5 Canva Elements To Make Your Instagram Content More Trendy
Picture this… you are scrolling through Instagram, and all you see are these drop-dead gorgeous designs, thinking to yourself… I am not a graphic designer, I have NO idea how to create trendy graphics like this for my business!
Friends - I am here to tell you that YOU can create trendy graphics all inside of Canva! And if you have been around long enough, you know just how much I love this amazing “DO IT YOURSELF” design software.
But, Canva can feel overwhelming at times. With THOUSANDS of templates, photos, graphics, and elements, it is hard to figure out where to start.
So, I have done the hard work for you! I have analyzed hundreds of different Instagram posts, and I continue to do so on a daily basis, in order to serve you with the latest and greatest Canva Templates. I have come across quite a few different trends on Instagram, and I have located the perfect Canva elements to take your designs to the next level.
… oh, and to help you compete with all of the other trendy, graphic designer-worthy, posts you see on Instagram.
HERE ARE MY 5 FAVORITE “TRENDY” ELEMENTS THAT YOU CAN USE INSIDE OF CANVA
Number One - Abstract
Number Two - Modern Shape
Number Three - Gradient
Number Four - Boho
Number Five - Distorted
Number One - Abstract
Now, these elements might just look a bit odd at first glance. Some of these elements, when used creatively, can really enhance the shape and overall look of your design in Canva.
What makes these elements unique is that you can add in organic elements that don’t look so stiff, boring, and “too professional” that most of the common Canva elements do.
Long gone are the days of straight lines and the occasional circle to jazz up social media posts for your business.
You can add a bit of flair, personality, and FUN into your designs that will stop the scroll as your followers browse through their Instagram feed.
I absolutely LOVE how Courn, of @courtneyahndesign, uses elements like these in one of the artist feature templates, to bring a bit of flair into what would otherwise be a standard listicle that you would deliver to your audience.
If you are a member of Your Template Club, you can find this template inside of the Feed Posts category, or you can purchase this template separately in the shop HERE!
Number Two - Modern Shape
From fine lines to thick and bold squiggles, there is something for EVERY brand when using these elements. These modern shape Canva elements bring a nostalgic, clip-art-esque feel to your designs without being ridiculously corny.
The best part about most of the elements you will find in this category is that they are easily customizable, so not only can you change the size, but most of these elements allow you to change the color to something that matches your brand.
QUICK TIP: load all of your brand colors into your Canva brand kit, so you can change the colors of these elements with the click of a button.
And if you don’t feel like creating something yourself? I love to use some of the thinner line elements in the educational carousel pack.
I am obsessed with using these elements in carousels because you can easily layer these elements across the different slides in a carousel. As your followers SWIPE through the carousel, it will give your design an interesting, yet seamless, look!!
Number Three - Gradient
I don’t want to toot my own horn… but *toot toot*
I have paved the way for Canva templates that include a gradient feature. Heck, my entire brand is centered around gradients!! They are so fun, vibrant, trendy, and I believe are here to stay for a bit!!
In the early days of Canva, there weren’t very many elements with gradients that were easily customizable or didn’t look outdated.
Within this category of elements, you can find just about any shape or color that you can dream of to apply to the background of your design or add as its own stand-alone element.
And as much as I love big, bold, bright colors, you can incorporate gradients into your designs no matter what your brand colors look like!
My dear friend Laura, of B Squared Social, recently used a template that incorporated a gradient into the background, and she used the muted blues and neutral tones of her brand to draw in visual interest while staying true to her brand palette!
Love color gradients and ombre effects in your Canva designs?
Check out our Bright & Gradient Reels Covers templates for Instagram!
Or join Your Template Club to get access to all our Canva templates! Opens quarterly!
Number Four - Boho
I feel like this one *might* be pretty self-explanatory, especially among the content creator space, and all of the inspiration you see over on Pinterest. The boho category in Canva elements really brings forward something that you don’t see in the other trendy elements… nature.
With all of the trends on Instagram, these muted tones, and natural vibes, have stood the test of time.
Well, at least for the last few years.
Even as bigger and bolder trends come along, there still seems to be a niche for simplicity when it comes to designing with these elements.
While it isn’t quite my style, you can still see how to pull these elements into a design, and even incorporate them into your brand even if it may seem impossible!
Here is a quick tutorial on how to incorporate boho elements into your Instagram content designs inside of canva!
Number Five - Distorted
Ok, Ok, Ok. Hear me out for this one before you judge too harshly.
Some of these elements may look crazy. But these are all the rage right now on Instagram.
I don’t foresee this trend staying around for too long, but these elements add to the nostalgic feel of the early 2000s and some big brands are using these elements in their designs to appeal to younger millennials and early Gen-Zers.
Some of these elements look like they are straight out of a Britney Spears music video, a Lisa Frank notebook, or doodles that you used to draw on your textbook covers.
Even my friends over at Later are incorporating some of these early digital elements into their designs!! These elements don’t have to be large or bold in your designs, you can incorporate them in a very subtle way to jump on this trend!
Check out the most popular templates this month!!
Listen, I know jumping into Canva and using these trends, designing something from scratch can be challenging. And sometimes, when the creative juices aren’t flowing, you will spend WAY more time trying to fine-tune a design, and not enough time doing the things you love in your business.
While I want to encourage you to attempt some of these fun trends of your own, I also want you to know that I am here to help you!!
No matter which of these trending elements you liked the most, I guarantee I have a template for you!!
Manu Muraro is the founder of Your Social Team, an Instagram training membership and template shop that help social media managers and Instagram-savvy small business owners to grow engagement and sales using Instagram and content marketing, without the overwhelm. Born and raised in Brazil, Manu moved to the U.S. in 2000 right out of college to work for Cartoon Network, where she made an award winning career in creative and strategy. In 2021, Manu started Your Template Club, a Canva template subscription service to help social media professionals and Canva-savvy business owners to create content that performs on Instagram, add more Instagram features into their strategy, such as Instagram Lives and Reels, and save time.