Table of Contents
- Understanding Page Orientation and Aspect Ratio
- How to Change Page Orientation in Canva (Step-by-Step)
- Resizing Multi-Page Designs in Canva
- Tips for Designing in Multiple Orientations
- Finding the Perfect Canva Template for Multiple Orientations
- Accessibility Considerations for Multi-Orientation Design
- Conclusion
As a designer, one of the most important skills to master is adapting your designs to different page orientations. Whether you‘re creating social media graphics, presentations, posters, or any other type of visual content, understanding how to switch between portrait and landscape layouts is crucial.
Why? Because in today‘s digital age, your designs will likely be viewed on a variety of devices and platforms — from mobile phones to desktop computers, digital billboards to printed flyers. Each of these mediums has its own unique dimensions and aspect ratios, and your design needs to look great on all of them.
That‘s where Canva comes in. With its user-friendly interface and versatile design tools, Canva has become the go-to platform for creating professional-grade graphics. In fact, according to recent data, Canva has over 55 million monthly active users across 190 countries, making it one of the most popular design tools in the world.
But even with Canva‘s intuitive features, changing the page orientation of your design can be a bit tricky — especially if you‘re not familiar with the platform‘s resize options or the principles of aspect ratio.
In this comprehensive guide, we‘ll dive deep into everything you need to know about mastering page orientation in Canva. Whether you‘re a seasoned designer or just starting out, you‘ll learn how to:
- Convert your designs from portrait to landscape (and vice versa) using Canva‘s built-in tools
- Manually change the orientation of your designs if you‘re using a free Canva account
- Resize multi-page designs while maintaining proper alignment and spacing
- Create designs that look great in both portrait and landscape formats
- Ensure your designs are accessible and optimized for different devices
We‘ll also showcase some stunning examples of designs that work well in both orientations, share our top tips for maintaining a consistent brand identity across different layouts, and provide a list of our favorite Canva templates that are versatile enough to use for any project.
But first, let‘s start with the basics: what exactly is page orientation, and why does it matter for your designs?
Understanding Page Orientation and Aspect Ratio
Page orientation refers to the way your design is laid out on a page — either vertically (portrait) or horizontally (landscape). This is determined by the aspect ratio of your canvas, which is the proportion of its width to its height.
Common aspect ratios include:
- 1:1 (square)
- 3:2 (standard photo print size)
- 4:3 (traditional TV screen)
- 16:9 (widescreen)
- 9:16 (vertical video)
Here‘s a handy chart that shows the most popular social media post sizes and their corresponding aspect ratios:
Platform | Post Type | Dimensions | Aspect Ratio |
---|---|---|---|
Square | 1080 x 1080 px | 1:1 | |
Portrait | 1080 x 1350 px | 4:5 | |
Landscape | 1080 x 566 px | 1.91:1 | |
Stories | 1080 x 1920 px | 9:16 | |
Feed | 1200 x 630 px | 1.91:1 | |
Feed | 1600 x 900 px | 16:9 | |
Feed | 1200 x 627 px | 1.91:1 | |
YouTube | Thumbnail | 1280 x 720 px | 16:9 |
Pin | 1000 x 1500 px | 2:3 |
As you can see, there‘s a wide range of aspect ratios used across different platforms — and this is just a small sampling. That‘s why it‘s so important to be able to adapt your designs to various orientations and sizes.
Now that we‘ve covered the basics of page orientation and aspect ratio, let‘s dive into how to actually change the orientation of your designs in Canva.
How to Change Page Orientation in Canva (Step-by-Step)
The process for changing page orientation in Canva differs slightly depending on whether you have a Canva Pro subscription or are using a free account. We‘ll walk through both methods step-by-step.
For Canva Pro Users
If you have a Canva Pro account, you can easily switch between portrait and landscape orientation using the platform‘s built-in resize tool. Here‘s how:
- Open the design you want to change the orientation of in the Canva editor.
- Click on the "Resize" button in the top toolbar (next to the "Share" button).
- In the Resize panel, you‘ll see a variety of preset dimensions for different platforms and print sizes. Scroll past these to the "Custom size" section at the bottom.
- Make note of your design‘s current width and height (e.g. 1080 px by 1920 px for an Instagram story).
- To switch the orientation, simply swap the width and height values (e.g. change to 1920 px width and 1080 px height for a landscape version).
- Click the purple "Resize" button to apply the new dimensions to your design.
Canva will automatically adjust the size and position of all your design elements to fit the new canvas size. However, you may still need to make some manual tweaks to ensure everything looks just right. We‘ll share some tips for optimizing your design for different orientations later on.
For Free Canva Users
If you‘re using a free Canva account, you won‘t have access to the resize tool. But don‘t worry — you can still change the orientation of your designs by creating a new canvas with your desired dimensions and manually copying over your design elements. Here‘s how:
- Find the dimensions of your original design. If you used a preset Canva template, you can check the dimensions by clicking the "Resize" button (even without Canva Pro, you can still view the presets). If you used custom dimensions, hover over the design in your Canva homepage to see the pixel width and height.
- Create a new design by clicking the "Create a design" button on the Canva homepage, then choose "Custom size."
- Enter the swapped dimensions of your original design (e.g. if your original design was 1080 x 1920 px, enter 1920 px for width and 1080 px for height).
- Click "Create new design" to open a blank canvas with your new dimensions.
- Open your original design in a new tab or window, and select an element (text box, image, shape, etc.) that you want to copy over.
- Use keyboard shortcuts to copy the element: Ctrl+C (Windows) or Cmd+C (Mac). Alternatively, you can right-click on the element and select "Copy."
- Return to your new canvas and paste the copied element using Ctrl+V (Windows) or Cmd+V (Mac), or by right-clicking and selecting "Paste."
- Continue copying and pasting elements one at a time until you‘ve transferred the entire design to the new canvas.
- Fine-tune the layout by moving, resizing, and adjusting elements as needed.
Copying and pasting can be a bit tedious, but it‘s an effective workaround if you don‘t have access to Canva‘s Pro features.
Resizing Multi-Page Designs in Canva
So far we‘ve focused on changing the orientation of single-page designs. But what if you have a multi-page document, like a presentation or a brochure, that you want to convert from portrait to landscape?
Here‘s how to do it in Canva:
- Open your multi-page design in the Canva editor.
- Click the "Resize" button in the top toolbar to open the resize panel.
- As with a single-page design, scroll down to the "Custom size" section and swap the width and height values to change the page orientation.
- Important: Check the box next to "Resize all pages" before clicking the "Resize" button. This will apply the new dimensions to every page in your design.
- Review each page of your design and make any necessary adjustments to the layout, text size, image placement, etc.
Keep in mind that when you change the orientation of a multi-page design, the content on each page will be resized to fit the new dimensions, but the overall layout may not translate perfectly. You may need to do some manual reformatting to make sure each page looks polished and professional.
To speed up the process, consider using Canva‘s "Layouts" tab to browse pre-designed templates for your new orientation. You can apply a layout to multiple pages at once to quickly achieve a cohesive look.
Tips for Designing in Multiple Orientations
Now that you know the technical steps for changing page orientation in Canva, let‘s talk about some best practices for creating designs that look great in both portrait and landscape formats.
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Start with the right dimensions. If you know in advance that you‘ll need multiple orientations of your design, choose an aspect ratio that works well for both. Square (1:1) and standard widescreen (16:9) are good universal options.
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Keep it simple. The more complex your layout, the harder it will be to adapt to different orientations. Stick to clean, minimal designs with plenty of white space and limit the number of elements on the page.
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Use a consistent color palette and typography. This will help create a cohesive look across all versions of your design.
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Optimize images for each orientation. You may need to crop photos differently or experiment with alternative placements to find what works best in both portrait and landscape.
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Pay attention to visual hierarchy. Make sure the most important information is still prominent and easy to read, regardless of orientation.
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Embrace asymmetry. Balancing the visual weight of your design elements across both dimensions can be challenging, so don‘t be afraid to try an asymmetrical layout.
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Test, test, test. Always preview your design in multiple orientations (and on multiple devices) to catch any formatting issues or awkward gaps.
By following these tips and keeping orientation in mind from the start of your design process, you‘ll be able to create versatile, professional-looking graphics that make an impact no matter where they‘re viewed.
Finding the Perfect Canva Template for Multiple Orientations
One of the best ways to streamline your Canva workflow is to use templates — pre-designed layouts that you can easily customize with your own content. But with so many templates to choose from, how do you know which ones will work well in both portrait and landscape formats?
Here are a few of our top picks:
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Colorful Shapes Social Media Template (1080 x 1080 px): This bold, eye-catching template is designed for square posts, making it easy to repurpose for both vertical and horizontal platforms.
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Blue and Green Modern Business Proposal (1920 x 1080 px): With its widescreen aspect ratio and clean, modern layout, this template is perfect for creating presentations or reports that look great on any screen.
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Pink and Brown Minimalist Event Program (1000 x 1500 px): This sleek, minimalist template is designed for portrait-oriented programs, but can easily be adapted for landscape printing or digital displays.
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Blue Shapes Simple Desktop Wallpaper (1366 x 768 px): Designed for standard desktop screen proportions, this versatile wallpaper template can be customized for a variety of digital and printed assets.
By starting with a flexible template like one of these, you‘ll save time and ensure that your design looks great in any orientation.
Accessibility Considerations for Multi-Orientation Design
As you‘re creating designs in multiple orientations, it‘s important to keep accessibility in mind. After all, you want your content to be easily readable and usable for everyone, regardless of their device or abilities.
Here are a few key accessibility considerations to keep in mind:
- Use high-contrast color combinations to ensure that text is legible against the background, even for users with visual impairments.
- Keep font sizes large enough to be easily readable on smaller screens (at least 16px for body text and 20px for headings is a good rule of thumb).
- Provide alternative text for images and graphics to make your design accessible to users with screen readers.
- Avoid using flashing or strobing effects, which can trigger seizures in some users.
- Make sure interactive elements (like buttons or links) are large enough to be easily tappable on touchscreens.
By designing with accessibility in mind from the start, you‘ll ensure that your content is usable and inclusive for all users, no matter how they‘re viewing it.
Conclusion
Mastering page orientation is an essential skill for any designer using Canva. By understanding the principles of aspect ratio and utilizing Canva‘s built-in tools (or manual workarounds for free users), you‘ll be able to easily convert your designs from portrait to landscape and optimize them for any platform or device.
Remember to start with a flexible template, keep your designs simple and consistent, and always preview your work in multiple orientations to catch any formatting issues.
With these tips and techniques in your toolkit, you‘ll be creating stunning, versatile designs in Canva like a pro in no time!
Key Takeaways
- Page orientation refers to the way your design is laid out on a page — either vertically (portrait) or horizontally (landscape).
- The aspect ratio of your canvas determines the orientation and proportions of your design.
- Canva Pro users can easily switch between orientations using the "Resize" tool, while free users can manually copy and paste elements to a new canvas.
- When designing for multiple orientations, start with a versatile aspect ratio, keep your layout simple, and use consistent branding elements throughout.
- Always preview your design in different orientations and on various devices to ensure it looks great everywhere.
- Choose Canva templates that are designed for flexibility and easy resizing.
- Keep accessibility best practices in mind to ensure your design is usable for all viewers.
By following this comprehensive guide, you now have all the knowledge and skills you need to create professional, visually stunning designs in Canva — no matter the orientation. So go forth and design with confidence!