How to Create Digital Stickers in Canva

Can we all just agree that there are fewer things in the world that are as cute as stickers? Seriously though…they’re so much fun. And this is what we’re going to focus on today.

I’m going to show you how to make digital stickers for your digital products in a fast and simple way.  If you’ve been following along, you know that I love creating digital products.

From planners and printables to calendars and online courses, I love them all and love finding new ways to create products that fill the needs of others.  Not only that but digital products are super profitable and they take just a very short time to make.  Literally in just a day or two, you can create a digital product and start making money. It’s seriously as simple as that.  

I’ll tell you exactly how to create digital sticks that you can use on your planner and your printables to embellish them and make them look even more awesome than they already do. 

The way that I’ll show you how to create sticks is by using a program called Canva, but I also want to point out that I do have a course called Printables by Number that shows you how to create stickers in Powerpoint as well.  Think of this as a fun arts and crafts lesson but in a digital format.  

Here is the latest YouTube video that visually shows you how to create stickers in Canva.

What is Canva?

If you’ve never heard of Canva, it’s a program to get familiar with fast. I literally use it all the time and it’s such a lifesaver for helping with graphics and creativity. There is a free version of Canva that you can use but if you’re wanting to use their images to create stickers, you do need to pay for Canva Pro.

The great part about Canva is that you can create your stickers in the PNG format so that they have a transparent background. This means that you can add it to other worksheets or PDF’s and it stands out. It’s basically a transparent image without a border that can be added to a wide variety of products.  

In this post, I’ll give you the steps to create an adorable little sun sticker that says “you are my sunshine” and also a retro rainbow and sun sticker as well.  

How to Create Digital Stickers in Canva

Let’s figure out the best way to make a sun sticker. I’m all about making unique products that are retro and cool. This is why this “You are my sunshine” sticker idea is stuck in my mind – because it takes me back to when I was a kid. 

From start to finish, I’m going to write out the steps so that you can create this sun sticker yourself. (if you’re a visual learner, watch the posted YouTube video above for the steps)

How to Create a Sunshine Sticker in Canva

Start by going to Canva.com and clicking on “create a design” at the top. Make your own custom size by adding in 500X500 as the dimensions. (This will make it logo size which is a great size for a sticker) Once you have the size chosen, it’s time to start creating the sun. 

Creating a sun sticker in Canva

Click in elements and choose the solid circle. Stretch it out by the arrows and make it a little bigger in size than what is initially presented. 

Grab another circle and made it black in color. Add two little eyes – it’s okay if they’re not perfect. 

Go back to the elements and look until you find a semi-circle that is going to be used as the smile.

Make it the same color of black or even a dark gray and add to the sunshine’s face. 

Resize the items on the face so that they all fit and are easy to identify and see. (Feel free to play around with the sizes at this point and customize it to how you like it. If you make a mistake or don’t like the most recent change you just did, there is a little “reverse” arrow at the top that you can hit and undo that change.) 

Once you have the face exactly how you like it, it’s time to move on and add the triangles which are going to be the rays of the sun.  I’m all about having things be “different” so I like to use shapes that are a little bit off and not always a perfect match.  

Once you find the shape of the triangle that you like, just add and change the color to yellow. You can then rotate them or adjust them to how you want them to look around the sun. Just play with this part a bit until you get the hang of it.  

Keep in mind that you can change each piece of the sticker to be different shades of colors as well. This is a really cool tip and can make your sticker stand out and be different.  

Don’t be scared or worried about adding too much color – I think it adds some really cool character.  Once you’re done, that’s it – you literally just completed your first sticker using Canva!  

How to have text overly on stickers made in Canva

Now that you have an idea of how to make a sticker in Canva, it’s time to venture into adding text to it as well.  

Start by duplicating the page and selecting the entire element by right-clicking and saying “group”. This makes it be one little sticker and then it’s easy to add text to it.  

Click on the “Text” aspect of Canva to start messing around with all the fonts. There are so many fun ones to choose from and if you highlight the text that you want to see in different fonts, it’ll change the font automatically as you click on a different style.  

You can ungroup your sticker and start adding in the text. It really is kind of a trial-by-error type of learning process at this point. You can use lowercase or uppercase to create your words and then see how they look on different parts of the sticker. Once you have the placement how you want it, you can align it to the left or right side or center it as well.  

The text can be kept in black and you can even add a little glow to the back of the sunshine graphic to make it stand out. (To do this, go to “effects”, and use the “shadow” function.)  

How to create a retro and funky sticker using Canva

I love the look of anything retro. This sticker goes out to all my minivan mommas. It also reminds me of packing up the kids and heading to the beach. 

This one tends to be a little bit more difficult to write out via the steps so I highly recommend watching the video tutorial above for this portion. 

The biggest thing to keep in mind is that you’re going to want to size and fit the design in a way that works for you. 

I love the font “Vintage Modern” so that is what I used. You can literally use whatever font you want, so have fun with the process. I also like the words to be in caps as they stand out really, really well. 

A simple tip to keep in mind when creating stickers in Canva is that you can literally just play around with the designs until you find one that speaks to you.  

How to Sell Stickers Created in Canva

The biggest thing that you need to keep in mind is that you MUST download them in a PNG format. This is what makes them a sticker. Any other type of downloadable format isn’t going to work. I repeat…YOU MUST DOWNLOAD THEM IN A PNG FORMAT.

This gives them the transparent background option that makes them easy to put on and print out as stickers.

If you download it as a zipped file, just unzip that as well. 

Once you’re ready, you can learn how to sell them, and other printables, on Etsy.

How to use Stickers Made in Canva

You’ve created and downloaded the newly created images but now what? Now it’s time to use them! You can easily have these printed out on sticker paper to use or even offer them as a template upsell for people to put on their own printables and products.

The sky is the limit in ways that you can sell these newly created stickers! 

Tips for Creating Stickers in Canva

Keep in mind that you’re literally creating stickers for your audience. This means that you know what they like and what might prompt them to buy. Think about this when you’re making designs or thinking of cute stickers to create and market. 

Even though these stickers don’t take long to make, you don’t want to waste your time creating things that no one in your audience is going to buy. Yes, you can create products to try to draw in new customers but don’t forget about your main audience and what they love.     

I also tell people to not forget to have fun. This is supposed to be an exciting time for you where you’re learning something new and creating something that you can offer your customers as well. Stressing out and not being able to enjoy the process can create an unpleasant experience and stop you from trying it again. 

Creating your first set of stickers will have a bit of a learning curve in the beginning, but I can assure you that the more you create, the easier it becomes. These sun stickers took me just a few minutes to create and I’ll be able to earn passive income from them for YEARS! 

You can also use your stickers over and over again but just tweaking them slightly with different colors and different words as well. This is another great way to add a lot of sellable options to your site so that you can have products to sell to your audience.  

Important Warning Regarding Commercial Rights

Please make sure to read the terms and conditions on any platform, including Canva, before you use their digital art as a product for commercial use.

Most companies allow you to use their art if you alter it so that it’s a completely new design, but read their terms before selling a digital product.

I like companies like Canva, DesignCuts and Creative Fabrica for purchasing digital art for my printables and stickers.

Final Thoughts About Creating Digital Stickers in Canva

My thoughts are this…If you’re looking for a simple passive income stream, creating digital stickers is about as simple as it gets. You’ll not only be able to tap into your creative brain and find a way to make your ideas come to fruition but you’ll also be able to sell those for money 24/7 and 365 days of the year. 

If you’re unsure about your skill-level, take a few days to really dive into Canva and find out how you can make it work for you. No one but you has to know how your beginning stickers looked as it’s only the end ones that matter.

Be open to asking your family and friends for feedback and tweak your ideas according to what they say. I LOVE going to my audience and getting new sticker ideas from them as well as it’s a simple and easy way to create products that I know they’re going to buy. 

Once you get comfortable in creating stickers, this can help launch your confidence in creating other graphics and fun creative printables as well. And who knows – this might be the perfect way for you to build your shop and start offering products and services that you had never even thought of before. 

Last but not least, be proud of yourself for wanting to try something new. Anytime I bring up the idea of creating graphics or stickers to sell, people automatically assume that just because they don’t have a design background that it’s an idea that just isn’t for them. NEVER count yourself or your abilities out before you give them a try. 

You’ve already proven that you have the DRIVE to run your own business so why not allow yourself the CHANCE to build your confidence and prove that you have what it takes to find new passive income ideas as well.

Stickers allow you to have fun while being creative…all while making a profit! 

Another great resource, if you want alternatives to Canva, check out this post!

What other fun sticker design ideas are you going to try to make in Canva?