How to Make a Canva QR Code

Imagine you’re creating a restaurant flyer design on Canva that includes enticing food visuals and information on the latest offers and deals. But, you want it to be more than just a visually appealing graphic. So you decide to add a QR code to the design, which serves as a digital doorway into more exclusive content, such as digital menus, chef stories, or your restaurant’s social media pages. 

With Canva’s built-in QR code generator, you can easily integrate a QR code into your design, saving time and effort. So, how do you do that? Follow this simple step-by-step guide to create Canva QR codes and streamline your design workflow.

Simple steps to create a Canva QR code

Step 1: Open Canva and click ‘Create a design’ at the top left to create your design. For example, it could be a design for any marketing material, like a poster or flyer. 

Step 2: Select a suitable template for your flyer/poster. 

Step 3: To integrate a QR code into the design, go to the Apps tab on the left navigation bar and type ‘QR code’ in the search bar. You will find the Canva QR code generator app with a black-and-white QR code icon. 

Step 4: Select the Canva QR code app. In the ‘URL’ section, enter the URL you want to embed in the QR code. 

Step 5 (Optional): In the ‘Customize’ section, customize the QR code by changing the background and foreground colors and adjusting the margin. Customization options, however, are limited to these.  

Step 6: Click on ‘Generate code.’ Your QR code will be created and appear on the design slide. You can move the code to place it wherever you want in the design. 

Step 7: Now, click on ‘Share’ at the top-right corner. A pop-up will appear. Select the ‘Download’ button and then select the file type. The PNG format is suggested for best image quality. 

Step 8: Finally, click on ‘Download’ to complete the process. 

Canva is one of the most popular platforms for visual graphics and design. However, due to its limited features, it isn’t an ideal platform for creating QR codes.

4 Major limitations of Canva QR codes 

Let’s look at the four major limitations of Canva’s built-in QR code generator.

No dynamic codes: Canva QR codes are inherently static, meaning you cannot change the destination URL once the code is generated. 

URL solution only: Canva allows you to create URL QR codes only. If you want to create other QR solutions, such as digital business cards, dog tags, or event ticketing, you must rely on other QR code generators.

Limited customization: The platform offers very basic customization, with options limited to background & foreground colors and margin adjustment. 

Lack of analytics functionality: Canva doesn’t offer built-in QR code analytics functionality. Some third-party QR code apps available within Canva may offer tracking capabilities. However, the availability and depth of analytics depend entirely on the specific provider. So, it’s essential to review each tool’s features before use.

Why use QRCodeChimp to create QR codes?

Those looking for more flexibility, branding, and tracking options in QR code solutions will benefit from using QRCodeChimp — a more feature-rich platform for QR code generation. It lets you overcome Canva’s limitations with its dynamic QR codes, multiple QR code solutions, extensive customization options, and state-of-the-art analytics for data-driven marketing. 

Let’s see how. 

Dynamic and static QR codes: QRCodeChimp allows you to make both static and dynamic QR codes, though dynamic QR codes are always better for marketing campaigns. You can edit or update the QR code content anytime you want without regenerating or reprinting the code. 

Multiple QR code solutions: Unlike Canva that offers only the URL QR code, QRCodeChimp offers multiple QR code solutions on top of the URL solution. Digital business cards, form QR code, menu QR code, multi-URL QR code, social media QR code, and Google Review QR code are among the most popular ones.

Extensive customization: This platform offers a wide range of customization options, including unique shapes, designs, colors, and stickers, to create visually appealing QR codes. You can also incorporate your brand logo into the QR code to reflect your brand’s identity. 

Robust analytics: QRCodeChimp offers advanced tracking & analytics features, allowing you to track your QR codes and view detailed scan data, such as scan location, number of scans, scanning device, etc. This data offers in-depth insights into user behavior and lets you identify improvement areas. It thus helps you optimize campaign performance with an improved marketing strategy. 

Hence, QRCodeChimp is specifically tailored for those who need highly advanced QR codes with robust features and functionality. You can easily create dynamic, customizable QR codes on QRCodeChimp and upload them directly to Canva to enhance your designs. 

How to create QR codes for Canva using QRCodeChimp?

If you’ve been thinking about how to use QR codes created with QRCodeChimp in your Canva design, follow these easy steps. 

Step 1: Sign in to QRCodeChimp. By default, you will land on the URL QR code generator page. 

Step 2: Enter your website or page URL and check the ‘Make dynamic’ box to ensure it’s a dynamic code. 

Step 3: Customize and decorate your QR code. Choose from a wide range of eye-catching designs/templates, shapes, colors, and logos.

Step 4: Click on ‘Save QR Code,’ give a name to your QR code campaign, and finally click on ‘Save.’ 

Step 5: Download the QR code. Ensure it is downloaded in the PNG format, which is recommended for Canva.  

Step 6: Now, open Canva and get your design (for a flyer, poster, business card, etc.) ready. 

Step 7: Select ‘Uploads’ on the navigation bar on the left-hand side. 

Step 8: Click on ‘Upload files’ to upload the QR code image you downloaded. The image will appear below. 

Step 9: Drag and drop the QR code onto your Canva design. You can resize the code and place it wherever you want.  

That’s it! You now have a dynamic, customized QR code for your Canva design. 

Conclusion 

Undoubtedly, Canva is a treasure trove of visual graphics and designs, boasting over 170 million users worldwide. However, Canva QR codes are static with no option for advanced customization and analytics capabilities, making them somewhat ineffective for various marketing purposes. 

So, if you’re looking for next-level marketing and increased user engagement with QR codes, create them using QRCodeChimp and add them to your Canva design. 

Frequently asked questions