How to curve text in Canva for logos and badges

Canva added curved text years ago and it is good, but it does one thing rather than two. It bends a line of text along an arc, and that is all.

Circular badges, seals and stamp logos need text on the top arc and the bottom arc reading in opposite directions. Canva cannot do that in one text box, and the workaround is the actual content of this guide.

What the slider actually does

The values in the last row are the ones to remember. A badge works when the top text is at +80 and the bottom is at −80 on the same size canvas. Matching the numbers is what makes both arcs sit on the same invisible circle.

Building a circular badge

Step 1: Draw the circle first

Add a circle from Elements and size it to your badge. Everything else positions against this, and having it there from the start saves realigning text twice.

Step 2: Create the top text

Add a text box, type your upper words, and set letter spacing to about 100 before touching the curve. Spacing first, curve second: doing it the other way round means re-judging the spacing on an already bent line.

Step 3: Curve it positive and position it

Effects → Curve, drag right to around +80, then move the text box until the arc sits along the top of your circle. Adjust the slider rather than dragging the box when the curvature does not match the circle.

Step 4: Create the bottom text separately

Add a second text box for the lower words. Do not duplicate the first one. You will inherit the positive curve and spend longer undoing it than typing it fresh.

Step 5: Curve it negative by the same amount

Set the curve to −80, matching the top box. The text now arcs downward and reads left to right the right way up along the bottom of the circle.

Step 6: Nudge both into alignment

Select both text boxes and use Position → Align centre horizontally. Then move each vertically until the gaps at the left and right of the circle look even. This is judged by eye; there is no numeric alignment for it.

Curved text does not scale the way you expect. Resizing a curved text box changes the curve radius as well as the letter size, so a badge that was perfect at one size can look wrong at another. Build it at roughly the size you will use it, and if you need it much larger, rebuild rather than scale.

Fonts that survive curving

Script fonts are the one to avoid outright. They rely on letters connecting to each other, and curving text increases the gaps. So the joins break and the word falls apart into separate characters.

The badge in five minutes

Effects → Curve, positive for the top arc, negative for the bottom, two separate text boxes for a full badge, and letter spacing around 100 before you curve anything.

If the badge is heading for a logo, SVG vs PNG for logos explains why you want a vector version of it before a printer asks. And for text sitting over photographs rather than shapes, transparent text overlays covers making it readable.