Empower Your Future: Unlock Free Canva Design & Creativity Courses

At Venture UWA, we believe every student deserves access to the tools and knowledge needed to succeed in tomorrow’s world. That’s why we’re excited that Canva is offering free access and curated guidance on Canva Design School’s courses — a powerful resource to help you level up your skills, explore creativity, and prepare for the future of work.

Canva’s Design School offers a suite of free, self-paced courses and resources covering foundational design, branding, marketing, and more. These lessons range from 10 minutes to several hours and come with shareable certificates. 

Below is a breakdown of what’s available, why it matters for you, and how Venture UWA is leveraging this to strengthen WA’s student and innovation ecosystem.

Canva Courses

Access Courses

Canva Lessons

Access Lessons

✏️ What You’ll Find in Canva Design School

Here are some of their flagship offerings:

Course	Duration / Level	What You’ll Learn
Canva Essentials	~1 hour, Beginner	Master the basics of Canva’s interface, design tools, and templates.
Graphic Design Essentials	~53 minutes, Beginner	Understand core design principles — typography, colour theory, layout.
Branding Your Business	~1 hour, Beginner	Learn how to build a consistent brand identity using Canva.
Canva Design Skills for Students	~2 hours, Beginner	Tailored for students: create project visuals, presentations, and polished content.
Canva for Work / Marketing with Canva / Other Topics	1 hour courses	Focused on applying Canva in work or marketing contexts.

These courses are free, flexible, and come with a shareable certificate upon completion. 

Why This Matters for the Venture UWA community, UWA Students and Alumni

1. Build a competitive skillset

   Visual literacy and design skills are increasingly valued in many industries — from marketing and communications to product development and content creation. Even basic Canva mastery can help your portfolio, assignments, or side projects stand out.

2. Learn on your own schedule

   These courses are self-paced, meaning you can learn between classes, while working, or whenever you have capacity.

3. Get certified and showcase your progress

   Many of the courses include a shareable certificate that you can add to your LinkedIn profile, resume, or portfolio. 

4. Apply real-world value immediately

   You’ll produce tangible work — like branded slides, social media graphics, or project designs — that you can use for internships, personal projects, or side gigs.

5. Future-proof your creative mindset

   As work and innovation evolve, having a foundation in visual communication, branding, and design thinking gives you a head start in emerging roles and hybrid careers.

   
   

🤝 Venture UWA’s Vision & Role

At Venture UWA, our mission is to create opportunity, kickstart innovation, and bridge the gap between students and industry. By promoting Canva’s Design School:

• We democratise access — Students no longer need to pay for basic design education or software.

• We scaffold real-world relevance — These design skills tie directly into startup work, marketing agencies, product teams, and creative roles.

• We reinforce a culture of continuous self-learning — In a rapidly changing world, the mindset of “always learning” is one of the strongest assets.

• We foster the WA innovation ecosystem — The more students are literate in design and visual communication, the higher the baseline of capability in WA’s creative and startup community.

Through this resource, we’re not just handing tools to students — we’re helping them build confidence, own their creative expression, and participate more fully in tomorrow’s jobs.

🛠️ How to Get Started (Steps for Students)

1. Visit Canva Design School – Courses: Canva Design School Courses 

2. Browse the catalogue (filter by “Beginner” or topic) 

3. Select a course you want to start (e.g. Canva Essentials, Graphic Design Essentials)

4. Sign in / register for free and begin the course

5. Complete the modules, finish tasks, and claim your certificate

6. Apply what you learn: redesign your resume, build a social media post, or start your own brand project

🌟 Final Thoughts

Access to quality education and tools — especially when free — is foundational to closing equity gaps and enabling more people to create, innovate, and lead. By directing students to Canva Design School, Venture UWA is helping build that bridge.

If you’re a student or alumni: start with Canva Essentials or Graphic Design Essentials. If you already have some design experience, dive into Branding Your Business or explore Marketing with Canva.