Canva, one of the most popular design platforms in the world, has been increasingly consolidating itself in Brazil, which is already the company’s second largest market globally. With a profound impact on the democratization of design, the platform allows anyone, regardless of experience, to create professional-quality visual projects.
The new “Love Your Work” campaign reflects this purpose, highlighting the importance of autonomy and creativity in the workplace.
In an exclusive interview with AdNews, Canva’s executive creative director shares insights into the campaign, the integration of AI into design tools, key industry trends, and the company’s exponential growth in the Brazilian market. Check it out below.
What were the main inspirations behind the “Love Your Work” campaign? How does this message reflect Canva’s values and mission?
Cat van der Werff: “The ‘Love Your Work’ campaign was born out of a cultural insight”
The “Love Your Work” campaign was born out of a cultural insight: many people feel disconnected from their jobs, especially in the United States. This became the theme of our creative brief.
Canva supports individual empowerment. We believe that when people are empowered to achieve their goals and recognized for their efforts, their work experience is transformed—and positive. Since we spend so much of our lives at work, it’s important for people to feel inspired and enjoy what they do.
This campaign reflects our shift in focus to supporting the autonomy of each organization. “Love Your Work” is a platform that encourages joy at work and celebrates the achievements of teams and individuals. It reflects Canva’s mission to democratize design by providing tools that inspire creativity, productivity, and positivity at work, whether you’re creating a corporate presentation or a social media video.
Canva has been increasingly integrating generative AI into its tools. How do you see AI’s role in democratizing design and empowering users with no prior experience?
AI has been a game-changer for Canva, but it’s not just a response to trends — it’s part of our strategy to bring creativity to everyone. We’ve been investing in AI since 2019, starting with tools like Background Remover and most recently acquiring Leonardo.AI. These innovations help people work faster and more creatively.
Our Magic Studio, launched last year, has already been used over 7 billion times! What makes it so popular is its simplicity — it combines the functionality of many different tools into one, making design easy for everyone. AI breaks down barriers, allowing people who may not have formal design experience to easily create professional-quality visuals. This aligns perfectly with our mission to democratize design and help everyone express their ideas visually.
What are the major design trends that you believe will shape the creative industry in the coming years? And how is Canva preparing for these changes?
We’re seeing a huge shift towards visual communication across all industries. People want to grab attention and get their message across quickly. Our 2024 design trends report highlights some of the top trends, including pixelation (which has seen a 179% increase in popularity), collage animation, surrealism, and bold rebrands.
But beyond aesthetics, AI is undoubtedly reshaping the creative world. Canva’s Visual Economy Report shows that 91% of Brazilian business leaders are using AI-powered tools to streamline content production, amid tighter budgets and higher content demands. Additionally, 93% of them believe that AI has improved the quality of their visual content. With AI becoming an integral part of design, Canva is preparing for this shift by continually refining AI tools, empowering professionals and non-designers to boost their own creativity and productivity.
Canva has an accessible and inclusive approach to design. How do you ensure that your tools cater to such a broad and diverse user base around the world?
Accessibility and inclusion are at the core of Canva. As we evolve, so does our commitment to ensuring that anyone, regardless of their design experience, can use our tools.
Our drag-and-drop interface and vast library of templates make designing easy, even for beginners. We also offer our platform in over 100 languages and provide localized content so people can create designs that truly resonate with their communities.
We also think about accessibility in the design itself. Our tools help ensure that your materials are not only beautiful, but also functional for diverse audiences. Two examples are our color contrast and font accessibility features, which make your designs easier to use and understand.
Since its launch, Canva has grown exponentially. What have been the biggest challenges along the way, especially in expanding globally?
One of the things we consider most is ensuring that as we grow globally, our product development keeps pace. Expanding into new markets requires us to adapt not only our products but also our messaging to different cultural contexts.
It takes time and care to ensure that each implementation in a new market feels relevant and aligned with local needs. Balancing global expansion with local relevance is complex, but it’s also necessary — and it’s been key to our success in international markets.
How do you measure the impact of campaigns like “Love Your Work”? What are the key success indicators for Canva advertising campaigns?
We track several key metrics to measure impact. First, we look at how perceptions change around the idea that “Canva is good for work.” We want to show that Canva isn’t just for personal content creators — it’s a powerful tool for teams and organizations.
We also tracked spontaneous awareness to see if more people were thinking of Canva as the ideal platform for collaboration and design at work. Along with qualitative feedback, these metrics help us understand how far we’re progressing in both awareness and adoption.
The “Love Your Work” campaign focuses on valuing creative work. How does Canva help companies and professionals improve visual communication?
In our first decade, we focused on helping millions of people unleash their creativity. Now, we’re extending that to teams and organizations by providing a visual communications platform that drives productivity, creativity, and collaboration.
Visual communication is more important than ever, especially with shorter attention spans and a multitude of tools to manage. Canva helps simplify this complexity by making it easier for teams to create and collaborate on content. That’s why over 95% of Fortune 500 companies now use Canva to power communication and drive success.
Has Canva explored partnerships with other brands or creative professionals for future campaigns and launches? Can you share any interesting examples?
Yes, we’ve had some cool collaborations. We recently partnered with Pinterest in Brazil. As part of this collaboration, Pinterest became a Canva Creator, sharing their own designs on our platform. We launched this partnership with webinars and community events, leveraging the creator communities of both Pinterest and Canva. It’s been exciting to see the synergy between these two global leaders in visual communication.
How does Canva interact with the community of designers and creators who use the platform? Are there plans to further strengthen this relationship?
Our Canva Creators program is one way we connect with our creative community. This program allows creators to contribute templates, elements, and design assets that are shared around the world. We provide these creators with opportunities for visibility, collaboration, and even monetization, fostering a strong ecosystem.
Looking ahead, we’re looking to further strengthen these relationships. We want to expand opportunities for creators and provide more ways to connect and grow. Our recent acquisitions, like Affinity and Leonardo.AI, are part of this effort to empower creativity in the Canva universe.
The use of the platform in Brazil has grown significantly. Can you share any specific numbers or data about the Brazilian market and the importance of the country for Canva?
Brazil is our second largest market, with 1 in 8 people using Canva. This shows the massive adoption and demand for our platform. Businesses of all sizes, along with a thriving creator community, use Canva for everything from social media posts to corporate collateral.
The Visual Economy Report shows that 73% of business leaders in Brazil say that visual communication tools have significantly improved their business performance. With faster content creation, more efficient collaboration and stronger engagement, it’s clear why 72% of leaders are increasing their investment in visual communication tools.
