Canva Elements

Canva Elements let you embed Canva designs directly into a playlist slide in HipDeck. Instead of exporting content from Canva and re-uploading them, you connect your Canva account and select a design to display live on your digital signage screens.

What Is a Canva Element?

A Canva Element renders a Canva design directly within your playlist. When a Canva element is added to a slide, the asset is added to your asset library for easier retrieval by your displays. If the asset is updated in Canva, you will need to re-upload it to your asset library and it will automatically replace the existing asset.

This makes Canva Elements ideal for content that changes frequently — such as promotional graphics, event schedules, or branded presentations — where keeping designs up to date is a priority.

Connecting Your Canva Account to HipDeck

Before you can use Canva Elements, you need to link your Canva account to HipDeck. This is a one-time setup that authorizes HipDeck to access your Canva designs.

1. Open the Slide Editor.
2. Add a Canva Element. HipDeck will automatically check for stored Canva credentials within the workspace. If they’re not present, you’ll see a ‘Connect to Canva’ option. Otherwise, you will see your assets.
3. You will be redirected to Canva to authorize the connection. Sign in to your Canva account if prompted.
4. Once authorized, you will be returned to HipDeck and your Canva designs will be accessible when adding a Canva Element to a playlist.

Selecting a Design to Embed

Once your Canva account is connected, adding a design to a playlist slide is straightforward:

1. Open a playlist in HipDeck and click Add Slide.
2. Choose Canva Element from the slide type options.
3. A design picker will appear, showing your Canva library. Browse or search for the design you want to embed.
4. Select the design and confirm. The Canva Element slide will now display that design when the playlist runs.

Supported Canva Content Types

HipDeck supports embedding the following types of Canva content as Elements:

• Graphics — single-page Canva designs such as banners, announcements, or social media graphics.
• Posters — portrait or landscape poster designs suited for informational or promotional display.

Not all Canva design types may be supported at launch. If a design type is unavailable in the picker, it may not yet be supported by the integration.

Designing in Canva for Digital Signage

Digital signage screens have different requirements from social media or print. Keep the following tips in mind when creating or adapting Canva designs for use with HipDeck.

Use Landscape Orientation

Most digital signage screens are horizontal displays. Design your Canva content in landscape orientation (16:9 aspect ratio, e.g. 1920 × 1080 px) to ensure it fills the screen correctly without letterboxing or cropping.

Use Large, Readable Text

Viewers are often several meters away from the screen. Text that looks fine on a laptop may be unreadable on a wall-mounted display. Follow these guidelines:

• Use a minimum font size of 40–60 px for body text in a 1920 × 1080 design.
• Keep headlines large and bold — 80 px or above is a good starting point.
• Avoid decorative or script fonts that are difficult to read at a distance.
• Limit the amount of text per slide — viewers have only a few seconds to absorb the content.

Prioritize High Contrast

Screens in bright environments — such as retail spaces, lobbies, or outdoor areas — can wash out low-contrast designs. To ensure your content remains legible:

• Use dark text on light backgrounds, or light text on dark backgrounds.
• Avoid placing text directly over busy or detailed images without a contrasting overlay.
• Test your design on an actual screen before deploying it widely.
• Canva's accessibility checker can help identify low-contrast text combinations.