Design guidelines

Foundations are similar to design tokens in that they are the smallest atomic components that form the cornerstone of any design system. They start as simple and foundational — such as colors and icons — and are arranged and combined to create larger and more complex components.

We've published a Figma library of Canva components from our own design system, so you can focus on creating high-quality and consistent solutions for users.

When designing and building new apps, use the style of Canva's existing components as much as possible — it helps retain consistency.

Building unique components

If you find that your app requires a component that our example apps in the starter kit repo or the Figma library has not provided example styling for, try:

• Using our tokens, like functional color palettes, icons, and spacing principles, to build your own. We can help provide feedback on these components before and during the review process.
• Raising a component request. Our team reviews every request; these requests help us better understand what kinds of challenges developers run into and help identify gaps in our component library so we can improve in the future.