/canva-design-terminology

name: canva-design-terminology
description: |
  Design knowledge base for understanding design terminology, concepts, and best practices.
  Use this skill when user asks about design terms, needs guidance on design principles,
  or wants to understand Canva-specific features. Provides educational information,
  not direct Canva operations. Reference skill for other skills to consult.
allowed-tools:
  - Read
  - Glob
  - Grep

Canva Design Terminology Skill

> **QUICK REFERENCE** > This is a READ-ONLY reference skill. It provides design knowledge but does NOT run scripts. > No API calls needed. Just use the information below to answer design questions.

A knowledge base for design terminology, principles, and Canva-specific concepts.

Scope of This Skill

**This skill handles:**

• Explaining design terminology
• Design principles and best practices
• Canva-specific features and terms
• Color theory basics
• Typography fundamentals
• Layout principles
• Format and dimension guidance
• When to use which design type

**NOT handled by this skill:**

• Actually editing designs → Use editing skills
• API operations → Use other skills
• Generating content → Use `canva-content-generator`

Design Principles Reference

The Fundamentals

1. Hierarchy

The arrangement of elements to show importance.

• **Visual hierarchy** uses size, color, contrast to guide the eye
• Most important element should be most prominent
• Create clear reading order

2. Balance

Distribution of visual weight.

• **Symmetrical**: Mirror image, formal, stable
• **Asymmetrical**: Unequal but balanced, dynamic
• **Radial**: Elements radiate from center

3. Contrast

Difference between elements to create interest.

• Light vs. dark
• Large vs. small
• Thick vs. thin
• Color opposites

4. Alignment

How elements line up with each other.

• Creates clean, organized appearance
• Invisible lines connect elements
• Left, right, center, or justified

5. Repetition

Recurring elements create unity.

• Repeat colors, fonts, shapes
• Creates brand consistency
• Establishes visual rhythm

6. Proximity

Grouping related elements together.

• Related items should be close
• Unrelated items should have space
• Creates logical groupings

7. White Space (Negative Space)

Empty areas in design.

• Gives elements room to breathe
• Increases readability
• Creates elegance and sophistication

Color Theory

Color Models

| Model | Use Case | Components | |-------|----------|------------| | RGB | Digital screens | Red, Green, Blue (0-255) | | HEX | Web colors | #RRGGBB format | | CMYK | Print | Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black | | HSL | Design tools | Hue, Saturation, Lightness |

Color Harmonies

• **Complementary**: Opposite colors (high contrast)
• **Analogous**: Adjacent colors (harmonious)
• **Triadic**: Three evenly spaced colors
• **Split-complementary**: One color + two adjacent to its complement
• **Monochromatic**: Variations of one color

Color Psychology

| Color | Associations | Best For | |-------|--------------|----------| | Red | Energy, urgency, passion | Sales, food, action | | Blue | Trust, calm, professional | Corporate, tech, healthcare | | Green | Nature, growth, health | Eco, finance, wellness | | Yellow | Optimism, warmth, attention | Caution, youth, creativity | | Orange | Friendly, confident, fun | Entertainment, food, sports | | Purple | Luxury, creativity, wisdom | Beauty, spirituality, premium | | Pink | Feminine, playful, romantic | Beauty, fashion, youth | | Black | Elegant, powerful, sophisticated | Luxury, fashion, tech | | White | Clean, pure, simple | Minimalist, healthcare, tech |

Typography

Font Categories

| Category | Characteristics | Best For | |----------|----------------|----------| | **Serif** | Small decorative strokes | Print, formal, traditional | | **Sans-serif** | Clean, no strokes | Digital, modern, minimal | | **Display** | Decorative, unique | Headlines, logos, impact | | **Script** | Handwriting-like | Invitations, elegant, personal | | **Monospace** | Equal character width | Code, technical, retro |

Typography Terms

• **Kerning**: Space between specific letter pairs
• **Tracking**: Overall letter spacing
• **Leading**: Line spacing (line-height)
• **Font weight**: Thickness (light, regular, bold)
• **X-height**: Height of lowercase letters
• **Baseline**: Line text sits on
• **Ascender**: Part above x-height (like 'h')
• **Descender**: Part below baseline (like 'g')

Typography Best Practices

1. **Limit fonts** - 2-3 maximum per design 2. **Create contrast** - Pair different styles 3. **Hierarchy** - Different sizes for different purposes 4. **Readability** - Adequate size and contrast 5. **Line length** - 45-75 characters ideal

Canva-Specific Terms

Design Elements

| Term | Definition | |------|------------| | **Element** | Any object in a design (text, image, shape) | | **Frame** | Container for images that masks them | | **Grid** | Layout structure for organizing content | | **Layer** | Stacking order of elements | | **Group** | Multiple elements combined as one | | **Lock** | Prevent element from being moved | | **Alignment guides** | Lines showing element alignment |

Canva Features

| Feature | Description | |---------|-------------| | **Brand Kit** | Saved brand colors, fonts, logos | | **Magic Resize** | Automatically resize designs | | **Background Remover** | Remove image backgrounds | | **Magic Eraser** | Remove objects from images | | **Text Effects** | Shadow, lift, splice, etc. | | **Animate** | Add motion to elements | | **Transparency** | Element opacity level | | **Blur** | Soften images or backgrounds |

Design Types

| Type | Use Case | Typical Dimensions | |------|----------|-------------------| | **Presentation** | Slideshows, pitches | 1920x1080 | | **Social Media Post** | Instagram, Facebook | Platform-specific | | **Story** | Vertical social content | 1080x1920 | | **Document** | Repor