So you’ve decided to DIY your branding. First of all, go you. You’re scrappy, resourceful, and probably doing about five other jobs on top of “creative director.” Hey, fellow entrepreneur, happy to see you here 🙂

But here’s the tea: just because you don’t have a designer budget doesn’t mean your brand has to look like it was built with clip art and a dream.

If you want your visuals to look professional (read: consistent, confident, and cash-flow ready), there are a few secrets to know. Lucky for you, I’m spilling ’em.

1. Start With Strategy, Not Vibes

Sure, we all love a good mood board moment. But before you pick a single color or font, get clear on your brand foundations.

Ask yourself:

• Who am I trying to attract?
• What do I want them to feel?
• What’s my brand voice and personality?

When you know your direction, your design choices become intentional, not just “pretty.” If you need help with finding, targeting and connecting with you ideal client, download my free workbook here.

2. Create a Simple Style Guide (Seriously, Do It)

A style guide isn’t just for big brands with legal teams and watermarked envelopes. It’s your best friend when it comes to consistency.

At minimum, include:

• Your color palette (3–5 colors max)
• Your fonts (one for headers, one for body text)
• Logo variations and how/when to use them
• Photo style/mood (bright and airy? moody and editorial?)

Hot tip: Canva Pro lets you save all this in your Brand Kit so you don’t reinvent the wheel every time.

3. Use Canva Templates Like a Pro

Canva is DIY heaven, when used correctly. But it’s easy to go overboard and create a Pinterest party of design chaos.

Here’s how to make it work:

• Choose templates with your ideal client in mind
• Stick to one or two layouts to keep your posts and materials cohesive
• Customize them with your colors, fonts, and tone (don’t just swap the text and call it a day)

Want a shortcut? My Canva template shop is full of professionally designed templates made specifically for creative brands like yours. Plug and play, baby.

4. Keep It Consistent Across Platforms

Your Instagram, website, emails, freebies…all of it should look like it’s coming from the same brand family.

Consistency builds trust.
Trust builds credibility.
Credibility builds clients.

Boom.

You Can Totally DIY This—But You Don’t Have to Do It Alone

You don’t need a fancy agency or a $5k budget to look legit. You just need a plan, the right tools, and maybe a few resources from someone who’s been in the DIY trenches.

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Need Pro-Level Templates That Don’t Look DIY?

Check out my Yes You Canva shop and start creating scroll-stopping visuals today. Yes, you should.
👉 [Browse templates here]