Thinkabara

🎨 Canva for Teachers & Beginners · Lesson 3 of 7

Fonts and readable text

Google Classroom

Font pairs, sizes, contrast and accessible design.

Two fonts are enough

Use one font for headings and one for body text. Canva’s Text panel has ready font combinations. Fancy script fonts are fine for a name on an invitation — not for paragraphs.

Readable sizes

Printed worksheetBody 12–14 pt, headings 20+
Young readersBody 16+ pt, simple rounded font
SlidesAt least 24 pt
PosterTitle readable from across the room

Contrast

Dark text on a light background is easiest to read. Avoid text over busy photos — put a semi-transparent shape behind the text. Don’t rely on color alone to show meaning (some students are color-blind).

For early readers and dyslexia

Use a clean font with clear letters (where a, d, b and q look different), left-aligned text, generous line spacing, and short lines. Avoid ALL CAPS for long text.

Tip

💡 Print a test page in black and white. If it still works, your contrast is good.

✏️ Practice: your turn

  1. Pick a font combination from the Text panel
  2. Make a sentence 16 pt for young readers
  3. Put text over a photo and add a transparent shape behind it
  4. Print or preview in grayscale and check contrast

✏️ Worksheet maker: a ready-to-print worksheet without designing from scratch

🧠 Quick quiz

Answer all 4 questions correctly to mark this lesson as done.

1. How many fonts should a design usually use?
2. Text over a busy photo is hard to read. Fix?
3. Script fonts are best for…
4. Why not rely on color alone?

0 of 4 correct

All lessons in Canva for Teachers & Beginners

  1. 🚀 1. Getting started: account, size and templateA free account, choosing a size and starting from a template
  2. 🧰 2. The editor: text, elements and photosThe side panel, the top toolbar, layers and alignment
  3. 🔤 3. Fonts and readable textFont pairs, sizes, contrast and accessible design
  4. 📝 4. A classroom worksheetUS Letter, a readable font and good contrast
  5. 🎉 5. An invitation or a certificateBirthday, class event and an award certificate
  6. 🎬 6. A presentation and a short videoAnimation in moderation, short videos and exporting
  7. 📤 7. Sharing, printing and downloadingPDF for print vs. PNG, working with students and copyright