Create your first design

After you’ve imported your products with a product feed, and your products have been loaded into Confect, the next step is to start designing your new customized Catalog Ads.

The design editor allows you to customize virtually all aspects of your design to match your brand and the product list you are using. 

You can also include relevant product information inside the creative, which will change dynamically, based on which product is being advertised.

1. Create a new design

The design function in Confect pulls product images from your data source and allows you to position, scale, and add different elements.

To do this, head over to "Design" on the left side of the screen, and click "Create your first design".

You now have two options; you can either create a new design from scratch (top-right), or use one of our pre-made and fully editable design templates. 

Either select a design template that fits your brand the most, or click "Start from a blank template".

2. Edit your design

Similar to other well-known software such as Canva, Photoshop, or PowerPoint, so you will likely find it rather intuitive.

In the upper right are the layers of the design. The elements on top will be overlaid over the layers on the bottom, and the order can be changed simply by dragging one layer above the other.

In the middle is the main canvas, where you can click on elements, move them around the design or change the size.

In the lower right (after clicking on an element), you can adjust the settings of elements by clicking on them and customizing the options, such as image settings, adding shadows, or editing text.

In the top right corner, you can click "Preview" and see the design applied to all your products, or "Save" once you've finished editing the template.

2.1. Add a background

Backgrounds in your Catalog ads can make them much more interesting and eye-catching while also showing your brand image.

You can either upload your own background or create a solid color background.

Solid color backgrounds:

Click on "Add shape" above the layer menu in the upper right. Make sure to scale this up to fit the entire design and drag the layer down (to back, behind the product).

Image backgrounds:

Click on "Add media" above the layer menu, click "Upload", and select an image file. Scale it up to take up the entire design and select "Aspect fill" if your background is not the same aspect ratio as the design.

Make sure the background layer is behind all other elements by dragging it down in the layer tab (upper right side).

2.2. Add dynamic product information

Confect also allows you to add any relevant information, such as the price or product name, which will change dynamically based on the product.

This is done by adding "product fields" to a text layer.

Add a text layer (at the top of the layer menu), head over to the "Editor" on the bottom right side, click on the "Product" dropdown and select the field you want to display in your design.

You can also add any text you like into the same layer; such as "Now only [[Price]]"

You can now highlight the text, change the size, font, and color of the text to be on-brand, and position it wherever you want.

2.3. Add shapes

Adding a shape behind the price, or other text, can be a good way to make the information stand out and be more noticeable.

Simply click "Add a shape" above the layer menu, head over to "Shape settings" on the bottom right side, select the shape from the dropdown (we recommend a circle for price splashes), select the color and scale & position the shape.

Ensure the shape layer is behind the text (price) layer.

3. Preview your design

Once you’re happy with your latest design, give it a name and click "Save" in the top right corner of the screen.

Click "Preview" in the top right to see the design applied to all your products.

If you’re using "product fields" in your text, you will be able to see that the price, product name, category, or any other information changes dynamically based on the product.

Congratulations on your first design!

The next step will be to create a Confect catalog to show off your customized Catalog ads to the world.