Delving Into the Realm of Canva More Than Just A Tool :

A Reflection About the Design Surfaces Podcast

Over the million users of Canva, I am very proud to be among them, thus, I must say that

each of the podcast episodes I just listened to are all refreshing and very relevant. It made me

realize even more as to how the advent of Canva has truly been making wonders in the field of

digital design. It has become a major platform for people with or without professional

backgrounds in graphic designing to indulge into the creation of incredible and one-of-a-kind

digital outputs. It offers an array of pre-designed templates for presentations, infographics,

posters, among others, to cater each needs of its users may it be for work, academe, etc. Since

Canva is a free design-platform, people from varying socio-economic status can equally access

it and experience the convenience and efficiency it provides. For me, Canva, more than its mere

essence as a design tool, is an agent towards a better and more meaningful collaboration and

communication among the people in the digital community.

To continue, as I was attentively listening to each of the episodes of the podcast which

talks about the different fields of Canva design, I suddenly had the urge to know more about

motion graphics and I hope that their next episodes will delve deeper into it. The main reason I

can think of behind my fascination with motion graphics is because I am the kind of a person

who always wants to get herself involved in the process of the creation of something, which I

believe is what motion graphics is mainly about. In particular, I want to hear and learn more
about the intricacies of graphics motion and how it really works. I would also want to hear some

stories of the motion graphic designers and learn from their experiences, challenges,

opportunities and everything in between. I am very intrigued as to how they are able to not

run out of creativity to innovate designs features that provide efficiency, convenience and

relevance among the users.

Moving forward, as I was also continuously listening to each of the episodes of the

podcast, I noticed that the first few ones emphasized Canva as a design company and its

internal operations. The podcast has showcased the quality of work that Canva aims to

produce and how real leadership of its esteemed workers has brought them this far. It has

paved the way for us listeners to understand the primary goals and purpose of Canva and take a

glimpse of the work and collective efforts of the distinguished individuals and teams behind

their brand, which then led them to success. Canva is not near to perfection, but it is a work in

progress. I believe that the main interest of the podcast is to let its users explore the practices

and values of Canva, not to let people examine the design industry as a whole. Thus, I believe

that to have episodes in the podcast featuring designers from different companies or agencies

that have new perceptions and approaches about graphic designing is utterly impossible.

Needless to say, each of the episodes of the said podcast conveyed its different messages

that are truly worth listening to. More than knowledge, it provides wisdom that listeners like me

can apply as design thinking solutions for digital business promotions or simply crafting digital

outputs for school. In fact, I am to share a tip or advice that I learned from the podcast that I

believe is worth emulating is to foster cross-functional collaboration. This means that we have
to work together and collaborate with other people, the more the brain that functions, the

many and better the ideas to be produced, a key factor towards the success of a certain project.

The second one is to cultivate resilience within oneself, in designing or in life in general, failures

are inevitable, certain projects would flop, no matter how much efforts we exude to it. We may

feel disheartened, but we should not be discouraged to stand still and try once again. Research

for more creative ideas, take feedback, do everything to learn more and be more.

However, in the midst of thriving to fulfill our different roles and pursuing our greatest

potential in life, the occurrence of certain adversities such as “impostor syndrome” just like the

content design leader in Canva, Amelia Marshall, has gone through, is inevitable. The feeling of

“not doing enough” or doubting our own capabilities often haunt us from time-to-time, and it is

normal and valid. However, it is important to keep in mind that we shall not dwell too much on

that negative feeling. Instead, we must be resilient enough and encourage ourselves to keep

moving forward and put effort to hone every skill we have. Just like Amelia, we must face every

challenge in life, conquer our inner demons and be ready for the twists in life as it is where the

opportunities and self-growth follow.

To take everything into account, the 19-episode podcast might be quite time-consuming,

but every minute we spend on listening to it is definitely worthwhile. It provides us the

opportunity to know Canva more than just a helpful and revolutionary design tool. The podcast

has revealed to us the significant individuals behind the consistent breakthroughs of Canva.

They have shared with us their unique inspiring stories and left us with note-worthy wisdom to
carry on and apply in life. Together, let us be one in Canva in its pursuit to better navigate this

digital world by crafting transformative digital outputs and building meaningful connections.