At that moment, an important question arose in Melanie’s mind. Does design really have to be so difficult? If design were made simple, wouldn’t ordinary people also be able to create good designs? From this thought, her first business was born—Fusion Books. It was an online platform where school students could design their own yearbooks. At that time, this idea was very new. But it worked. Schools accepted it. Fusion Books expanded from Australia to France and New Zealand.

Fusion Books taught Melanie a very important lesson if a tool is easy to use, people naturally become creative. But her dream did not stop there. She wanted to build this tool not just for schools, but for the entire world.

On this journey, she was joined by her college friend Cliff Obrecht and Cameron Adams, who provided strong technical support. Together, the three of them started working on a new idea—and Canva was born.

Even with a good idea, the journey was not easy. While seeking investment for Canva, Melanie and her team were rejected more than 100 times. Some investors said, “The idea is too simple.” Others said, “Designers will never leave professional software.” Some even doubted that a global tech company could come out of Australia. Investors questioned how two Australian youngsters without a strong technical background could compete with a giant like Adobe. Over 100 people said “no” to them. It was a phase that could break anyone’s confidence. But Melanie did not give up. She firmly believed that true strength lies in simplicity.

In 2013, Canva was launched. From day one, people felt it was different. Drag and drop, ready templates, easy color changes, fonts, photos—everything was so simple that design no longer felt scary. Teachers made posters for their classes. Students created presentations. Small business owners designed social media ads.

Canva did not start with big advertisements. People themselves shared the designs they made using Canva. Tutorial videos appeared on YouTube. Slowly but surely, Canva spread. Here, the product itself became the advertisement.

Canva adopted a freemium model. Basic design tools were free, and premium features were available at very affordable prices. Because of this, Canva spread rapidly in countries like India, Africa, and Latin America. Canva made the idea real that lack of money should not stop creativity.

Gradually, Canva expanded its features. It moved beyond posters and flyers to include presentations, resumes, videos, websites, brand kits, and social media content—all on one platform. Collaboration features were added for teams. Canva for Education was made free for schools and colleges. Special plans were introduced for non-profit organizations.

If there was one country perfectly suited for Canva, it was India. India has millions of small shop owners, entrepreneurs, and local brands that need affordable and simple marketing tools. At the same time, the creator economy—YouTubers, Instagram creators, freelancers—was growing rapidly. Most importantly, internet usage in India is mobile-centric. In such an environment, a simple, cloud-based design tool like Canva was a perfect fit.

Canva recognized this early. Around 2018–2019, India became a focus market. But Canva did not enter India with big hoardings or celebrity endorsements. Instead, it quietly and smartly focused on localization. Templates for festivals like Diwali, Holi, Raksha Bandhan, and Independence Day were introduced. Designs in Indian languages became available. As a result, whether it was a small bakery in Lucknow or a tuition class in Pune, anyone could create professional-looking ads within minutes.

Canva’s adoption in India was remarkable. Within a few years, India became one of the countries with the largest Canva user base in the world. The initial growth was organic, but in 2024, Canva launched its first brand campaign in India—“Dil Se, Design Tak.” Through this campaign, the creativity of the common Indian person was celebrated.

Education became extremely important for Canva in India—not just providing the tool, but teaching people how to use it. This helped small business owners and freelancers design with confidence.

This approach is clearly visible on Canva’s social media. Despite having a large follower base on YouTube and Instagram, Canva has maintained its Indian touch. Earlier, there were simple tutorials. Today, Canva showcases its features through festivals, weddings, trends, and memes. Every post acts like a small demo. Influencers also use Canva in a natural way.

When AI technology arrived, Canva did not fall behind. Features like Magic Design, text-to-image, auto-resize, and brand voice were introduced. But one thing always remained the same ease of use. Canva never became complicated.

Today, Canva is used in more than 190 countries. It has over 1.7 billion active users, more than 16 million paying subscribers, an estimated annual revenue of over 2.5 billion dollars, and a company valuation of around 25 to 26 billion dollars. Even so, Canva is still a private company and continues to protect its core values. Melanie and Cliff have announced that they will donate 30% of their wealth to help eliminate poverty.

In its next phase, Canva aims to become not just a design tool, but a complete visual communication platform—bringing design, AI, documents, teamwork, and productivity together in one place, made simple for everyone.

Canva’s story teaches us an important lesson. Design is not the monopoly of a few people. It is for everyone and this belief is what makes Canva different. To achieve great success, it is not always necessary to do difficult things. Sometimes, to change the world, you first need to understand it and then make things simple.

Writer: Sanjay Satalkar
Consultant in Advertising & Marketing