by | August 3, 2017 · 5:20 pm
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Need a quick, FREE cover design? Try Canva templates

Hi everyone,

You may or may not remember my endless trials and tribulations over design of Shizzle, Inc and Indiot covers, which have started with concepts by professional designer, went through a number of versions and online feedback. In the end, I have designed them myself, using Photoshop and images from Shutterstock. It was a costly exercise, to say the least, so it doesn’t surprise me when authors opt for a pre-designed cover, which a number of designers sell for just $50-100. At least you can see exactly what you are getting.

But what if you don’t have even $50 to risk? Until now, your options were limited. Either try to enter a contest and win a free cover design, or opt for embarassing yourself with one of those home-made covers that become the laughing stock of the Internet. If you are lucky, beg a friend for a favor.

Turns out there’s another option! Apparently, Canva has a whole range of pre-made, FREE cover templates. I have not personally used them, but Canva is a simple, drag-and-drop, design software that’s completely online and free to use, so it’s not much of a risk to try. You can choose from literally thousands of book cover templates, add your own text and be on your way in less time than it would take to read Adobe’s terms and conditions (and believe me, you have to read them, unless you don’t care that they will keep charging your credit card with the monthly subscription fee, and charge 50% of remaining fees if you decide to cancel.)

Have fun and let us all know if you’ve given it a go.

24 Comments

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24 responses to “Need a quick, FREE cover design? Try Canva templates”

  2. jenanita01
    August 3, 2017 at 5:45 pm

    I would like more info on Adobe, Anna? as it sounds important…

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    • Ana Spoke
      August 3, 2017 at 6:52 pm

      I have signed up for a cheap
      Subscription, it was on sale for $9 a month and seemed like a great deal. Then, it suddenly jumped to $39 per month. Turned out the promotional period was over. I tried to cancel, but they claimed I owed them the rest of the year at half of the $39 per month. Well, I filed the complaint with the credit card company and got my money back. I also cancelled the card to make sure they don’t try something iffy again and had to go through the pain of having it reissued and setting up my recurring fees. Was worth it.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  3. olganm
    August 3, 2017 at 7:46 pm

    I have used Canva and it is very handy for a variety of things, including covers, images for blog posts, for different social media… Sometimes the problem is the quality of the final image, but for someone like me, who has no skills to play with images, it is very handy and easy to use. (You have to pay for some images and templates, 1$ usually, but there are always free options). Thanks, Anna.

    Liked by 2 people

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  4. Ellie P.
    August 4, 2017 at 12:22 am

    Thanks for posting this info, Ana!
    May I ask why you “parted ways” with Photoshop? Curious!
    Thanks!

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  7. James Osborne
    August 4, 2017 at 12:59 am

    Thanks for sharing this Anna.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  8. Goober
    August 6, 2017 at 11:55 am

    I thought that was a pretty good book cover. Maybe you should design them.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

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