The battle of the brands, you win it by investing in visual content automation. And this will usually involve either Canva or Adobe Express during the creation process, 2 design programmes with useful features. Although there is a difference. What are the pros and cons? And which of these tools is best for your content?
Multimedia expertise
Yes, that’s what the world needs today. A lot of platforms call for mixed media – a combination of video, photography and graphics. So, as a content creator or marketer, you have quite a few “musts” to deal with: create good content at lightening speed, with the right visuals and impressive videos or reels. Or maybe you want to quickly edit an image, create a gif or give your colleagues templates so they can work on their own within certain guidelines with your brand. Canva or Adobe Express will help you do just that.
Canva
Canva was revolutionary when it first launched in 2012. A free online design program with user-friendliness as its standout feature. With no prior graphic design knowledge, you can fully master the software in just a few minutes.
Canva offers a vast array of templates, ranging from logos to poster designs. Formatting your own templates and sharing them with colleagues is almost effortless. However, creating a well-designed template is not something to take lightly. In the training “Do’s and Don’ts of Designing for Non-Designers”, you’ll learn how to create a strong and effective layout. It’s the perfect training for non-designers to create a striking, professional-looking template.
Adobe Express
A step up from Canva is Adobe Express, offering thousands of templates for both video and images. Collaborate seamlessly with colleagues on a design and benefit from the extensive collection of Adobe Stock elements. What stands out clearly is Adobe’s integration of features from many of its existing desktop apps into Adobe Express. This allows you to create a GIF or convert a document to and from PDF in no time. Adobe is steadily transferring more functionality and expertise from its desktop apps to Adobe Express, making it increasingly powerful and versatile.
Advantages
| Canva – Easily share your own templates with your colleagues – No to little graphics experience required – Very user-friendly – Huge range of templates – Stock elements against payment – Not required to take a subscription – Click-and-drag system – Schedule posts | Adobe Express – Access to a selection of the Adobe Stock range – The power of Adobe desktop apps – Ability to quickly create a GIF – Generate QR codes – Options to PDF – Multiple brands bundled per brand – In one click you can resize your design to the right format – Working with layers – CC-libraries – Integration with Google Drive – User-friendly video editor – Free for non-profit – Schedule posts |
Disadvantages
| Canva – Access only with a Canva account – Difficult search function making it difficult to find your way through the templates – General stock photos – Non-original templates – Different brands difficult to manage | Adobe Express – Access only with an Adobe account – Some graphics knowledge is required – Tour guide does not meet users’ expectations |
An overview
| Canva – Free version – €107,88/year – 250.000+ templates – 4,7/5 (Capterra) – For people with little graphics knowledge – For content that needs to be created quickly | Adobe Express – In your Creative Cloud subscription – Free for non-profit – 20.000+ templates – 4,5/5 (Capterra) – For people with some knowledge about Adobe software – For higher level graph content, which requires some time |
Who will win the battle?
So Canva is the ideal tool to use with little time and graphic skills. Thanks to the user-friendly interface and the many templates to choose from, designing content becomes easier than ever. Not sure where to start? Ask Catena Company for a customised Canva training.
Adobe Express targets design enthusiasts and people already familiar with another Adobe program. Use Adobe Stock elements and the simplified features of popular Adobe programs to elevate your content to the next level. Given the integration of desktop apps and the ability to use CC libraries, we think Adobe Express is more suitable than Canva for many organisations. As Adobe Express experts, we are happy to help you get started.
Joska Fleerackers
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battle of the brands
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