Marq vs. Canva: Which Design Tool Is Best for Your Business?

When business owners and marketers search for user-friendly design tools, two names always come to mind: Marq and Canva. Both platforms are making waves in the design niche, thanks to their powerful features. But which branding service truly fits your business needs? Let’s find out in this Marq vs. Canva, head-to-head comparison.

Marq vs. Canva: A Brief Overview

First, let’s get to know more about these two leading online design platforms. 

Marq: Previously known as Lucidpress, is a design tool that offers lockable templates (pre-designed layouts that can’t be edited), centralized asset management, and collaborative features. It is ideal for brands that focus on keeping their visual branding consistent.

Canva: A favorite among many DIY designers, it is popular for its drag-and-drop functionality and a wide array of templates. It is incredibly user-friendly, enabling marketers and entrepreneurs to design anything with ease.

Both these platforms offer a myriad of benefits, but the best fit depends on your business’s requirements.

Ease of Use: Which is More Beginner-Friendly?

Both these platforms are favored for their user-friendliness. Ease of use is a top consideration when businesses choose a graphic design service. It’s because they can get up to speed with their design tasks, saving them time and money. And so, let’s look at how Marq vs. Canva fare:

Canva: Has a smooth and intuitive navigation. Its layout is clean and minimal, making it easy to find design elements. It also allows for quick switching between projects. In addition, it provides contextual tooltips and visual cues to guide you through editing. Also, its mobile and tablet apps are similar to the desktop experience, allowing you to design even when on the move.

Marq: On the other hand, Marq is designed with structured workflows and an easy-to-navigate interface. You can organize your projects, assets, and brand elements in a centralized panel. It also simplifies your design process by providing guides during editing, reducing mistakes and revisions. Its built-in brand education prompts are a big help in understanding and following company style rules as you design.

Branding Features: Which is Best for Brand Consistency?

Branding is a business essential that requires consistency to be effective in building trustworthiness and recognition. If you’re looking to control your brand design, Marq and Canva are excellent branding services. 

Marq: It shines in brand management by enabling users to set strict controls over how assets are used. You can define approved logos, colors, and fonts, and then apply them to all your templates, ensuring other users cannot edit them. This setup ensures all your materials stay on-brand even when you have multiple team members working on them. 

Canva: In contrast, Canva’s tools offer flexibility. It has a feature-packed Brand Kit, which lets you upload your logo, fonts, and color palette and apply them to your designs. This feature helps you maintain visual consistency while allowing you creative freedom. Additionally, the platform has brand control settings, such as restricting colors and fonts on a per-design basis. This makes it easier for new team members to be on the same page.

If your business has multiple users, Marq is suitable, especially when strict brand enforcement is your priority. Alternatively, Canva is ideal for teams that want to balance consistency and creativity. 

Template Library and Customization Features

If you’re looking for graphic design services that let you get visual assets quickly and easily, Marq and Canva have extensive template libraries.

Canva has a vast collection of customizable templates that you can use, whatever your industry is. Its library is constantly updated with sleek and professional designs. Its flexibility lets you quickly swap fonts, images, or colors while staying aligned with your branding content.

Marq: has a more structured approach, focusing on professionally crafted templates made specifically for marketing. Each template is created to align with your brand. However, its customization options are slightly more restrictive than Canva’s. This was done intentionally to preserve brand integrity.

Plans and Pricing: Which Offers Better Value?

Down to the nitty-gritty, let’s talk about the pricing. Both Marq and Canva offer free and paid options. Here’s a breakdown of their pricing and plans:

Canva: Has a generous free plan, which includes access to thousands of templates. It has basic design tools and limited storage. Its Pro plan unlocks premium templates, advanced brand controls, magic resize, 1TB of storage, and many other features. Furthermore, its Canva Teams plan offers team workflows, administrative controls, and collaborative features. 

Marq: Also offers a free trial, but positions itself as an enterprise design solution. Its premium plans cater more to teams that require tight design tool pricing. Its features are more aligned with brand governance, like template locking, approval workflows, and advanced user permissions. Additionally, pricing details are usually custom-quoted based on your team size and needs.

Who is Marq For?

Better suited for businesses and organizations that focus on brand consistency, control, and collaboration. Here is who Marq is for:

• Marketing Teams of Medium to Large Companies: Marq’s lockable templates ensure that brand assets are protected and used consistently. It is suitable for you if you manage multiple campaigns and need a centralized design hub.
• Franchises and Brands with Multiple Locations: Perfect for companies with multiple offices or franchises that need to localize their materials.
• Enterprises with Strict Brand Guidelines: Marq is designed to support large companies that have no room for off-brand designs. It offers tools that ensure compliance with these guidelines.
• Non-Design Teams: Sales, HR, customer service, and other teams that need to create designs, but without graphic design skills.
• Education and Nonprofits: Institutions that need to produce brochures, newsletters, and other paraphernalia.

Who is Canva For?

Canva has been the go-to design tool for many individuals, businesses, and teams. Here is who Canva is for:

• Startups and Small Businesses: Enables them to create logos, business cards, social media graphics, and more on a budget.
• Content Creators and Social Media Managers: Helps them publish attention-grabbing visuals quickly.
• Teachers, Students, and Educators: Perfect for crafting presentations, worksheets, lesson plans, and other educational projects.
• Freelancers and Remote Teams: Also used by professional designers and remote teams for their portfolios and other deliverables.
• Nonprofits and Community Groups: Ideal for creating posters, flyers, event promotions, and newsletters, among other materials.

The Verdict: Which Graphic Design Tool is Best for Your Business?

So, in the battle between Marq vs. Canva, who wins? Which platform will truly deliver the most value for your business?

The short answer is: it depends on your priorities.

That said, if you’re a small business, startup, or content creator, Canva is the better fit. Its extensive library, user-friendly interface, and creative freedom are ideal for producing a wide array of design assets.

On the other hand, if your business requires brand consistency, has a large team, or operates in multiple locations or departments, Marq is the better choice.

Final Thoughts

The choice between Marq vs Canva ends when you work with Penji. This graphic design service blends professional design quality with the convenience of an on-demand branding service.  Watch our demo video here to learn how we can create consistent branding assets for you. Or click here to send your request for a logo design.