Designing Genre Signs with Photos in Canva

 

I recently spent two weeks with a colleague that works at the elementary level. She'd just completed the most amazing project, organizing her nonfiction books into easily browsable genres. I love creating graphics, so with her input, I designed shelf labels and signs for 78 different nonfiction genres and 11 fiction genres. 

If you'd like to purchase these genre labels and signs, you can buy them via my Teachers Pay Teachers store. The resource includes 78 nonfiction and 11 fiction labels in two different sizes: 8.5" x 11" and 2" x 4". 

For a quick crash course in creating your own labels, keep reading!

The first thing you're going to need is a Canva account, preferably a Pro account or an Education account, to ensure you have access to ALL the photographs. Remember, education accounts are FREE for K-12 teachers.

With Canva open, you'll click on "Custom Size" in the upper right hand corner, and then enter your dimensions. In my example below, I'm creating images 4" wide by 2" tall.

Then, on the left hand side of your screen, you'll want to select "Elements" (1), type the content you're looking for (I did "dogs") (2), and then click on "Photos" (3) to narrow the results to photographs.

You'll need to resize your image. Click and drag the circles in the corners to change the image size. 

You'll want to make sure the image fills ALL the white space (see below).

The last step is to add your text. Select "Text" from the left-hand menu, then click on "Add a subheading" (2). Type your genre name in the text box, and then use the text formatting menu (3) to alter it to your liking.  Note: I used the font "Sensei" in the labels and signs I created.

If you want to add a colored background behind your text, you can do that using the "Effects" menu. Select the text by clicking on it, then click on Effects 1. Select the style "Background" (2). You can change the background color using the color selector (3).

Once you're happy with your image, click on "Share" (1) in the upper left-hand corner, then click on "Download" (2).

Now you'll want to download it as an image file, so make sure PNG is the selected file type (1). Then click "Download" (2).

That's it! I'd love to see the genre signs you create for your library!