Written by: Vickie Sullivan | May 19, 2022
Lessons from Canva: How to Neutralize Your Critics
Canva, one of the most influential design platforms today, admits they are not for professionals. But professional graphic designers see the easy-to-use platform as a threat. In response, CEO Melanie Perkins created a 15-minute parody of The Office that the company turned into an internal film.
In a Fast Company article, Mark Wilson says this about the film:
“It features a quirky manager who falls in love with Canva, only to face the ire of black-shirted, scarf-wearing agency creatives. The sharply produced story—with a respectable count of laughs per minute—is a parable: The creatives learn that Canva can actually save them from having to make small, irksome changes to things like templates for business cards and sales decks. They can just hand that power over to businesses.
“Canva makes this argument repeatedly: It’s not out to replace designers and their specialized tools, but to work alongside them.”
Lessons We Can Learn from Canva
What Canva did offers lessons for all of us:
• Set clear boundaries—and communicate them. Canva’s founders make clear that they don’t replace high-end design tools such as Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator. (Most of Canva’s users don’t have photography or illustrator skills.) Canva is an alternative if you don’t need a professional touch. Combining specifics with the broad “we don’t replace you” point increases believability.
• Show critics their upside. By highlighting small never-ending changes all designers hate, Canva points out that professionals can benefit from the tool, too. Stressing what the pros can gain flips the script, spreading the benefit to all. So, ask yourself: What annoying task can your idea offload?
Listen: Two Reasons Behind Criticism
The common denominator here: specifics. When dealing with critics, broad arguments won’t work. Back up your claims with details that skeptics can’t dispute.
Canva was ready for the criticism. And if your ideas disrupt the status quo, you should be prepared for the critics, too.
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