Changing the background in your Canva document is a great way to add cohesive, unique branding consistently throughout your design. Today I'm going to show you how to:

• Use an Anchor Design Co. brand bundle background
• Use an uploaded, pre-made background
• Create your own background from any photo or pattern

Use an Anchor Design Co. brand bundle background #

Our Brand Bundles are a really easy, inexpensive way to rebrand your design in just a few seconds without having to start from scratch. These brand bundles coordinate with our AnchorCard Digital Business Cards and include both 8.5 X 11 background images and square background images, in addition to toher branding elements like editable logos.

To add a background from a brand bundle, first make sure that the brand bundle Canva template has been added to your Canva account. Then, open the document that you want to edit.

In your document, add a blank page by clicking the + plus sign above your first page. Then, on the left side of your screen in the vertical grey bar click “Folders” and locate your brand bundle files. Click the background image from your brand bundle to add it to the blank page. If there is any text or other elements on the background that you just added, delete them so that your background is blank.

Now, copy your background by right-clicking and selecting “Copy” from the dropdown menu or pressing Command+C or Control+C on your keyboard.

Then, scroll to the page whose border you want to change. Click on the border that currently exists and click delete to remove it. Now, paste the border you click copied by right-clicking and selecting “Paste” from the dropdown menu or pressing Command+V or Control+V on your keyboard.

This will paste your border on top of everything else on the document. To move it behind everything else on the document, click “Position” at the top of the page and then select “To Back” from the drop-down menu. This will move your border behind everything else on the page!

Now that you've copied your background once you can do this on each page quickly and easily. On each page you'll just:

• Delete the current background (Click on it one time, then press delete)
• Paste the new background (Right-click and click “Paste” or use Command+V or Control+V)
• Send the new background to the back (Click “Position” then “To Back”)

Use an uploaded, pre-made border #

To upload a pre-made border, you need to first open the document that you want to edit in Canva.

Now, go to “Uploads” in the vertical bar on the left and upload your pre-made background. Once your pre-made border has been uploaded drag it on top of the background that currently exists in your document. Canva will automatically replace the current border for you!

If the background does not automatically replace itself this means that your current background is most likely locked. Unlock your background by clicking on it one time, then click the lock icon in the upper right corner of your screen. Go back and repeat the drag and drop step from above.

Create your own background from any photo or pattern #

The difference between a pre-made border and creating a custom border is that a pre-made border has blank space in the middle and only has a design on the edge. A custom border is created using an image that covers the entire page and we will add blank space in the middle separately.

To create a background from scratch using a photo or pattern you need to first open the document that you want to edit in Canva.

Custom backgrounds are made of two elements: an image and a rectangle. The photo is used to create a border and the rectangle is used to create a blank white space in the middle where your text and other parts of your document will go.

First, upload the image you want to use for your background or border and drag-and-drop it onto your current background using the directions from the “Use an uploaded, pe-made background” section above.

Now that you've replaced your background we need to add blank space in the middle so that your image only shows up on the edges – thus, creating a border.

To do this we will add a rectangle. On the left side of the screen click “Elements” in the grey vertical bar. Then, under “Shapes” click on the grey square to add it to your design.

Now, with your square selected click “Position” at the top fo the screen and then click “To Back” from the drop-down menu. This will move the rectangle behind any other text or images that appear on the page. If you find this clicking “To Back” puts your rectangle behind your background just click “Position” again and click “Forward” one time to move it in front of your background.

Now, use the vertical white marks on the top, bottom, left, and right to make your rectangle big enough to create a blank space behind your text.

Finally, you can change the color of this rectangle by clicking the color selector in the top left corner. In the color menu that opens up, choose the color you want to use.

Now, let's connect the background with the rectangle by grouping them. This links the two different elements together to make one element – this means that when you move one, the other will move as well so that you never accidentally move just the background or just the rectangle. They move together as if they are one.

To group these two elements together, first click on the background one time. Then, press the shift key on your computer. While holding the shift key down, click the rectangle. Both elements will now be selected. At the top of the page click “Group.” Now they will move as one element!

To add this border to all other pages in your document just follow these steps on each page:

• Delete the current background (Click on it one time, then press delete)
• Paste the new background (Right-click and click “Paste” or use Command+V or Control+V)
• Send the new background to the back (Click “Position” then “To Back”)

Congratulations! You now know 3 ways to create a beautiful border in your Canva document.