Social Media Canva Quick Checklist

Use the quick checklist below when designing social media content to ensure your design follows established style guidelines and accessibility compliance.

Content Created in Canva

The guidance below will help social media managers follow accessibility guidelines, editorial standards, brand identity treatment, and general visual design practices.

  1. Have I tested my Canva social media creation using the Accessibility Checker? (Evaluates for Color Contrast, Alternative Text, and Font Sizes.)
  2. Does my event information follow the proper Time and Date standard as specified in the Chicago Manual of Style? (E.g., Monday, February 3, 2026, 8:00 a.m. to Noon or 1:00 to 5:30 p.m.)
  3. Have I used the proper Office Tier 3 Brand Identity and provided enough space around the identity mark? (I.e., the identity mark should not overlay into background patterns or extraneous graphic elements.)
  4. Have I applied enough margin space around my design so textual information stays within the design and does not bleed off the edge?
  5. Am I using clear and legible Type Treatment? (I.e., less decorative headlines for better legibility.)
  6. Have I double checked my Text for Spelling Errors?
  7. Have I properly sized my design for Social Media Platforms?

Social Media Canva Quick Checklist PDF Version

Where to locate the Accessibility Checker in Canva?

Under the "File" tab within the drop down menu, select Accessibility, and Check design accessibility.

Canva Accessibility Checker
Canva Accessibility Checker
Canva Accessibility Checker Tools for Color Contrast, Typography, and Alternative text.
Canva Accessibility Checker Tools for Color contrast, Typography, and Alternative text.

Where to locate the Social Media "Resize" Menu in Canva?

Under the "Resize" tab within the drop down menu, select the social media platforms you wish to resize to.

Canva Social Media File Resize
Canva Social Media File Resize

Alternative Text


Alternative text, also known as alt text, is descriptive text that conveys the meaning of an image in digital content. It's designed to make visual content accessible to people with vision impairments. When a person uses assistive technology such as a screen reader, the screen reader will read the onscreen text aloud. 

Where to locate the Alternative Text Menu in Canva? 

Right click the image you wish to apply alt text and select 'Alternative text.'

Canva display showing how to access the Alternative Text Menu
Canva display showing how to access the Alternative Text Menu

How to apply Alternative Text to an image in Canva?

Canva display showing to how to apply Alternative Text to an image
Canva display showing to how to apply Alternative Text to an image
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