From logos to banners, creative text design can make a lasting impression.
Among the many design tools, Canva is a go-to tool for many. As powerful as Canva is, figuring out how to curve text in Canva may leave you lost in a design labyrinth.
This guide will walk you through curving text in Canva with ease. Plus, we’ll introduce ClickUp, the everything app for work, to make visual design workflows smoother and smarter.
⏰ 60 Second Summary
Here’s a detailed step-by-step guide on how to curve text in Canva:
- Step 1: Sign in, click on ‘Create a Design,’ and choose your canvas size
- Step 2: Add a text box and type in the content you want to curve
- Step 3: Select the text, go to ‘Effects’ on the white upper panel, and scroll down to click on ‘Curve’
- Step 4: Tweak the curve intensity with the slider that’s below the curve feature
- Step 5: Resize and reposition your curved text according to your design needs
- Step 6: Click on ‘Share’ and download the design for further use
Canva helps you create quick and compelling content but doesn’t improve your workflow. Choosing an alternative like ClickUp is a short and simple answer to better design management and overall efficiency.
Why Curve Text in Your Designs?
Design, especially in text, is a highly creative process. A minor creative tweak could lead to a visual blast. With that in mind, let’s review what curving text does and why you need it.
- Enhances visual appeal: It adds a dynamic, eye-catching effect. This also helps break away from rigid layouts and makes your design stand out
- Guides the viewer’s eye: Curving text directs focus to key elements through circular or arched orientation. It establishes a visual hierarchy for better readability and steers how users consume content
- Fits non-linear layouts: It adapts to many formats and designs that need more than straight lines. This is perfect for spaces like badges, logos, and artistic compositions
- Improves brand recognition: Curving text gives your logo or tagline a unique identity through its free-flowing shape. This subtle touch reinforces brand recall and memorability
- Adds emotion and tonality: The text feels fun, flowing, or sophisticated. Curved text also adds creative flexibility for branding and marketing through a personalized setting
🧠 Trivia: In 2012, luxury fashion brand Saint Laurent changed to a Neue Helvetica font for a new brand image. In doing so, they embraced a new era’s design trends and reflected their creative director’s minimalist, rock-and-roll aesthetic.
How to Curve Texts in Canva: Step-by-Step Tutorial
Curved text fits into brand images and creative content pretty easily. Let’s understand how to bring that out when you’re on the Canva platform.
💡 Pro Tip: Before diving in, pen down what you need from your visual content. Do you want to form waves, add circular text, or even add effects to each letter? A clear goal helps adapt curve text (and all design elements, for that matter) more effectively.
Step 1: Create a new design page
Start by setting up the space you’re designing in. Open up your browser and follow these steps:
- Go to the Canva webpage and sign up (or login) to your account
- Navigate to the left-hand side top corner and click on Create a Design
- Choose your preferred canvas size
Step 2: Add the text to your design
Using the curved text feature isn’t usually the design team’s first priority.
Let’s assume your background colors, letter spacing, and layout are set for this case. So, now add the required text:
- Get to the sidebar panel and click on Text
- Pick the type or format you need. This space includes everything from various headings to a simple text box
- Type out the content into the box and adjust the font, text style, size, and color
Step 3: Apply the curve effect
Now, it’s time to create curve text. Here’s how you add the effect:
- Select the desired text box you want to curve
- Click Effects from the white upper panel. This will open up a few effects on the sidebar
- Scroll down and click on ‘Curve’ under the ‘Shape’ section
Step 4: Tweak the curve intensity
Once you’ve selected the feature, the text will instantly become curved. If the default effect doesn’t work well, adjusting the degree is also possible:
- Go to the slider below the Curve effect option
- Drag the slider left to curve the text upward or right to curve it downward
While making the adjustments, a circle shape will appear along the curved text to help align with nearby elements.
Step 5: Update text position
After curving your text, add a few final touches. This could be about changing its position or size:
- Move the text around with a quick drag-and-drop
- Pull on the corners of the text box and resize it
Step 6: Review and download
Finally, you’re design is ready. The last step is to review, download and share:
- Double-check your design and click Share in the top-right corner
- Choose Download from the first pop-up window
- Select a file format (PNG, JPG, or PDF), and click on ‘Download’
➡️ Read more: Best AI Tools for Designers
Limitations of Using Canva for Design Projects
Canva’s a go-to for content and graphic design, but like all good things, it’s has some limitations.
Before you hit that “Create” button for your business, team, or personal project, here’s what you might want to know about its limitations:
- Restricts advanced customization: Canva lacks in-depth vector editing and precise design controls. So, it may not deliver well to prioritize intricate branding over basic social media graphics
- Limits export flexibility: It does not support exporting in formats like EPS or high-quality CMYK for print. This makes it challenging for professionals handling print projects that require precise color accuracy
- Complex asset ownership: Canva has licensing restrictions based on built-in elements. This may lead to legal or branding issues if assets are not fully owned, even when if you have a Canva Pro account
- Reduced scalability: The platform struggles with complex, multi-page, or large-format designs. This makes it a less reliable option if you need scalability in detailed presentations or print materials
- No offline access: Canva requires an internet connection to function. This may get restrictive for remote teams and professionals if they enter poor coverage zones
🔍 Did You Know? The Dove typeface, one of the most prestigious fonts ever, met a watery grave in the River Thames! Its creator, determined to keep it out of his business partner’s hands, tossed it all into the river in 1917. Talk about a bold design choice!
➡️ Read More: How to Create an Idea Board for Brainstorming
ClickUp as an Alternative for Advanced Design Workflows
Success for your business takes more than perfecting your own font and text design.
Sure, Canva helps with quick, compelling content, but it doesn’t facilitate advanced workflows.
For teams that work with advanced design workflows, ClickUp is a far superior, feature-rich Canva alternative. Each of its 30+ tools offers supercharged creative elements and even AI-powered customizations.
A large collaborative space for creativity makes all the difference when it comes to effective design. ClickUp Whiteboards provides this open canvas and supercharges what your team can do in it.
For instance, ClickUp Whiteboards allow users to convert anything (even images) into tasks with clear assignees and deadlines. If you need someone’s input on a project, the tool lets you tag them and share constructive feedback without skipping a beat.
The star feature? An AI-powered image generator that can help you turn rough ideas into images! ClickUp Brain, ClickUp’s built-in AI assistant, can help you turn simple prompts into detailed design mockups for a seamless collaborative experience!
➡️ Read More: AI Art Prompt Ideas to Spark Your Creativity
And yes, multiple departments can edit content easily via ClickUp Whiteboards and in real time. Plus, its robust access control ensures secure collaboration in the same space. Want to level up how you handle design projects? ClickUp’s AI can help there too.
ClickUp Brain is all about streamlining and empowering your design workflows. Use it to fast-track processes like :
✅ Ideation & research: Instantly generate creative briefs, user personas, and project journeys to establish a strong foundation for your design
✅ Task automation & planning: Automatically sets up tasks, deadlines, and dependencies, ensuring a structured workflow
✅ Content & strategy development: Create presentation outlines, marketing campaign strategies, and taglines to align with project goals
ClickUp also has something for teams who’d like a more all-in-one solution.
ClickUp Design Project Management Software is what businesses need to fast-track their creation through productivity and efficiency. It offers powerful form tools and real-time project management to organize design requests and priorities in one place, including:
- Centralize project management: Organize design requests, priorities, and progress in one place to ensure nothing slips through the cracks
- Plan and track design sprints: Use Workload View and sprint reporting to balance workloads, track efficiency, and keep projects on schedule
- Enhance creative collaboration: Share mockups, inspiration, and feedback in real time using Whiteboards, Docs, and ClickUp Chat for seamless teamwork
- Simplify reviews and approvals: Speed up feedback cycles with image proofing, annotations, and embedded Figma or InVision files for quick approvals
- Manage tasks effortlessly: Break down complex design projects with start/due dates, dependencies, and priorities so everyone stays on track
- Streamline workflows: Build custom workflows to track design lifecycles, order tracking, and approvals, eliminating manual work
- Keep design assets organized: Store and track project files, budgets, and client details with Custom Fields for easy access
- Track and achieve creative goals: Set project milestones and monitor progress with goal tracking tied to task completion, budgets, or KPIs
- Document and store team knowledge: Keep research, design guidelines, and SOPs in ClickUp Docs to ensure consistency and alignment
- Share screen recordings for feedback: Provide quick insights on prototypes, product interactions, or bug reports with built-in screen recording tools
The best part? All this is easily managed from one platform instead of dozens of different tools. ClickUp offers 1000+ integrations, including development tools, email integrations, and design systems.
Here’s what Nancy Hamlet, owner of Kokua Creative Space, has to say about ClickUp:
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Blend Visual Magic and Productivity with ClickUp
Curving text is a handy tool. It makes your content more approachable and fun by adding a fun and engaging appeal. While it’s up to the creative teams to use it, our six steps help you do it easily on Canva.
But is Canva the only design solution you need? It isn’t the ideal option if you need something creative that also improves productivity. That’s where ClickUp is a great alternative.
Its visualization, task management, analytics, and AI make it equally creative without losing focus on getting the job done.
Ready to blend visual magic and productivity in your workspace? Sign up with ClickUp today!