What Is a Hex Code and Why Does Canva Use It?

I have had this conversation more times than I can count.

A client comes to me excited to finally nail down their brand colors. They have chosen their palette, they love how it looks, and they are ready to start designing. Then I say, 'Great, now grab your hex code and type it in,' and the call goes quiet.

'My what?'

Hex codes (also known as hex colors) are one of those things that live quietly in the background of every digital design tool, including Canva, and most people just ignore them. Until they try to use the same color across two different places and suddenly everything looks slightly off. Then they want answers.

This post is those answers. By the end, you will know exactly what a hex code is, why Canva uses them, how to read one, and why the colors you see on your screen sometimes look different when you send something to print.

So What Is a Hex Code, Exactly?

A hex code (short for hexadecimal color code) is a six-character combination of numbers and letters that tells your screen which color to display. It always starts with a # symbol, and it looks something like this: #008080.

That code is teal, by the way. My teal, specifically. I would recognize it anywhere.

Every color you can see on a digital screen has its own unique hex code. There are over 16 million possible combinations, which sounds wild, but it means your exact shade of dusty rose or forest green or millennial blush can be pinned down to one precise code that will reproduce exactly the same way every single time.

That is the whole point.

Why Does Canva Use Hex Codes?

Canva is a digital design tool, which means it lives on screens. And screens display color using a system called RGB, which stands for Red, Green, and Blue. Every color you see on your monitor, phone, or tablet is made by mixing different amounts of those three colors together.

The hex code is how Canva communicates those exact amounts to your screen. When you type a hex code into Canva's color picker, you are essentially giving your computer precise instructions: this much red, this much green, this much blue. Your screen reads that code and shows you the exact color.

Without a hex code, you would be eyeballing it every time. And eyeballing it means inconsistency, which is the enemy of a recognizable brand.

Breaking Down the Code

Here is where it gets interesting. A hex code is not random. It is actually three pieces of information stacked together.

Take #RRGGBB as a template. The first two characters represent the amount of Red. The middle two represent Green. The last two represent Blue.

Each pair goes from 00 (none of that color) to FF (maximum of that color). Because hex codes use a base-16 number system, they use the digits 0 through 9 plus the letters A through F. So 0 is all the way off, and F is all the way on.

Here is a quick way to start making sense of codes at a glance:

• #FF0000 is pure red (red maxed out, green and blue at zero)
• #00FF00 is pure green
• #0000FF is pure blue
• #000000 is black (everything off)
• #FFFFFF is white (everything maxed out)

Once you know those anchors, you can start to take an educated guess at any code. See a lot of F's in the first two spots? Lots of red in that color. See all low numbers across the board? You are looking at something dark.

You do not need to be a mathematician to start reading these. It gets more intuitive the more you look at them.

How to Use Hex Codes in Canva

In Canva, you will find the color picker any time you click on a colored element and select the color swatch in the toolbar. At the bottom of the color picker panel, there is a small box with a # symbol. That is where you type your hex code.

Type it in, hit enter, and Canva loads that exact color. No guessing. No sliding around hoping you land in the right spot. Just your color, exactly as it should be.

You can also do this the other way around. Drag the rainbow hue bar in the Canva color picker and watch the hex code at the bottom update in real time as you move. That is a really satisfying way to see how the code changes as the color shifts, and it helps the concept click in a tangible way.

Once you have a hex code you love, save it as a brand color in Canva. That way it lives in your palette and you never have to look it up again.

A Quick Note About Printing

Here is something that trips a lot of people up: the colors you see on your screen are built for screens. Screens use RGB (Red, Green, Blue) and they emit light. Printers, on the other hand, use a completely different system called CMYK, which stands for Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black.

Printers do not emit light. They put ink on paper. And ink on paper mixes color differently than light on a screen does. This is why a vibrant teal on your laptop can look noticeably duller or different once it comes back from the print shop.

This does not mean your hex code is wrong. It just means the translation between screen color and printed color is not perfect. If you are designing something for print, work with your printer to get a color match that accounts for this difference.

For most everyday Canva designs that live online, your hex codes are all you need.

Why This Matters for Your Brand

If you have ever looked at your Instagram profile next to your website next to your business card and thought, 'why does my teal look three different shades of teal,' this is probably why.

Without a saved hex code, every time you pick a color you are at the mercy of the color picker. Slight variations add up over time and your brand starts to feel inconsistent even if you cannot immediately pinpoint why.

Your hex code is the anchor. It is the thing that makes your salmon look like your salmon on your graphics, your email header, your templates, and your website, because you are giving every tool the exact same instructions every time.

If you have not already written down your brand hex codes somewhere you can access easily, that is your first task after reading this. It is one of the smallest things you can do that makes one of the biggest differences in how professional your work looks.

Quick Recap

• A hex code is a 6-character code that tells your screen exactly which color to display
• Canva uses hex codes because it is a digital tool built on the RGB color system
• The first two characters = red, middle two = green, last two = blue
• 00 means none of that color; FF means maximum of that color
• You can type a hex code directly into Canva's color picker for exact color matching
• Screen colors (RGB) and print colors (CMYK) work differently, which is why prints can look different from your screen

Want to start using Canva more confidently from day one? Grab the free Canva Starter Kit below. It is designed for exactly where you are right now.

Until next time,
Kat 🐾