module 1: Getting started with Canva

Understanding what Canva is and how it can be used
Understanding Canva Free and Canva Pro
Logging in and managing account settings
Exploring the Canva homepage and project panel

Module 2: Creating a design

Exploring different ways to create a design
Using Canva's Quick Start tools
Creating designs using templates
Creating custom designs from scratch

Module 3: Navigating the Canva interface

Understanding the Canva Editor
Using design tools and Quick Start icons
Searching for templates and design elements
Working with templates and custom sizes

Module 4: Design tools and techniques

Working with shapes, icons, graphics and other design elements
Arranging and aligning layers
Creating and editing text
Creating QR codes
Uploading and editing photos
Working with frames and grids

Module 5: Working with media

Creating videos in Canva
Editing video using the timeline
Adding transitions, text, graphics and audio
Creating basic animations

Module 6: Sharing and publishing your work

Collaborating on Canva projects
Creating public links
Downloading finished designs
Publishing designs to social media
Exploring Canva's online printing options

Content may vary slightly depending on class pace, participant interests, and instructor approach.

Intended Audience

Who is this Basic Canva Workshop for?

This workshop is suitable for beginners who want to build practical graphic design skills using Canva. No previous design experience is required.

It is particularly suitable for:

Freelancers and small business owners creating their own visual content
Community organisers and not-for-profit staff
Job seekers and professionals looking to improve their visual communication skills
Educators and support workers
Anyone wanting to build digital confidence and create professional-looking content for work, business or personal projects

Course materials

What to bring to class

Your own laptop computer and charger
A Canva account so you can participate in the practical activities

Canva offers both free and paid account options. Please ensure you can log in to your Canva account before attending the workshop.

Course venue

Rozelle Campus

2A Gordon Street, Rozelle NSW 2039 (corner of Gordon St & Victoria Rd on the grounds of St. Joseph's Church)

Additional information

Please note the following:

This is a practical, hands-on workshop, so please bring your laptop and ensure it is charged and ready to use.
Canva Free can be used for many of the techniques covered during the workshop. Some Canva features may require Canva Pro.

Course testimonials

Elizabeth said: This was a great course, so glad I did it! Antony introduced us to many aspects of Canva and I discovered that it offered more than I realised. Antony ran the class well by giving us hands on experience.
Jenny said: Anthony was well prepared and had working files that he saved to our laptops - this was a big help. It was easy to ask questions to him and he provided hands-on support where needed. At times needed to talk a bit slower and pause to ensure we are all keeping up. I learnt a lot and really enjoyed the training session. Thank you.

Course tutors

Antony Brown

Antony is an Adobe and Apple Certified Instructor with over 15 years of experience teaching industry-leading design software. He began his training career with Adobe in London and has since worked...

View Antony Brown's profile

Classes Online Courses

Basic Canva Workshop: Create Designs with Confidence

Fri 28 Aug 2026

1 session, 5 hours total

10am - 3pm (UTC+10:00)

2A Gordon St, Rozelle

Antony Brown

Please ensure you bring your own device along with your Canva login details.
You can download a free 30-day trial of Canva Pro.

When	Time	Where	Session Notes
Fri 28 Aug 2026	10am - 3pm	A1-2: Multipurpose Room - 2A Gordon St, Rozelle

If there isn't a class to suit you, please join our waitlist and we will notify you when we have places available. Join waitlist for Basic Canva Workshop: Create Designs with Confidence