The COA Newsletter Makeover Series | Workshop 1 — Welcome to Canva: From Publisher to Practical Design

Description

Workshop 1 — Welcome to Canva: From Publisher to Practical Design

Goal: Build comfort with Canva’s interface and transition mental models from MS Publisher to Canva workflows.

Learning Objectives

Understand Canva’s workspace: pages, grids, layers, brand kit, resizing.

Learn how Canva differs from MS Publisher (cloud-based, templates, image management, file organization).

Navigate templates and convert them into COA-branded newsletters.

Set up a reliable file structure for shared COA workspaces.

Topics

Where tools live (Publisher vs Canva comparison)

Choosing a newsletter template or building from scratch

Working with text boxes, frames, shapes, grids

Importing logos and photos

Setting up a brand identity: fonts, colors, logos (Brand Kit)

Hands-On Activity

Create the first page of a monthly COA newsletter using a template.

Supplemental Resources

Quick Reference Comparison Sheet: Publisher → Canva

Canva Beginner Tutorial videos

MCOA Brand Style Guide sample