8 Canva Books That Will Transform Your Design Skills

Discover authoritative Canva books authored by leading design professionals and creators, offering expert guidance and practical strategies.

Updated on June 25, 2025
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What if I told you that mastering Canva could change the way you create visuals forever? In a digital age where compelling design drives engagement, Canva stands out as a powerful yet accessible tool for both novices and pros. Its intuitive interface has made design more approachable, but diving in without guidance can feel overwhelming.

The books featured here are authored by seasoned designers and educators who have distilled years of experience into clear, actionable advice. From Anna Compagine Cohen’s beginner-friendly tips in 50 Things to Know About Canva to Laura Goodsell’s branding expertise in Design Better and Build Your Brand in Canva, these works represent some of the most trusted voices in the Canva community.

While these expert-curated books provide proven frameworks, readers seeking content tailored to their specific background, skill level, and goals might consider creating a personalized Canva book that builds on these insights, offering a customized path to design mastery and success.

Best for Canva beginners mastering basics
Anna Compagine Cohen is a seasoned author known for her expertise in design and digital tools. With a focus on making design accessible, she has written several guides that simplify complex concepts for beginners. Her work aims to empower users to create stunning visuals effortlessly. This book reflects her commitment to guiding newcomers through Canva, from account setup to sharing finished designs, making it a practical companion for those stepping into digital design.
50 Things to Know About Canva: How to Create Beautiful Custom Images (50 Things to Know Career) book cover

by Anna Compagine Cohen, 50 Things to Know··You?

2021·100 pages·Canva, Design, Graphic Design, Social Media, Image Editing

When Anna Compagine Cohen decided to write this book, she tapped into her extensive experience simplifying digital design tools for beginners. Here, you’ll find a patient walkthrough of Canva that starts with the basics—like setting up your account—and moves into combining images, text, and design elements to produce polished graphics. The book focuses less on theory and more on helping you confidently create visuals ready for social media or print. If you want to stop fumbling around Canva’s interface and start making professional-looking images quickly, this guide is tailored for you, especially if you’re new or intimidated by graphic design software.

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Best for small business branding
Laura Goodsell is an award-winning Canva design coach and Canva Creator Ambassador for the UK. She helps small business owners create branded graphics on a budget and build digital design businesses through template creation. Passionate about encouraging women into the digital world, Laura has built her business around making design accessible for all. Her mission is to help businesses become more visible on social media through design-based services, including courses, training, and writing books.

When Laura Goodsell, an award-winning Canva design coach and UK Canva Creator Ambassador, wrote this guide, she aimed to simplify branding and design for small business owners. You’ll learn to set up and organize your Canva account, create cohesive brand kits, and master tools like presentations, animations, and video posts. The book walks you through color theory, design principles, and copyright basics, equipping you to produce polished marketing materials without prior design experience. If you’re looking to elevate your social media presence and build a brand on a budget, this book offers clear, practical insights tailored for solopreneurs and service providers.

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Best for custom design mastery
This AI-created book on Canva design is crafted based on your current skill level, specific interests, and creative goals. By sharing what aspects of Canva you want to focus on, the book is tailored to guide you through the exact features and techniques that matter most to you. This personalized approach makes mastering Canva feel less overwhelming and more directly tied to what you aim to achieve in your design projects.
2025·50-300 pages·Canva, Canva Basics, Graphic Design, Visual Branding, Template Customization

This personalized book offers a tailored exploration of Canva designed to accelerate your design skills by matching your unique background and goals. It covers the essentials of Canva’s interface, tools, and features while delving into advanced techniques that align with your interests, giving you a focused learning path that feels intuitive and engaging. By weaving together core design principles with a deep dive into Canva’s capabilities, it reveals how to craft striking visuals efficiently and confidently. This tailored approach ensures you navigate Canva’s vast functionalities with clarity, making complex concepts accessible and directly relevant to your creative projects.

Tailored Blueprint
Design Skill Acceleration
1,000+ Happy Readers
Best for new users seeking quick results
Steve Paul is a graphic design expert with years of experience creating professional-quality visuals. Alongside Sharon Hill's visual communication expertise, they formed a team dedicated to making design accessible. Their combined knowledge drives this guide, aimed at helping beginners navigate Canva’s tools and features to craft impressive graphics with ease.
2024·244 pages·Canva, Design, Software, Visual Communication, Graphic Design

What started as a desire to simplify design sparked Steve Paul and Sharon Hill to craft a guide aimed at demystifying Canva for beginners. You’ll find detailed tutorials that break down the interface and tools, alongside practical projects that let you experiment as you learn. The book goes beyond mere tool usage, offering tips on creating impactful social media visuals and marketing materials without needing prior design skills. If you want to move past frustration with complex software and start producing polished graphics quickly, this book directly addresses that need with clear, approachable guidance.

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Best for indie authors marketing books
Daniel Lyle holds a Ph.D. in Biology and has a diverse career spanning cell biology research, teaching medical immunology, and exploring theological and psychological principles. His curiosity for practical problem-solving and passion for detailed guidance comes through in this book, which distills his decades of experience into clear advice on using Canva to market indie books effectively. With a unique combination of scientific rigor and conversational style, Lyle guides you through creating professional-quality visuals without needing artistic expertise, making this a useful resource for authors wanting to take control of their book's presentation.
2022·115 pages·Canva, Marketing, Design, Strategy, Book Covers

Daniel Lyle’s approach to using Canva for indie book sales challenges the notion that professional artists are indispensable for effective visuals. Drawing from his extensive academic background and passion for practical teaching, he breaks down how you can create compelling book covers, advertisements, and internal illustrations yourself, even without prior artistic skills. Throughout the book, Lyle balances optimism with caution, pointing out pitfalls while offering clever tricks to make design tasks more approachable and even enjoyable. The detailed examples, including specific step-by-step illustrations, focus on maximizing impact on Amazon’s platform, making it a pragmatic guide for indie authors aiming to control their visual marketing without overspending.

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Best for entrepreneurs mastering design
Patrick Ejeke is deeply invested in emerging technologies like Web 3.0 and DAOs, envisioning a future where individuals gain financial freedom and work flexibility. His expertise in internet marketing and asset building shapes this book, designed to help you harness Canva's full potential for work and business. By sharing his knowledge, Ejeke offers a straightforward path to mastering design skills that can enhance your brand and marketing efforts.
2021·130 pages·Canva, Marketing, Design, Strategy, Graphic Design

Patrick Ejeke approaches Canva not just as a tool but as a gateway to creative and professional freedom, drawing on his passion for emerging technologies and digital empowerment. In this guide, you’ll uncover how to navigate Canva’s interface smoothly, from setting up a free account to mastering advanced effects like duotone and creative cropping. The book breaks down practical tasks such as creating animated posts, customizing colors, and designing Instagram carousels, making it ideal for entrepreneurs and marketers aiming to elevate their visual content. If you want a no-frills manual that cuts through the learning curve and focuses on hands-on design skills, this book fits the bill.

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Best for personal skill plans
This AI-created book on Canva skills is crafted based on your current experience and learning goals. You share your background and which design areas you want to focus on, and the book is tailored to guide you through a personalized 30-day growth plan. This approach ensures that you get exactly the knowledge and exercises you need, making your Canva learning efficient and directly relevant to your objectives.
2025·50-300 pages·Canva, Canva Basics, Design Principles, Template Usage, Brand Customization

This tailored book explores a focused 30-day program designed to accelerate your Canva skills with clarity and purpose. It examines essential design concepts while customizing each step to your background and goals, fostering rapid growth in a manageable timeframe. The content reveals practical techniques for mastering Canva's tools and features, while aligning with your specific interests to ensure a meaningful learning journey. By bridging expert knowledge with your unique needs, this book provides a personalized pathway through Canva’s complexities, making the process efficient and engaging. Whether you're a beginner or looking to refine your skills, this tailored guide focuses on expanding your creative capabilities in a structured, user-centered way.

Tailored Guide
Design Skill Acceleration
1,000+ Happy Readers
Sarah Lentz is an author and graphic designer dedicated to helping aspiring writers and creators. Balancing her creative work with a part-time job, she channels her expertise into making book design accessible. Her passion for empowering others led her to write this guide, focusing on practical and affordable methods to create stunning journals and workbooks using Canva and CreateSpace. Lentz’s hands-on experience and commitment to supporting writers shine through, making this book a useful resource for anyone looking to bring their publishing ideas to life.
2016·106 pages·Canva, Marketing, Design, Publishing, Graphic Design

After analyzing the challenges faced by non-designers, Sarah E Lentz developed this guide to simplify the process of creating journals and workbooks using Canva and CreateSpace. You learn how to design attractive book covers and interiors without investing in expensive software or acquiring complex graphic design skills. The book breaks down how Canva’s intuitive interface can help you build visually appealing projects quickly, with chapters dedicated to both cover creation and print-on-demand publishing through CreateSpace. This is ideal if you want to produce personal or professional journals without the overhead of hiring designers or mastering complicated tools.

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Best for professionals refining skills
Sophia Rose is a graphic design expert and Canva specialist dedicated to helping individuals and businesses create stunning visuals effortlessly. With years of experience in the design industry, she has mastered producing professional-quality graphics without extensive training or costly software. Her passion for design and teaching shines through this guide, which empowers you to enhance your creative skills and transform your projects using Canva's powerful features.
2024·449 pages·Canva, Design, Marketing, Graphic Design, Social Media

Drawing from her extensive background as a graphic design specialist, Sophia Rose crafted this guide to make professional design accessible without the steep learning curve of traditional software. You’ll learn to navigate Canva’s interface confidently, mastering tools that let you create polished social media graphics, presentations, and marketing materials. The book breaks down advanced techniques alongside practical examples, helping you develop a streamlined design workflow that saves time and enhances creativity. Whether you’re an entrepreneur or educator, this book equips you to elevate your visuals with clarity and style.

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Best for freelancers monetizing skills
Shruti Rajput is a Canva expert and successful freelancer who began offering Canva services in 2020. Motivated by her passion for design and a desire to help others earn online, she crafted this guide to empower you with practical knowledge on making money using Canva.
2023·82 pages·Canva, Marketing, Sales, Strategy, Freelancing

Shruti Rajput draws from her personal journey as a Canva freelancer who started in 2020 to offer a clear path for turning design skills into income. You’ll learn practical methods to set up your services, find clients, and unlock top earning strategies, including ten insider secrets specifically tailored for Canva users. The book walks you through choosing a niche, pricing your work, and establishing a steady freelance business. If you’re new to Canva or struggling to monetize your talents, this guide lays out what you need to know without fluff or jargon.

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Conclusion

These eight books collectively highlight how Canva serves a spectrum of users — from beginners just grasping the basics to freelancers looking to monetize their skills. If you're overwhelmed by where to start, 50 Things to Know About Canva offers a gentle introduction, while Design Like A Pro With Canva helps refine professional techniques.

For indie authors eager to market their books, Daniel Lyle’s guide provides focused strategies, whereas freelancers can find actionable business advice in Cash In with Canva. Combining reading from multiple books can accelerate your learning curve — for example, pairing branding insights from Laura Goodsell’s book with the practical tutorials in How to Use Canva for Beginners.

Alternatively, you can create a personalized Canva book to bridge the gap between general principles and your specific situation. These books can help you accelerate your learning journey and gain confidence in crafting stunning, effective visuals.

Frequently Asked Questions

I'm overwhelmed by choice – which book should I start with?

Start with 50 Things to Know About Canva by Anna Compagine Cohen. It’s designed for beginners and walks you through Canva’s basics in a clear, step-by-step manner, helping you build a solid foundation before moving to advanced topics.

Are these books too advanced for someone new to Canva?

Not at all. Several books like How to Use Canva for Beginners and Design Better and Build Your Brand in Canva cater specifically to newcomers, offering approachable language and practical projects to build your confidence quickly.

What’s the best order to read these books?

Begin with beginner-focused guides such as 50 Things to Know About Canva and How to Use Canva for Beginners. Then explore specialized topics like branding with Laura Goodsell’s book or monetization with Cash In with Canva to deepen your skills.

Do these books assume I already have experience in Canva?

Most books start from the ground up, especially those aimed at beginners. However, books like Design Like A Pro With Canva expect some familiarity and focus on refining your design and workflow skills.

Which book gives the most actionable advice I can use right away?

Cash In with Canva by Shruti Rajput offers practical tips on setting up freelance services and finding clients, making it ideal if you want to quickly turn Canva skills into income.

Can I get a Canva book tailored to my specific needs and goals?

Yes! While these books provide solid expert guidance, personalized Canva books tailor content to your background, skill level, and objectives, bridging expert knowledge with your unique situation. Check out creating a personalized Canva book to get started.

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