What alignment actually is
Alignment is the deliberate placement of every element so they relate to each other. When things share edges, a design feels ordered and trustworthy. It's easier to scan, and it looks like someone cared.
Draw an imaginary line down the left edge of your headline. How many other things touch it? If the answer is none, every element is floating on its own.
Three steps to get it right
Pick one edge
For most ecommerce graphics, left-aligned beats centred. It's easier to read and looks more intentional.
Snap everything to it
Headline, body, button and logo all start on the same line. Turn on rulers and guides in your design tool.
Stop centring by default
Centred text is fine for one short line. For anything longer, it makes the reader hunt for where each line starts.
Where AI gets it wrong
AI draws text by eye inside the image, so nothing quite lines up, and it centres everything. Generate the image without text and set the words yourself, in your design tool.
Paste this into your image tool to get a better starting point:
Generate the image with no text. Keep the left 40% of the frame clean and simple so text can be placed there.
Name the problem in design words and give it one clear change:
“Nothing lines up. Start the headline, the body text and the button on the same left edge.”
- Turn on guides in Canva or your design tool.
- Pick one edge and snap every element on your next graphic to it.
- Re-set one centred paragraph as left-aligned.
- Next up: Repetition
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