Using Canva to Create a Header for Your Blog

Your blog header is the first thing someone sees when they land on your site. It is a defining image or logo that tells your reader what to expect from you. A header typically includes text, symbol or image/s, and a tag line.

Headers can take up the top 1/3 of a blog or website, or they can be smaller in size, placed in the upper right or left corner. It’s hard to define exactly what makes a headline “work” or not, as the beauty is in the image of the viewer. But there are a few tried-and-true principles that will help guide you in your quest for a header that looks right.

If you don’t have design skills, the best thing to do is hire someone. But we all know that’s not always possible. So for the purposes of this post, I’ll assume you don’t have Photoshop, Illustrator, or Gimp (or the money to hire a professional), so we’ll be using Canva. It’s free, requires no software, and makes designing a pain in the ass!

I picked some professional headers I love and recreated them in Canva to show how you can get a similar look. Of course, it won’t be exact, as Photoshop is often the tool of choice for professional designers, but if you’re short on money, doing it in Canva is a great option.

Remember, use other blogs for get inspired, but don’t copy them exactly! I redid these headers with the same headlines/taglines to show the before and after, but it’s important to develop your own unique style!

Simplicity

Excess The design is one of the biggest mistakes fans make. You can’t go wrong with simple. Instead of trying to force a symbol or image into your header, keep it straight text. You can add some details to the shape, size, and fonts to make it stand out.

To recreate this yourself:

1. Log into Canva and use the Custom Dimension option. Set it to 1000 x 300.
2. Click the banner icon and type your tagline. Center the banner on the page.
3. Then click the TEXT button and type your blog title.
4. Click the lines option and choose one you like. Drag it onto the canvas and click the MOVE BACK option.
5. I made the lines at an angle by rotating one, then adding a second, flipping it, and rotating it. Then, to hide the parts of the line that were sticking out of the banner, I used a white square to cover it.

Easily recognizable

Logos are not just for brands and business. Bloggers can also achieve the logo look. Here is Lisa Leake’s award winning food blog. It has a brand logo on the left, with a traditional blog-like header on the right.

To recreate this yourself:

1. Log into Canva and use the Custom Dimension option. Set it to 1000 x 300.
2. Choose the background option and choose a texture.
3. Adjust the color of the texture.
4. Then add some frames and insert images in them.
5. Click the Text Frames option and choose the one that says RIBBON.
6. Drag them onto the screen and change the font, color, size, etc.
7. To make the logo on the left, I combined a frame with a box.
8. Then I added the lines and text.
9. To create the shadow, he copied the text, changed the color, and aligned it just below.

A Visual Feast

Professional headlines are visual. They capture a feeling with a single glance. This award-winning photography blogger has combined the elements of simplicity (in her text logo), plus a symbol (the heart), and then adds a beautiful photo collage.

To recreate this yourself:

1. Log into Canva and use the Custom Dimension option. Set it to 1000 x 500.
2. Choose a font for your title.
3. Adjust the colors, size, etc. and choose a symbol for the middle of the title.
4. Then add some frames and insert images into them.
5. Take some colored shapes if you like and place them behind the frames for a more layered look.
6. Don’t be afraid of things looking asymmetrical!

Here are some other ideas to help you design your header…

1. Use a drop shadow in your font by doubling the text and placing one behind the other. Help it stand out.
   

   

2. Try a combination of colors and fonts. See if you can play around with the wording so it’s not completely linear. Consider changing the font by a letter or two. With text, you have color, spacing, style, and layout. Use them ALL in your favor.
   

   

3. Menu bars at the top of the page can help make a site feel more airy and open. Using a colorless menu bar also adds to the light look.
4. Make your header have a *half transparent, half white background. This way it looks like the header spills over the content. Natalie’s header is 2/3 of the way transparent, allowing the background to show through. The bottom is white, and when leaning against the background of the content, it looks more 3D. You need a theme that allows you to control margins. *To do this, you must first create a graphic in Canva and then drag it into PicMonkey, where you can set a transparency for the background.
   

   

5. If you’re using a header image, style it the exact size of your theme. required Stretched images look terribly unprofessional.
6. Your background will make or break your header. If you can use subtle textures, that’s better than a flat color (there are usually no hard and fast rules).
7. If you don’t have a nice photo or logo to use, go straight to text. It beats working on something cheesy just to have a headline. Look around you on other websites. You’d be surprised how many use plain text {This site is a perfect example!}
   

   

8. Be careful with photo collages. In some cases they may look nice, but it’s all too easy to go from fancy to overly cheesy and “scrapbooking”.
9. Keep your tagline short!
10. Browse Pinterest and type LOGOS in the search bar. You’ll see all kinds of ideas to imitate!

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