Unit 4 — Canva PRO: Design with Purpose. You've used Canva as a tool before — now it becomes the subject, taught as a discipline with real audiences.
Lesson 11 — Visual Communication & Brand Identity
What you'll achieve: a brand identity board — logo, colour palette with hex codes, typography and a 6-image mood board.
Canva PRO
Contrast
The visual difference between elements that helps important things stand out.
Hierarchy
The order in which a viewer's eye is guided through a design.
Colour psychology
The idea that different colours create different feelings — for example, blue often suggests trust or calm.
I Do
Compare a strong logo with a weak one: which looks more professional, and why? Five design principles: contrast, hierarchy, whitespace, colour psychology, and serif vs sans-serif typography. Many strong real logos are extremely simple — simplicity often reads as more professional, not less.
We Do
As a class, practise with a shared example brand: build a logo, pick a 3-colour palette (noting hex codes), and select mood-board images.
You Do
Invent your own fictional company — name, product, customers.
Build a logo, a 3-colour palette with hex codes, a chosen typeface (serif/sans-serif and why), and a coherent 6-image mood board.
Assemble it all into one Canva "brand guide" document.
What you'll achieve: a 20–30 second branded promotional video, exported as MP4, using your Lesson 11 brand.
Canva PRO
Vertical video (9:16)
A video format taller than it is wide, designed for full-screen phone viewing on Reels, TikTok or Shorts.
Transition
A visual effect used to move from one scene to the next in a video.
Call to action
A clear instruction to the viewer about what to do next, such as "follow us" or "visit our shop."
I Do
Almost all short promotional video is vertical (9:16), built for a phone screen. Add transitions between scenes, animate text so it moves rather than sits static, and apply your brand's colours and font consistently throughout. Overusing effects looks chaotic — 1–2 well-placed animations usually beat effects on everything.
We Do
As a class, open a new 9:16 video project, add a text animation to scene one, then a transition into scene two, using your own brand colours and font.
You Do
Plan 3–4 scenes on paper: introduce the brand, show what it offers, call to action.
Build your video with consistent brand colours/font, at least one text animation and one transition.
End with a clear call to action, then export as MP4.
What you'll achieve: a final design deliverable matching a real school brief, plus a 2-sentence designer's note.
Canva PRO
Client brief
Instructions from the person or organisation commissioning a design, describing what they need.
"Two stars and a wish"
A peer feedback structure: two specific things done well, and one specific thing to improve.
Deliverable
The finished piece of work handed over to a client, matching what was asked for in the brief.
I Do
This is a genuine brief from the school — a real poster, welcome pack or social post, not a made-up exercise. A fixed process today: 5 minutes planning (no Canva yet), 35 minutes designing, 10 minutes peer review ("two stars and a wish"), 5 minutes final refinement. No extensions — that's part of what makes it real.
We Do
As a class, read the brief and list its key requirements on the board.
Model "two stars and a wish" feedback on a sample design before the real review.
You Do
With your partner, plan (5 min), then build your design in Canva (35 min).
Swap with another pair for "two stars and a wish" feedback (10 min), then refine (5 min).
Write a 2-sentence designer's note explaining your key decisions.
BLC