Canva

[gnubler]

FYI, for those getting PDFs you can find out the creating program under Document Properties in Acrobat. (Control/Command D)
Nine times out of ten I already can tell it's from Canva and I check anyway to humor myself.

 

[Boudica]

I get perfectly usable files built in canva all the time. More often then not - I guess I'm lucky.
Occasionally I'll get what Ikarasu just described. I just send it back to them, Takes me 3 minutes to email them and tell them it's the wrong size. It's back on them, move on.

 

[JBurton]

Told the second guy his artwork scales into 33" x 66"... so I can cut 11" Off the pole if he wants or he can re-design it

Not even going to give him the slim option? That's only like an 15% stretch...

 

[gnubler]

Takes me 3 minutes to email them and tell them it's the wrong size. It's back on them, move on.

Then begins the week long back and forth exchange as they send one file after another..."Will this work?" No. "Try this one" No. And on and on.
All of those three minutes over and over add up, when I could have designed the file properly from the start and saved both parties a whole lot of trouble. Canva is wasting everybody's time.

 

[WildWestDesigns]

Most Canva fonts aren't freely available and now we're back to square one - I have to explain to the customer I don't have those fonts and they can either pay for the font files or send me a file with outlined fonts, which in my experience Canva flattens and rasterizes.

Given its web nature, I'm surprised that they don't use Google fonts or some other online repo like that. The downside of browser based programs that aren't totally offline (can have browser based UIs that are still with local programs, but I digress). I don't think Canva outlines fonts, but I have never messed with it, so I don't know. If it doesn't, that is a hit against it. But if the apps of Canva are all web-based, that does make it harder for that type of tight system integration with regard to system fonts etc.

 

[ikarasu]

Not even going to give him the slim option? That's only like an 15% stretch...

If it's a graphic that stretching works on, I blow it up and email them.

This is has about 15 circles of various sizes, and all the smaller ones turn into ovals... Looks weird so I didn't offer it to this person.

Last time I did they they approved it then complained it looked weird when picking it up... So now I only offer if I think it's an acceptable stretch and just tell them it's not doable if I dont

 

[Boudica]

Then begins the week long back and forth exchange as they send one file after another..."Will this work?" No. "Try this one" No. And on and on.
All of those three minutes over and over add up, when I could have designed the file properly from the start and saved both parties a whole lot of trouble. Canva is wasting everybody's time.

Do you really need to waste your time on them then? These scenarios get moved to the back of the line for me. If I don't have the time to waste, then they will have to wait until I do. Customer management. It's funny how if they don't hear back from me for a few days, they seem to figure it out.

 

[gnubler]

Do you really need to waste your time on them then? These scenarios get moved to the back of the line for me. If I don't have the time to waste, then they will have to wait until I do. Customer management. It's funny how if they don't hear back from me for a few days, they seem to figure it out.

I'm trying not to, but I was prompted to start this thread because it seems like 90% of new customers, and even existing customers, are supplying their own logos and files which suddenly are all deriving from Canva. It's like an invasive disease. Canva must be plastering social media with advertising to have this much response. The uptick in the past 3-4 months is alarming and maddening.

Not easy to turn away 90% of my customers, they'll look elsewhere until they find a provider who wants to work with their sh!t files, just so they can 'save money' on design. Ugh...

 

[WildWestDesigns]

Ok, so I attempted to use the downloaded win file in an isolated VM. It is either a webview app or it's an electron app that is just bootstrapped to their website (since it said I was offline and couldn't use it, it wouldn't work for me beyond that little bit) or something along those lines. If my assessment is correct that means it's just essentially the same as the website web app. So font integrations are going to be poor (they are poor even when I use the browser as a UI for local programs, so anything that is dialing out for the business logic is also going to have issues with integration, although it may have a slightly better chance if it's electron versus webview or if everything is offline, but it will be a bloated mess if it's electron).

This overuse of web apps instead of local apps is perhaps the biggest ad for not all changes in tech are a good thing. But it does make it easier for people to get apps out there.

 

[Stacey K]

Are you talking about your customer or Canva?
Canva is causing the multiple back and forth with customers with the thought that if they fling enough poo at you maybe one will stick. Got another one today, I could tell instantly it was a Canva creation because the logo with pine trees is the exact same one another customer sent me last week. In time, everyone's going to have the same logo.

I actually got a vector PDF but kicked it back due to the half dozen fonts used that I don't have. Most Canva fonts aren't freely available and now we're back to square one - I have to explain to the customer I don't have those fonts and they can either pay for the font files or send me a file with outlined fonts, which in my experience Canva flattens and rasterizes.

Maddening.

I'm talking about my customer LOL

 

[netsol]

It's not a child's toy when you start seeing Canva experience as a requirement in a large amount of digital art/graphic design job postings. It is being used on a commercial level and looks to be ideal for social media campaigns among other things. It's not a good business strategy to ignore changes in the industry you are in. I know designers get their panties in a wad when something comes along that automatically pushes the buttons that they had to learn to do for themselves but people have to get past it. What happened to the hand paint holdouts when vinyl cutters took over the market?
This all sounds like a bunch of drummers complaining about drum machines. Easy solution, learn to use both.

when i am having a less than charitable day, i compare these people to the monkeys, dancing around the monolith and throwing the bone in the air in kubrick's 2001 a space Odyssey
this is not really fair to the monkeys, they have mastered a new skill with a useful tool

 

[gnubler]

I have a new slogan for Canva's userbase: "Just because you can, doesn't mean you should."

Pissing off print and sign designers since 2013!

 

[Boudica]

I'm trying not to, but I was prompted to start this thread because it seems like 90% of new customers, and even existing customers, are supplying their own logos and files which suddenly are all deriving from Canva. It's like an invasive disease. Canva must be plastering social media with advertising to have this much response. The uptick in the past 3-4 months is alarming and maddening.

Not easy to turn away 90% of my customers, they'll look elsewhere until they find a provider who wants to work with their sh!t files, just so they can 'save money' on design. Ugh...

I guess if the design work is what your business is, and how you make your money I can see why you would feel so offended. My main priority is production, and I'm really backed up with design work as it is (too busy running printers to touch it). So lately I'm grateful to just receive the customers artwork and produce it. If it's not producible, then I send it back to them, and let them know why. If they can't fix it.... they will just have to wait until I have time to fix it.

 

[GAC05]

I had a good chuckle this morning.
The office people (not the graphics department) of a client wanted some magnetic dry-erase boards set up and sent me the 'layout' as a Word docx. I explained that I needed the working files or the source graphics they placed in the doc. This morning I got a PowerPoint slide with the doc pasted into it........

 

[WildWestDesigns]

I had a good chuckle this morning.
The office people (not the graphics department) of a client wanted some magnetic dry-erase boards set up and sent me the 'layout' as a Word docx. I explained that I needed the working files or the source graphics they placed in the doc. This morning I got a PowerPoint slide with the doc pasted into it........

I remember one time I actually got a Pages document. Only happened once, but that really threw me for a loop.

 

[dypinc]

Check this out.

HP and Canva Announce Partnership to Democratize Design and Printing

Collaboration to deliver enhanced capabilities, on-demand services, and seamless design-to-print experiences to millions

press.hp.com

 

[netsol]

Yes and no. The problem comes in when future generations only know the abstraction (we see it all the time and quite a few people on here complain about it as well (even the ones that are all for new tech as it is), even for very small things) and don't know what's going on underneath behind the scenes (some may learn because they are really interested, most will not). That would be more of the issue that I would have versus not using new "tech" (although there are somethings that I just won't use unless something really changes about them (Canva would not be one of them from what I know about it now on it's face, just to put that out there), but I digress).

As far as it being a "child's toy", in my opinion, would be determined how far it can be taken. The toolset (particularly the manual tools, because from manual toolset most anything can be accomplished if it doesn't have an automated way (big reason why I think people should know what is going on under the hood)) is the biggest thing. I think the all free, cheap, ubber expensive cost aspect of programs isn't as telling of the quality as it used to be.

it's kind of like microsoft publisher or "print artist" with a cherry on top

 

[WildWestDesigns]

it's kind of like microsoft publisher or "print artist" with a cherry on top

I heard that.

 

[MNT_Printhead]

Scale of costs isn't exactly what it used to be as far as a good quality program or not (it could very well be a good indicator as it's funds going in and what those funds are able to provide etc, but not the end all be all). And just because someone is using "standard" pro program doesn't mean that they know squat on how to use it or still render out a good result (and this goes for the supposed pros using said software was well).

Properly prepared files, it doesn't matter to me what OS they come from or what program that was used in preparing them. Because if the user doesn't have a firm grasp of what may or may not be needed or what is or isn't good for a design going thru a particular production process, it isn't going to matter what program that they are using or what OS the computer is running.

In most instances, I dislike it when people blame the tools that they use or that are being used by others. 9 out of 10 times, it's a skill issue, not a tooling issue. About the one time that I really come down hard on tools (or really their OEM) is when they sell the old, click a few buttons and render out this great result no matter what level of knowledge/experience one has (and I have seen programs that are really good, that cost far more compared to Adobe's suite of tools, hock this mentality and that has done far more damage in my mind compared to the cheap programs(unless that program is not only cheap but hocking that same mentality as well)).

Now, if one thinks that a tool/program needs high level abstractions and not just doing it the manual way (and there are pros and cons with that as well), that can be a hit against the "cheaper" tools, but I would say that those don't have to be there, if someone is competent in what they are doing and at times, the more manual approach is actually the best approach, even still today.

It would seem that you got Old Pain'ts left over (((()))))(((())))s from his will.

 

[MNT_Printhead]

Check this out.

HP and Canva Announce Partnership to Democratize Design and Printing

Collaboration to deliver enhanced capabilities, on-demand services, and seamless design-to-print experiences to millions

press.hp.com

F all of that and F HP, just another reason do drop their shit.

My wallet hasn't gotten thick enough to go out own my own; the complaints about bad custys is why I went corporate and do the designs and files and oversee production. I am looking at towns and options though for the future.