Canva Walkthrough

We’re pleased to announce that Canva — the easy-to-use, web-based graphic design tool — is now available to active UTRGV employees through our UTRGV Official Brand team as part of a phased rollout. 

The first phase of this rollout is dedicated to helping employees create official UTRGV-branded collateral using University Marketing and Communications (UMC)-curated templates that support marketing, communications, recruitment, enrollment, retention, and branding objectives. If your work involves creating or supporting these types of materials, please continue reading.  

​Supervisors: Please use your discretion and discuss with your direct reports whether Canva is appropriate for their role and responsibilities. 

Key features of the UTRGV Official Brand environment in Canva: 

• UTRGV Brand Kits: Access current UTRGV brand assets within Canva, ensuring consistent use of approved logos, colors, fonts, and other visual elements. 

• Template-Driven Design: Save time using pre-approved templates that include UTRGV brand assets and create polished materials confidently, faster. 

• Simplified Editing Tools: Leverage Canva’s intuitive drag-and-drop editor and tools to easily customize approved content and create professional-looking materials quickly and efficiently. 

• Convenient Review Workflow: Use the "Request review" button from within the design to get your work reviewed by UMC Brand Review (Canva) before publishing — simple and all in one place. 

Together, these features support more consistent, self-service design across campus while keeping brand alignment built into the process. 

To request access, follow the steps under the Join the UTRGV Official Brand Team section of the Canva Knowledge Base Article. This process will go through the proper supervisor and IT approval workflows.  

Learn More and Get Canva Support: 

​If you would like to learn more about this release, future Canva phases, or where to get support, please visit the Canva Knowledge Base Article. The article will contain support and contact information, Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) and details about this release, including a brief overview on the release of an official Canva student environment. 

We’re excited to bring Canva to the campus community and look forward to seeing how it helps streamline work while keeping UTRGV on brand. 

​If you would like to learn more about this release, future Canva phases, or where to get support, please visit the Canva Knowledge Base Article. The article will contain support and contact information, Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) and details about this release, including a brief overview on the release of an official Canva student environment. 

We’re excited to bring Canva to the campus community and look forward to seeing how it helps streamline work while keeping UTRGV on brand. 

Learn how to log in using UTRGV Single Sign-On, navigate the UTRGV workspace, browse official template folders (Special Campaigns, Academic, Medical, and Spirit), and generate an editable copy.  
 

Key Action:  Always select "Use this brand template" to create your copy, and use the built-in calendar field when clicking Request Approval to set your desired review date (allow 24–48 hours for UMC review).   

Learn how to enhance your layout using the Elements panel to add approved graphics, icons, lines, dividers, and customizable data charts while keeping your design clean and readable. 
 

Key Action: Use @mentions in comments to tag teammates, assign direct tasks, and resolve feedback threads once updates are complete.  

Learn how to share your project with team members, manage permissions, use @mentions to assign tasks, reply to feedback threads in real time, and resolve comments once updates are complete. 

• Key Action: Collaborate directly inside Canva instead of emailing file versions back and forth, and click the checkmark on comment threads to resolve them as updates are finished.  

Quick Rules of the Road 

• Always Start from a Branded Template: Do not start from a blank document; always begin with an approved UTRGV brand template.  

• Use Official Assets: Pull official logos, colors, and typography directly from the UTRGV Brand Kit within your editor. Do not upload unapproved, low-resolution logos or external fonts. Use the UTRGV Brand Kit.  

• Proofread Before Submitting: UMC reviews designs for brand alignment, color contrast, and logo usage, while departments are responsible for text accuracy, dates, final spelling, and grammar.  

• Account Activity Policy: Inactive accounts with no activity for 30 days may be periodically deactivated to help manage licensing costs.